A number of former British soldiers who served during in Northern Ireland during the Troubles said they were unconvinced that they had achieved anything, a new documentary has revealed.
'Squaddies on the Frontline' is the fifth in a series of documentaries by prize-winning Derry film makers, Vinny Cunningham and John Peto. It follows films focusing on the Battle of the Bogside, Operation Motorman, the era of Free Derry and the Protestant drift to Derry’s Waterside.
Co-producer, Mr Cunningham said the show was the first time the voice has of rank and file soldiers who served in the North has been given a television platform.
Squaddies on the Frontline – by Open Reel Productions – is based on interviews with former UDR and RIR soldiers as well as members of British regiments who served during the Troubles. It also features extensive archive footage from the era, including film made by a former member of the Kings Own Royal Border Regiment while he served in Derry.
Chris Thornhill, who was based at Fort George, shot the film on a movie-camera while on mobile patrols in the city which he kept hidden from senior officers.
Mr Cunningham said: “For a lot of people here through the conflict the army weren’t really seen as people. They were a uniform and a job that some people hated, some appreciated but most tried hard to just ignore.
“This film goes beyond that to look at the actual people behind the uniform; people who were often scared and confused as to why they were actually here.”
The British army’s mission in Northern Ireland, code-named Operation Banner, was the longest operation in its history, with more than 750 soldiers killed.
Mr Cunningham’s co-producer, Mr Peto said the film was an attempt to create a “people’s history of normal life in abnormal times.” He said the documentary gave the former soldiers space to tell their stories.
“Whether viewers agree with those stories or not, we try to create light and understanding rather than heat and argument,” Mr Peto said.
Set to a background of music by the Undertones, That Petrol Emotion, the Wood Burning Savages and others, the former soldiers recall their feelings when faced with absolute hatred.
One remembered: “Whole communities were our enemy. They hated us; they hated us with a vengeance and that became very, very apparent, very, very quickly. I wasn’t prepared for that level of hatred.”
Another said there was a feeling that anything could happen at any time. Another former soldier said he and his colleagues simply looked on the IRA as the enemy.
“If we can get out of this alive, then that’s the big bonus thing,” he said.
A number of former soldiers admitted to confusion about the value of their tours in Northern Ireland. They expressed doubts about what was achieved by Operation Banner.
Squaddies on the Frontline will be broadcast on BBC 1 television this Wednesday (9pm).
