On the 9th July 1979 the battalion took over the responsibility for the area west of the Foyle area of Londonderry. They took over at 10.00 hours and by 1400 hours they were involved in their first incident.  

A small patrol from ‘A’ Company came under fire, and in the ensuing follow up operation a rifle and ammunition were recovered. The following day two bombs and a pistol were recovered nearby.

The main feature of this tour was riot control with all the rifle companies experiencing various levels of ‘aggro’. The 9th, 10th and 11th August, the marching season saw them constantly dealing with problems of this type.

Several marches happened at the same time, the ‘Troops out’ and ‘Apprentice Boys march’ were two such events.  

The tour involved all the normal tactics of a Northern Ireland tour, with Vehicle check points to be manned, observations points and patrolling both day and night.

On the 8th November the battalion handed over its area of responsibility to the 3rd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

On their return from Northern Ireland the battalion set about honing its mechanized infantry skills. They were fortunate in as much as many of the senior NCOs had served in Minden ten years before in the same role.