9th September in wartime Northern Ireland

On 9th September 1941 and again in 1943, soldiers of the British Army underwent realistic training crossing the waterways of Northern Ireland in Co. Antrim.

Training on the Maine

On 9th September 1941, soldiers of 4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, 148th Independent Infantry Brigade trained between Antrim Town and Ballymena.

Members of 4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, 148th Independent Infantry Brigade under the command of Lieutenant Colonel B. Hawkins practising new forms of attack and fording the River Maine between Antrim Town and Ballymena, Co. Antrim. — ©IWM H 13791 Info

Members of 4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, 148th Independent Infantry Brigade under the command of Lieutenant Colonel B. Hawkins practising new forms of attack and fording the River Maine with bicycles between Antrim Town and Ballymena, Co. Antrim. — ©IWM H 13792 Info

Members of 4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, 148th Independent Infantry Brigade under the command of Lieutenant Colonel B. Hawkins practising new forms of attack and fording the River Maine on a Universal Carrier between Antrim Town and Ballymena, Co. Antrim. — ©IWM H 13793 Info

Members of 4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, 148th Independent Infantry Brigade under the command of Lieutenant Colonel B. Hawkins practising new forms of attack and fording the River Maine with a towed 4.5” Howitzer between Antrim Town and Ballymena, Co. Antrim. — ©IWM H 13794 Info

Members of 4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, 148th Independent Infantry Brigade under the command of Lieutenant Colonel B. Hawkins practising new forms of attack and fording the River Maine with a towed 4.5” Howitzer between Antrim Town and Ballymena, Co. Antrim. — ©IWM H 13795 Info

Members of 4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, 148th Independent Infantry Brigade under the command of Lieutenant Colonel B. Hawkins practising new forms of attack forded the River Maine by improvised raft between Antrim Town and Ballymena, Co. Antrim. — ©IWM H 13796 Info

Members of 4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, 148th Independent Infantry Brigade under the command of Lieutenant Colonel B. Hawkins practising new forms of attack and fording the River Maine by improvised raft between Antrim Town and Ballymena, Co. Antrim. — ©IWM H 13797 Info

Members of 4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, 148th Independent Infantry Brigade under the command of Lieutenant Colonel B. Hawkins practising new forms of attack and fording the River Maine between Antrim Town and Ballymena, Co. Antrim. — ©IWM H 13798 Info

Members of 4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, 148th Independent Infantry Brigade under the command of Lieutenant Colonel B. Hawkins practising new forms of attack and fording the River Maine between Antrim Town and Ballymena, Co. Antrim. — ©IWM H 13799 Info

Members of 4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, 148th Independent Infantry Brigade under the command of Lieutenant Colonel B. Hawkins practising new forms of attack and fording the River Maine between Antrim Town and Ballymena, Co. Antrim. — ©IWM H 13800 Info

Members of 4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, 148th Independent Infantry Brigade under the command of Lieutenant Colonel B. Hawkins take position with a Bren Gun next to a railway line between Antrim Town and Ballymena, Co. Antrim. — ©IWM H 13801 Info

Members of 4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, 148th Independent Infantry Brigade under the command of Lieutenant Colonel B. Hawkins giving orders by wireless telephone between Antrim Town and Ballymena, Co. Antrim. — ©IWM H 13802 Info

Brigadier H.B. Hibbert and Lieutenant Colonel B. Hawkins of 4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, 148th Independent Infantry Brigade at a training exercise between Antrim Town and Ballymena, Co. Antrim. — ©IWM H 13803 Info

Brigadier H.B. Hibbert of 4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, 148th Independent Infantry Brigade at a training exercise between Antrim Town and Ballymena, Co. Antrim. — ©IWM H 13804 Info

Brigadier H.B. Hibbert of 4th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment, 148th Independent Infantry Brigade in conversation with war correspondents at a training exercise between Antrim Town and Ballymena, Co. Antrim. — ©IWM H 13805 Info

Featured image for Exercise Judy: Lessons learned from the war in Sicily

Exercise Judy: Lessons learned from the war in Sicily

7th September 1943

In September 1943, members of the British Army based in Northern Ireland conducted Exercise Judy, a large-scale operation based on lessons learned in Sicily.

Soldiers and transport using bridging methods to cross a river during Exercise Judy at the River Bann, Newferry, Co. Antrim. — ©IWM H 32809 Info

A loaded ferry prepares to cross the river during Exercise Judy at the River Bann, Newferry, Co. Antrim. — ©IWM H 32810 Info

A loaded ferry crosses the river during Exercise Judy at the River Bann, Newferry, Co. Antrim. — ©IWM H 32811 Info

A plane simulates a dive bombing attack on a loaded ferry crossing the river during Exercise Judy at the River Bann, Newferry, Co. Antrim. — ©IWM H 32812 Info