In UDR: DECLASSIFIED, Michelle Smith reveals what the British establishment, the British government and its armed forces knew and had to say about the controversial regiment in recently declassified files.

From its formation in 1970 as a locally raised militia, the Ulster Defence Regiment in the British army. For unionists, services in the UDR was a noble act and often a family tradition; for nationalists, an encounter with the UDR was frequently hostile, often brutal, and sometimes fatal. To the British army, they were 'a dangerous species off ally', a classic militia regiment that played its part in the British Empire's long tradition of using such forces. It was viewed as a 'safety valve' for the tempers of loyalist extremism, and also served as the main source of training, weaponry and intelligence for loyalists throughout the conflict. 

UDR:DECLASSIFIED  is an evidence based exposure of the UDR using declassified files from 10 Downing Street, the MoD and the NIO. The denial of access to history is a part of continuing efforts by the British state to obscure its colonial past. This book is a testimony to the value of defying such efforts and uncovering the truths behind our traumatic past.