Monthly Archives: February 2016

36th Ulster Division – Kitchener’s New Army

February 18, 2016Blog, Great British Battles, History36th Ulster Division, 36th Ulster Division, Somme, Battle of the Somme, Kitchener's New Army, Major-General Oliver Nugent, Royal Irish Fusiliers, Somme Battle, The Somme From Defeat to Victory, The Ulster Memorial Tower, Ulster Division, WW2belfastchildis

The 36th (Ulster) Division

The 36th (Ulster) Division was a division of Lord Kitchener‘s New Army formed in September 1914. Originally called the Ulster Division, it was made up of members of the Ulster Volunteer Force, who formed thirteen additional battalions for three existing regiments: the Royal Irish Fusiliers, the Royal Irish Rifles and the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. The division served on the Western Front as a formation of the British Army during World War I.

The division’s insignia was the Red Hand of Ulster.

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36th (Ulster) Division – For God and Ulster

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Origins

The Ulster Volunteers were a unionist militia founded in 1912 to block Home Rule for Ireland. In 1913 they organised themselves into the Ulster Volunteer Force to give armed resistance to the prospective Third Home Rule Act (enacted in 1914). With a rival Irish Volunteers being formed by nationalists in response, outright civil war in Ireland seemed possible. However, the outbreak of World War I intervened: the Act was put in abeyance until after what was expected to be a short war.

Formation history

The 36th Division was commanded by Major-General Oliver Nugent from 1915 to 1918. The 36th was one of the few divisions to make significant gains on the first day on the Somme. It attacked between the Ancre and Thiepval against a position known as the Schwaben Redoubt. According to military historian Martin Middlebrook:

The leading battalions (of the 36th (Ulster) Division) had been ordered out from the wood just before 7.30am and laid down near the German trenches … At zero hour the British barrage lifted. Bugles blew the “Advance”. Up sprang the Ulstermen and, without forming up in the waves adopted by other divisions, they rushed the German front line ….. By a combination of sensible tactics and Ulster dash, the prize that eluded so many, the capture of a long section of the German front line, had been accomplished.^[1]

During the Battle of the Somme the Ulster Division was the only division of X Corps to have achieved its objectives on the opening day of the battle. This came at a heavy price, with the division suffering in two days of fighting 5,500 officers and enlisted men killed, wounded or missing.^[2] War correspondent Philip Gibbs said of the Division, “Their attack was one of the finest displays of human courage in the world.^[3]

Of nine Victoria Crosses given to British forces in the battle, four were awarded to 36th Division soldiers.^[3]

An arch in the Shankill Road area of Belfast commemorating the 36th Ulster Division.

Thiepval – Somme

“I am not an Ulsterman but yesterday, the 1st July, as I followed their amazing attack, I felt that I would rather be an Ulsterman than anything else in the world.”

Captain Wilfred Spender after the Battle of the Somme

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The Somme From Defeat to Victory

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Thiepval, as a battle memorial, commemorates the 1916 Anglo-French offensive on the Somme. It pays tribute and respect for those who died where it stands (90% of commemorations 1 July – 13 November 1916) and is the biggest British war memorial to the missing of The Western Front, both in physical size and the numbers it commemorates (more than 73,000). It was built in the late 1920s to early 1930s.

The 36th Ulster Division’s sector of the Somme lay astride the marshy valley of the river Ancre and the higher ground south of the river. Their task was to cross the ridge and take the German second line near Grandcourt. In their path lay not only the German front line, but just beyond it, the intermediate line within which was the Schwaben Redoubt.

To their left flank was the 29th Division, which included the Newfoundlanders. For them in less than half an hour it was all over; 801 men went into action and on the unwounded name call next day, only 68 answered.

To their right flank was the 32nd Division, including the Grimsby Chums. Prior to the attack at 07:28 a large mine was exploded beneath the German line; the Chums would then attack at 07:30. Unknown to them, the mine was short of the German position. During the 2-minute gap between explosion and whistle, the Germans set up their machine guns, probably in the new bunker which would give them a second defense. The attack did not last long; their task was to take the fortress village of Thiepval.

The First Day of the Somme was the anniversary (Julian Calendar) of the Battle of the Boyne, a fact remarked on by the leaders of the Division. Stories that some men went over the top wearing orange sashes are, however,sometimes thought to be myths.^[4]

“There was many who went over the top at the Somme who were Ulstermen, at least one, Sergeant Samuel Kelly of 9th Inniskillings wearing his Ulster Sash, while others wore orange ribbons”^[5]

When some of his men wavered, one Company commander from the West Belfasts, Maj. George Gaffikin, took off his Orange Sash, held it high for his men to see and roared the traditional war-cry of the battle of the Boyne; ” Come on, boys! No surrender!” ^[6]

On 1 July, following the preliminary bombardment, the Ulstermen quickly took the German front line. But intelligence was so poor that, with the rest of the division attacking under creep bombardment (artillery fired in front or over men; they advance as it moves), the Ulstermen would have come under attack from their own bombardment at the German first line.

