The Army in Ulster - The Men in the Middle

Explore the role of the British Army during the early weeks of the 1969 civil disturbances in Northern Ireland. The programme focuses on Dover Street - one place that encapsulates the difficulties faced by soldiers trying to mediate between two communities riven by mistrust and fear. Created from a British broadcaster’s perspective part of the fascination of this film is the range of voices present. Dover St remains severed by a Peaceline that runs along Beverley St.

We have access to the prominent military personnel charged with bringing down the system of makeshift barricades erected by the two communities. See the difficulties everyone face in trying to negotiate the placement of a peace line. Also interviewed are the military rank and file and the ordinary people embroiled in the turmoil of the early ‘Troubles’. This film is from the BFI collection. It is part of the Thames current affairs television series ‘This Week’, broadcasting regional issues to a national UK audience. The series often provoked controversy, reportedly the demise of Thames was not helped by Thatcher’s anger over their coverage in 1988 of the killing of three IRA members in Gibraltar.