British soldiers man a checkpoint in Northern Ireland, 1970s

Photograph, Northern Ireland, 1970s.

A sentry stands guard at the entrance to an Army checkpoint. He is armed with a L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle (SLR). The British Army's operation in Northern Ireland, ended in 2007 after nearly 40 years. Operation BANNER was the Army's longest continuous campaign, with more than 300,000 personnel taking part.

From a collection of photographs assembled for use in Colonel Robin McNish's 'Iron Division - The History of the 3rd Division', depicting the 3rd Division, 1918-1977.