40th (Ulster) Signal Regiment, Royal Signals

40 (Ulster) Signal Regiment (Volunteers) is a Territorial Army regiment in the Royal Corps of Signals in the British Army. The regiment forms part of 2 (National Communications) Signal Brigade, providing military communications for national operations. The regiment does not have an internal security role in Northern Ireland.

Structure
Initial Structure

HQ Squadron at Clonaver Park, Belfast. 66 (City of Belfast) Signal Squadron at Clonaver Park, Belfast. 81 (Northern Ireland) Signal Squadron at Belfast. 85 (Ulster) Signal Squadron at Clonaver Park, Belfast and Lurgan. This Squadron was later to raise a Troop in Larne, but then consolidated in Belfast before subsequently moving to Newtownards, then Bangor and finally Lisburn.

Current Structure

66 (City of Belfast) Support Squadron at Clonaver Park, Belfast. 69 Signal Squadron at Belfast and Limavady. 85 (Ulster and Antrim Artillery) Signal Squadron at Lisburn.

History
The Regiment was formed 1 April 1967 in Belfast by the amalgamation of 66 Signal Regiment (TA), 81 Signal Regiment (AER) and 302 Signal Squadron.

In 1969 81 Signal Squadron at Belfast was disbanded. This Squadron number is now used by an independent specialist TA Squadron, based at Colerne in England.

On 1 April 1995, due to Options for Change, 69 (North Irish Horse) Signal Squadron, based at Limavady, transferred from 32 (Scottish) Signal Regiment (Volunteers).

On 1 July 1999 85 (Ulster) Squadron moved to Bangor and was subtitled '(Ulster and Antrim Artillery)'. This was done in recognition of the loss of 74 (Antrim Artillery) Squadron Royal Engineers (Volunteers). The Squadron became custodian of the Antrim Artillery property as a result of this. With the re-raising of TA Royal Engineers in Bangor, in the form of 591 (Independent) Field Squadron Royal Engineers (Volunteers) the Squadron moved to Thiepval Barracks in Lisburn.

Operational deployments
Territorial soldiers from the Regiment have served on operations supporting the Regular Army in the Balkans and on Operation TELIC in Iraq, on Operation HERRICK in Afghanistan, on Operation TOSCA in Cyprus and on Operation OCULUS in the Balkans.

Future
Due to the reduction in Territorial Army Royal Signals units, as a result of the Strategic Review of Reserves, 40 (Ulster) Signal Regiment (Volunteers) disbanded on 31 March 2010. One Squadron remains, 40 Squadron, which is under the command of 32 Signal Regiment. It is based in Belfast and Derry.