Remembering fallen comrades, veterans paraded Saturday to mark the 50th anniversary of the British Army’s deployment to Northern Ireland — a key moment in the Troubles. Hundreds of ex-service personnel attended the Northern Ireland Veterans Association (NIVA) event in the city of Lisburn, southwest of Belfast.
A total of 722 soldiers died during Operation Banner, which ran from 1969 to 2007.
Since soldiers first appeared on Northern Ireland’s streets on August 14, 1969, the British army witnessed and was involved in some of the darkest hours of the Troubles, the three decades of unrest in the province.