Army ends Northern Ireland campaign
Updated on 30 July 2007
First the soldiers went, then the watchtowers - for a time they had defined the Ulster landscape - Operation Banner was the British Army's longest campaign, lasting 38 years.
Troops were brought in to cope with street riots, but ended up fighting the IRA. And tragic events, such as Bloody Sunday, saw violence escalate.
The footage shown in tonight's report includes some courtesy of the Imperial War Museum, www.iwm.org.uk.
South Armagh became known as Bandit Country. Most patrols were made by helicopter. And there were also secret operations, too.
Previously unseen footage showed how the armed forces were instructed to prevent attacks when off-duty. The threat was greatest to the locally recruited army, and some even now do not want to be identified.
Some units are staying, but - significantly - they will not be acting as support to the police. In military terms, Northern Ireland will be officially normal.
The stills photographs are from a book called Castles of Ulster, by Jonathan Olley.
