From my first meeting former servicewomen who had served in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, I was struck by their stories of the ‘front line’, stories which have such an important contribution to make to women’s military history and our understandings of this conflict. I am indebted to the amazing women who I have met through this research and am in awe of their bravery in sharing their powerful testimonies with me and, in turn, with you the reader.

‘Petticoat Patrols’*

This virtual exhibition invites the audience to reflect on how servicewomen of the Ulster Defence Regiment, known as ‘Greenfinches’, complied with the expectations of the time but also how they defied them. The exhibition was based on a research project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council through which, Co-Investigator, Hannah Richards and I explored the archives of the Ulster Defence Regiment in collaboration with Dr Laura Patrick, Heritage Officer for the Royal Irish Regiment. We leafed through boxes of artefacts and Regimental scrapbooks filled with photographs that gave us a sense of the family feel, fun and humour of a unit that was operating under the weight of significant personal threat every time they stepped out of their door. We wanted to convey the juxtaposition between the ‘front line’ operational role of the Greenfinches and how their non-combatant status was reinforced by decisions for them to remain unarmed and wearing skirts. The virtual exhibition was produced in collaboration with Laura Evans and Simona Hodonova from Nifty Fox Creative who were adept at helping us to communicate the narrative of our findings and whose amazing reinterpretation of photographs in illustrated form brings to life these stories.  

The virtual exhibition ‘Petticoat Patrols’ can be found by clicking on the link here.

The project is included in the Virtual Gallery of Royal Irish Regiment marking the 50th Anniversary of the Greenfinches.

*Named after a provocative newspaper headline we had found in the archive! 

Research showcase: The Troubles – 25 years on

September 2023 saw Cardiff University researchers get together for a research showcase at the Royal Ulster Rifles Museum in Belfast, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council Rapid Response Fund. We were delighted with the turn out and had fun trying to find additional chairs to squeeze everyone in! Alongside launching the virtual exhibition and screening two documentary films (see below for more information), visitors could explore a physical exhibition sharing photographs, media coverage and uniforms to spark continued conversation and reflection amongst attendees (where they could also access the virtual exhibition on Ipads).

The afternoon culminated in a panel, ‘New directions in research – The Troubles 25 years on’, which brought together Dr Huw Bennett, Dr Eleanor Leah Williams, Dan Chesse and David Crabbe (formerly of the Ulster Defence Regiment) and was co-chaired by myself and Hannah Richards. Speakers reflected on the different dimensions of the conflict that their research brings to light and the challenges they faced before considering the future direction of research in relation to the Troubles. We had some great interaction in the Q&A as attendees talked about the legacies of their Regiments, followed by the alunch of Dr Huw Bennett’s new book, Uncivil War.

‘You’se are so brave’ 

This documentary film presents a feminist retelling of women’s military history as ‘front line’ combatants in Northern Ireland, decades before the British Army’s lifting of the ban on women in ground close combat. It showcases the ‘front line’ stories of women veterans of the Troubles, from the Ulster Defence Regiment, Royal Irish Regiment, Women’s Royal Army Corps and Royal Ulster Constabulary, in their own words. It is a collaboration with the veteran artist and actor, Jordan Holland, videographer, Simon Wharf and director/musician, Tim West with drone camera work by Gabriel Gilson. This project was funded by the South West Doctoral Training Partnership Impact Fund and the University of Bath Public Engagement Progression Fund.

[This film will be made available in due course following a series of live screenings.] 

‘The “front line”: Women’s voices’ 

This documentary film reflects on what the ‘front line’ meant to servicewomen during the Troubles and how they navigated their identity as unarmed when out on patrol. Employing participatory film-making techniques, the film includes visuals from a tour of Belfast by a former servicewomen and from workshops, with audio reflections by women veterans of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, Ulster Defence Regiment and Women’s Royal Army Corps. This project was funded by my Economic and Social Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship.