New book tells story of forgotten UVF camp in Newtownstewart

A new booklet has been launched marking the anniversary of a little-known but significant episode in Tyrone’s history – the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) Camp of Instruction held at Baronscourt in October 1913.

The timing of the launch came just ahead of the 111th anniversary of the UVF gun-running into Larne, which provided the wider historical context for the training camp. But it was the week-long exercise at Baronscourt – held from October 4-10, 1913 – that took centre stage on the evening.

Compiled by Armagh historian Quincey Dougan and commissioned by Derry & Raphoe Action, the new booklet is titled ‘Keep Your Powder Dry – The motivation, organisation and significance of the Ulster Volunteer Camp of Instruction at Baronscourt October 1913’.

The launch event at the Somme Memorial Hall in Newtownstewart drew hundreds of attendees keen to learn more about this formative moment in the development of the UVF.

Mr Dougan said: “From the October 4-20, 1913, the picturesque Baronscourt Estate, seat of the Duke of Abercorn, became the scene of a week-long military training camp.

“Over 300 members of the County Tyrone Regiment of the Ulster Volunteer Force entered into an intensive programme of lectures and exercises covering all aspects of modern battlefield warfare, from musketry and drill to tactics in defence and attack. The Belfast Newsletter, reporting at the time, referenced the ‘strict military discipline’ on display.

“Such was its importance that Sir Edward Carson inspected the camp before it opened. Later, the General Officer in Command of the Ulster Volunteers, Sir George Richardson, spent several days reviewing the training and exercises.”

Mr Dougan said that while the camp has remained under the radar of many historians and the general public, its importance deserves much greater recognition.

“Baronscourt became a case study in how to use media to send a political message. Unionism embraced all aspects of the media landscape to showcase their organisation and resolve. Photographs appeared in newspapers across the Empire, portraying Ulster Volunteers at ‘war’. The message was loud and clear: there would be no compromise on Home Rule.

“Even more importantly, the camp had a direct influence on wider Irish politics. Nationalists who previously dismissed the UVF as ‘bluff and bluster’ began to reassess. It’s no coincidence that within weeks of the camp’s conclusion, the first proposal to form an Irish Volunteer Force was made – its formation followed soon after.”

Mr Dougan concluded: “The Baronscourt Camp gave Ulster Unionism a new confidence and shifted how the Irish establishment, civic society and media viewed the UVF. It marked a turning point in the Home Rule crisis and signalled the kind of Ireland that would emerge in the decade ahead.”

The project was facilitated by Derry and Raphoe Action and supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund.

Anyone interested in receiving a free copy of the publication can contact Elaine McKeag, Ulster-Scots Community Development Officer, at the Somme Memorial Hall, Newtownstewart.