Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles
12th November
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Thursday 12 November 1970
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) was formed.
[The NIHE gradually took over control of the building and allocation of public sector housing in Northern Ireland. The responsibility for public sector housing had previously rested with local government and the Northern Ireland Housing Trust (NIHT). There had been many allegations of discrimination in the provision and allocation of housing by the various local government councils in Northern Ireland and this was the main reason for setting up the Housing Executive.]
Friday 12 November 1971
A Dutch seaman was shot dead by Republican paramilitaries in Belfast.
Tuesday 12 November 1974
Two Protestant civilians who had been employed by the British Army were shot dead by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and left on Sheriffs Road, near Derry. Three other people were killed in separate incidents in Belfast and County Derry.
Wednesday 12 November 1975
Michael Duggan (32), then Chairman of the Falls Road Taxi Association, was shot dead in Hawthorne Street, Belfast, by members of the Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA). This killing was part of the continuing feud between the two wings of the IRA. One person was killed when the IRA threw a bomb into Scott’s Oyster Bar (Restaurant) in Mount Street, Mayfair, London.
- Merlyn Rees, then Secretary of Sate for Northern Ireland, announced the closure of the remaining incident centres that had been set up under the arrangements for the IRA truce.
Tuesday 12 November 1986
The Queen’s speech, at the opening of a new parliament at Westminster, reaffirmed the British government’s commitment to the Anglo-Irish Agreement (AIA).
Thursday 12 November 1987
James Molyneaux, then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), and Ian Paisley, then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), led a protest march against the Anglo-Irish Agreement (AIA) in London.
Thursday 12 November 1992
In an effort to increase the percentage of Catholics employed in the Northern Ireland Civil Service the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) announced that it was introducing “goals and timetables”. The NIO also stated there would be no preferential treatment on the grounds of religion, political beliefs, or gender, and denied that the new measures amounted to quotas. [Government estimates of the number of senior posts held by Catholics was 17 per cent.]
Tuesday 12 November 1996
Lindsay Robb, formerly a Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) talks negotiator, failed in his appeal against a 10 year sentence for gun-running on behalf of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).
Wednesday 12 November 1997
The Irish Times carried a report claiming that 35 members of the “1st Battalion, South Armagh Brigade” of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) had left the paramilitary group in protest at Sinn Féin’s (SF) peace strategy. It was also claimed that those who had left were prepared to join others who had left in October 1997. Ronnie Flanagan, then Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), told the Northern Ireland Select Committee that eight per cent of the 8,500 members of the RUC were Catholic. John Hume, then leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), raised concerns about the continuing high levels of security in west Belfast and south Armagh.
Friday 12 November 1999
George Mitchell, then chairman of the Review of the Agreement, adjourned the talks for the weekend. He hoped that both the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and Sinn Féin (SF) would use the time to reflect on the ‘sequence’ of events that had been discussed. A vote taken by the 27 members of the UUP MLAs showed a majority in favour of agreeing to a deal about the new Executive. Four people, all Irish nationals, appeared at a hearing in a Florida court in the USA charged with trying to illegally export handguns to Ireland. The four were refused bail.
Monday 12 November 2001
A man (23) was found shortly after 12.00am (0000GMT) with a gunshot wound to his leg at Bryson Court, New Mossley to the north of Belfast.
[It was thought that he had been the victim of a paramilitary ‘punishment’ attack.]
At approximately 1.00am (0100GMT) two masked men both believed to be armed with shotguns forced their way into a house in Eliza Street, Belfast. They fired a shot through a bedroom door in the house but a man (33) inside the room was uninjured in the attack.
There was a change in the policing tactics used at the Loyalist protest of Holy Cross Girls’ Primary School. Instead of gathering together all the Catholic parents and children and escorting them as a group to the school the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) specified a time period in which parents could walk to the school. Approximately 400 police officers (one in eight of the total in Belfast) were present to ensure that the children were able to get to school.
The day’s operation cost an estimated £100,000. Some Catholic parents complained that the new police tactics left them more exposed to Loyalist protesters. Police arrested a nationalist who was taking a video of Loyalist protesters.
The British government published a draft Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill, 2001. If implemented the Northern Ireland Assembly (NIA) could take responsibility for policing and the criminal justice system after NIA elections on 1 May 2003. The provisions in the draft Bill included: the creation of an independent prosecution service; a judicial appointment commission to propose appointment or removal of judges; the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland to head the judiciary – rather than the Lord Chancellor in London; the appointment of an Attorney General for Northern Ireland; the appointment of a Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice; the appointment of a Law Commission; and new judges would take an oath to the office for which they were responsible rather than to the Queen. There was a session of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
[Of the 108 elected members approximately 30 attended the session.]
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Remembering all innocent victims of the Troubles
Today is the anniversary of the death of the following people killed as a results of the conflict in Northern Ireland
“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die
– Thomas Campbell
To the innocent on the list – Your memory will live forever
– To the Paramilitaries –
There are many things worth living for, a few things worth dying for, but nothing worth killing for.
11 People lost their lives on the 12th November between 1971 – 1983
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12 November 1971
Rene Heemskerk, (18)
nfNI
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: non-specific Republican group (REP)
Dutch seaman. Shot in dentist’s waiting room, Grosvenor Road, Belfast.
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12 November 1974
Hugh Slater, (29)
Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Civilian employed by British Army (BA). Found shot by the side of Sheriffs Road, near Derry.
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12 November 1974
Leonard Cross, (19)
Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Civilian employed by British Army (BA). Found shot by the side of Sheriffs Road, near Derry.
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12 November 1974
Joseph Elliott, (21)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Shot from passing car while walking along Ardmore Road, Drumahoe, Derry.
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12 November 1974
Michael Brennan, (26)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Protestant Action Group (PAG)
Youth Leader. Shot at St Mary Youth Centre, Carolan Road, Rosetta, Belfast.
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12 November 1974
Joseph Taylor, (17)
Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: non-specific Republican group (REP)
Shot at his workplace, a petrol filling station, West Circular Road, Highfield, Belfast.
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12 November 1975
Michael Duggan, (32)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA)
Chairman of Falls Taxi Association. Shot while in St Paul’s Hall, Hawthorne Street, Falls, Belfast. Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) / Irish Republican Army (IRA) feud.
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12 November 1975
John Batey, (59)
nfNIB
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed by bomb thrown into Scott’s Restaurant, Mount Street, Mayfair, London.
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12 November 1978
Gareth Wheedon, (19)
nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Died four days after being injured by remote controlled bomb attached to gate, detonated when British Army (BA) foot patrol passed, Blaney Road, Crossmaglen, County Armagh.
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12 November 1980
Oliver Walsh, (39)
Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed by land mine while travelling in his car, Lislea, near Camlough, County Armagh. Mistaken for undercover Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) mobile patrol.
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12 November 1983
Paul Clarke, (29)
Catholic
Status: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed in mortar bomb attack on Carrickmore British Army (BA) / Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base, County Tyrone.
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