THE end of the RUC by name at the weekend has not been marked in any prominent way locally for the members of the police force, who are now known as the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

As the first trainees for the new police service began training at Garnerville Police College in Belfast on Sunday, memories locally returned to the days when Enniskillen provided a main role for the training of RUC recruits, and the relatives of these who lost their lives while serving with the force during the 30 years of The Troubles.

Enniskillen Training Centre began receiving recruits in 1936 when training was transferred from Newtownards.

The county town continued serving that training role until its closure in 1986.

It was estimated that during the 50 years in existence, some 13,000 recruits were trained in Enniskillen, including the Chief Constable at the time of the closure in 1986, Sir John Hermon, who revealed he had arrived in the town for his training 36 years previously.

When the first recruits arrived at Enniskillen by bus from Belfast in 1936, they were from a mixed background.

Then they were required to attend church parades. It was recorded that in the first week, a party of 37 marched to the Presbyterian Church. 20 to St. Macartin’s Church of Ireland Cathedral, nine to the Roman Catholic church and three to the Methodist Church.