Craigavon sought advice about a local version of a regional defence force, from his old friend and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on 23 May 1940. Churchill had confided to his friend Richard Pim after the retreat from Dunkirk that the 'B' Specials were the only properly armed and disciplined force left in the United Kingdom. He gave Craigavon the go ahead to recruit the force. On his return to Northern Ireland, Craigavon, who died six months later, was able to tell his cabinet that Churchill recognised;"the voluntary effort that had been made in Ulster [Northern Ireland] to keep the various Ulster units of the Army up to strength."