The battalion deployed to County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland December 1990 and quickly settled into a routine of manning the many vehicle check points and patrolling the area.
Its operation title for the tour was ‘The Fermanagh Roulement Battalion were responsible for ten PVCP’s throughout the area.
‘A’ company operated in an area known as Fermanagh west. It included over one hundred kilometres of border and forty-three recognized border crossing points.
All manner of patrols were carried out in helicopters, vehicles, and boats. The static positions provided excellent targets for the IRA and a number came under attack.
On the 11th February 1991 the battalion was paid a visit by the Colonel –in-Chief HRH The Prince Phillip at St Angelo base.
On the 15th February the IRA tried to shoot down one of the helicopters when it was preparing to extract on of the battalions patrols. The firing point was across the border where 360 empty shell cases were recovered.
The battalion took part in a major operation on the 19th March, operation MUTILATE in which a number of border crossings were closed and the PVCPs at Derryard and Boa Island were removed.
The next major attack on the battalion took place on the 20th April at the Gortmullan PVCP which came under attack which was responded to with great vigour. For the first time in the troubles the .50 Browning heavy machine gun was brought into action.
Teams came out from the base and skirmished towards the enemy, but by the time they got anywhere near the targets they had retreated over the border. .
This was the battalion’s last action in which fire was exchanged.
They returned to Catterick in May.