On 14 August 1969, the British government deployed troops onto the streets of Northern Ireland, marking the beginning of the British Army’s longest continuous operation, Operation Banner.

The preceding days had seen intense street fighting in Derry/Londonderry between nationalist residents of the Bogside area and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). “The Battle of the Bogside” was triggered by the annual Apprentice Boys loyalist parade on 12 August, which passed close to the area. The parade, a centrepiece of marching season, celebrates the young Protestant supporters of William of Orange who defended Londonderry against the forces of the Catholic King James II in 1688/1689.

The RUC, seen as a sectarian force by nationalists, entered the Bogside with armoured cars and water cannons in an attempt to control the violence. The force employed tear gas for the first time in its history, but failed to regain control of the Bogside. Alongside loyalist supporters, they were ultimately repelled.

The Bogside became a “no-go” area defended by residents; barricades were erected and the guarded area was referred to as ‘Free Derry’.

Tensions heightened with the deployment of the Ulster Special Constabulary (the so-called ‘B Specials’), a quasi-military auxiliary force that was loathed by Northern Ireland’s nationalist minority.

The violence and rioting led to several deaths and displacing hundreds of families, mostly Catholics.

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The Stormont government of Northern Ireland, led by James Chichester-Clark, formally requested military assistance from Westminster. The RUC, it acknowledged, could no longer contain the disorder.

On 13 August, the Irish Taoiseach, Jack Lynch, delivered a broadcast speech stating the Irish government could “no longer stand by and see innocent people injured and perhaps worse.”

He said: “It is evident that the Stormont government is no longer in control of the situation. Indeed the present situation is the inevitable outcome of the policies pursued for decades by successive Stormont governments. It is clear, also, that the Irish government can no longer stand by and see innocent people injured and perhaps worse.”

Lynch requested that a United Nations peacekeeping force to be sent to the six counties of Northern Ireland. He also announced that field hospitals would be set up in border areas. (In 2009, it was revealed the Irish government prepared a plan for military intervention.)

After two days of clashes, the UK government under Labour prime minister Harold Wilson, with James Callaghan as home secretary, authorised the deployment of troops. On the afternoon of 14 August, shortly after 17:00, 300 troops from the Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment of Yorkshire occupied the centre of Derry.

On the same day, John Gallagher, a Catholic civilian, was shot in the back by B-Specials members, who had opened fire on a crowd amidst street disturbances. He is sometimes referred to as the first official fatality of what became known as the Troubles.

Initially, nationalists welcomed the army’s deployment. The arriving forces were viewed as an impartial peacekeeping force, and even as protectors against the RUC and loyalist rioters. Such sentiment was symbolised by scenes of cheering and singing as the soldiers entered Derry.

This warm welcome was short-lived. Nationalist hostility to the British army was fuelled by the Falls Curfew (1970), Operation Demetrius (the introduction of internment in 1971) and Bloody Sunday (1972).

The main opposition to the British military’s deployment was provided by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA), a republican paramilitary force, which emerged over the coming months in response to calls for a “defenderist” group. What would become known as the “Official IRA” had been criticised by its traditional supporters for failing to defend Catholic areas. This sentiment was captured by the famous slogan: “IRA – I Ran Away”.

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Operation Banner was initially intended as a “limited operation” to restore order. But it signalled the beginning of a larger role for the UK government in Northern Ireland, paving the way for the imposition of ‘direct rule’ on 28 March 1972.

Banner would ultimately last for 38 years, ending on 31 July 2007, involve thousands of troops, and become a central feature of the Troubles.

On 26 August, the Hunt committee was appointed to “examine the recruitment, organisation, structure and composition of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the Ulster Special Constabulary [B-Specials] and their respective functions and to recommend as necessary what changes are required to provide for the efficient enforcement of law and order in Northern Ireland”.

The committee recommended that the RUC “should be relieved of all duties of a military nature as soon as possible”, and the disbandment of the B-Special.