1960s In November 1958 the 1st Battalion moved to
Cyprus, where they carried out
anti-insurgency activities against the paramilitary
EOKA organisation. A ceasefire was called in December 1959, and the island achieved independence from Britain in August 1960. Following the ending of the conflict the battalion carried out exercises in
Libya before returning to the United Kingdom in 1961. From 1961 to 1963 the battalion was based in
Plymouth, taking part in exercises in the
Salisbury Plain Training Area and in recruitment activities following the ending of
National Service. In May 1962 the regiment was given the
freedom of the City of Exeter, and were presented with a stand of
colours by the
Colonel-in-Chief,
Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent. From July 1963 the battalion was based in
Holywood,
County Down. Placed on twenty-four hours' travel notice, in May 1964 they moved to
British Guiana where there was political and civil unrest. Elections were held in December of that year, a first step in the independence of the colony. The battalion returned to Holywood in January 1965. In 1967 disturbances spread throughout the Arab world in the wake of the
Six-Day War. The battalion were dispatched to
Benghazi in Libya to evacuate isolated British personnel. They found themselves involved in the
Battle of the Falls. In May 1976 the battalion rejoined the
12th Mechanised Brigade in Osnabrück. They did two tours of duty in Northern Ireland: in North Belfast from January to May 1977 and in Central Belfast from January to May 1979. In March 1983 the Devon & Dorsets became a resident battalion at
Abercorn Barracks in
Ballykinler in Northern Ireland as part of the
39th Infantry Brigade, remaining there until 1985. The Regimental Band were sent to the
Persian Gulf between October 1990 and March 1991 as part of
Operation Granby to serve in a field hospital. In 1994 they moved to Paderborn as part of the
20th Armoured Brigade. For part of the campaign they served alongside the
French 2e Régiment Étranger d'Infanterie as part of United Nations Task Force Alpha, and a bond of friendship was later established between the two units. They moved to the
Cavalry Barracks, Hounslow in 2000. The Devon and Dorsets was again the resident battalion at Ballykinler from 2002 to 2004. In 2004 the battalion moved to
Catterick Garrison. The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment would integrate Gloucestershire elements of the
Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment to form a new battalion of The Light Infantry. On becoming part of a rifle regiment, the Devon and Dorsets no longer carried their
colours; these were laid up in
Exeter Cathedral on 27 January 2007. ==Regimental museum==