Queen meets TA in Northern Ireland

Her Majesty The Queen met over 300 Territorial Army (TA) soldiers and veterans from Northern Ireland at a reception to mark the TA's centenary on Tuesday, 18 March 2008.

Accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, Her Majesty spoke to TA soldiers, their families and their employers about their experiences of supporting operations around the world.

Private David Poole of 152 (Ulster) Transport, RLC (Volunteers), who is recovering after being seriously injured by an Improvise Explosive Device in Afghanistan, was one of the soldiers the Queen spoke to. He said:

"This was an enormous honour for us all. She has enormous knowledge of the TA and of what we have been doing from Northern Ireland. She really took a great interest in us all and we have been really chuffed about this."

The Queen met soldiers who have recently served on operations, including Sierra Leone, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as those who are currently preparing for deployment to Helmand Province in Afghanistan.

Over 100 TA soldiers from 2 Royal Irish Regiment have just deployed to Helmand Province for a six month tour of duty alongside their regular colleagues in 1 Royal Irish.

The TA in Northern Ireland is mustered under 38 (Irish) Brigade whose units cover a wide range of skills, including infantry, medics, artillery, signals, transport and logistics. 38 (Irish) Brigade also comprises Queen's University Officer Training Corps.