But they still advanced, moving to the crest so rapidly that the Germans had no time to come up from their dugouts (generally 30–40 feet below ground). In the Schwaben Redoubt, which was also taken, so successful was the advance that by 10:00 some had reached the German second line. But again they came under their own barrage, not due to finish until 10:10. However, this successful penetration had to be given up before nightfall, as it was unmatched by those at its flanks. The Ulstermen were exposed in a narrow salient, open to attack on three sides. They were running out of ammunition and supplies, and a full German counter-attack at 22:00 forced them to withdraw, giving up virtually all they gained.

The Ulstermen had gained an advantage on the day of battle by not sticking to the rigid orders issued. Both the German and British generals considered the men of the New Army/Kitcheners Men as insufficiently trained in the skills of warfare. Consequently, the battle tactics they were ordered to follow by commanders was more strict and regimented than those of regular army. But the Ulstermen advanced during the bombardment by pushing forward small trenches the depth of a man, then cutting the barbed wire which was 30 inches in depth and height in places (before bombardment). So when the bombardment stopped at 07:28/07:30 the Ulstermen attacked quickly. These Ulstermen were also here by choice. Kitchener asked Sir Edward Carson for some of the already armed men of the Ulster Division. He hoped for a Brigade (4x battalions), he got in Volunteers, a Division (3x Brigade).^[7] Thiepval was not to fall until late September; the Schwaben Redoubt fell in mid-October. The battle ended in mid-November. The Allies advanced 8 km and the British suffered 420,000 casualties, the French 195,000, and the Germans 650,000. The only success was relieving the French at Verdun. On the first day of battle, the British suffered 57,740 casualties, of which 19,240 were dead (the largest single loss). 60% of the officers involved were killed.

The Ulster Memorial Tower

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36th Ulster Division March Past Centenary Parade 09/05/15 ( Full Main Parade)

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Main article: Ulster Tower Thiepval

Ulster Tower, Thiepval

The Ulster Memorial Tower was unveiled by Field-Marshal Sir Henry Wilson in Thiepval, France, on 19 November 1921, in dedication to the contributions of the 36th Ulster Division during World War I.^[2] The tower marks the site of the Schwaben redoubt, against which the Ulster Division advanced on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.^[2]

Lord Carson had intended to perform the unveiling himself, but due to illness, his place was taken by Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson. The money was raised by public subscription in Northern Ireland in memory of the officers and men of the 36th (Ulster) Division, and all Ulsterman who died in the great war.^[8]

The tower itself is a replica of Helen’s Tower at Clandeboye, County Down. It was at Helen’s Tower that the men of the then newly formed Ulster Division drilled and trained on the outbreak of World War I.^[2] For many of the men of the 36th (Ulster) Division, the distinctive sight of Helen’s Tower rising above the surrounding countryside was one of their last abiding memories of home before their departure for England and, subsequently, the Western Front.^[2]

Victoria Cross Recipients

See Victoria Cross

Mural commemorating four of the recipients, Cregagh estate, east Belfast

In total, nine members of the 36th Division were awarded the Victoria Cross:^[9]

Captain Eric Norman Frankland Bell, 9th Battalion The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Died 20 years old, 1 July 1916, Battle of the Somme.

2nd Lieutenant James Samuel Emerson, 9th Battalion The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Died 22 years old, 6 December 1917, La Vacquerie.

Lance Corporal Ernest Seaman, 2nd Battalion The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Died 25 years old, 29 September 1918, Terhand Belgium.

Fusilier Norman Harvey, 1st Battalion The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Awarded for actions during 25 October 1918, Ingoyghem, Belgium.

Second Lieutenant Edmund De Wind, 15th Battalion The Royal Irish Rifles. Died 34 years old, 21 March 1918, Second Battle of the Somme.

Rifleman William Frederick McFadzean, 14th Battalion The Royal Irish Rifles. Died 20 years old, 1 July 1916, Battle of the Somme.

Rifleman Robert Quigg, 12th Battalion The Royal Irish Rifles. Awarded for actions during the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916. Also awarded the Medal of Order of St. George (Fourth Class), the highest honour of the Russian Empire.

Lieutenant Geoffrey Cather 9th Battalion The Royal Irish Fusiliers. Died 25 years old, 2 July 1916, Battle of the Somme.

Private Robert Morrow, 1st Btn Royal Irish Fusiliers. Died 23 years old, 26 April 1915, Battle of Messines.

Commendations

Captain Wilfred Spender of the Ulster Division’s HQ staff after the Battle of the Somme was quoted in the press as saying, “I am not an Ulsterman but yesterday, the 1st. July, as I followed their amazing attack, I felt that I would rather be an Ulsterman than anything else in the world. My pen cannot describe adequately the hundreds of heroic acts that I witnessed… The Ulster Volunteer Force, from which the division was made, has won a name which equals any in history. Their devotion deserves the gratitude of the British Empire.”^[10] The final sentences of Captain Wilfred Spender’s account furthered his viewpoint:^[11]

“

The Ulster Division has lost more than half the men who attacked and, in doing so, has sacrificed itself for the Empire which has treated them none too well. Their devotion, which no doubt has helped the advance elsewhere, deserved the gratitude of the British Empire. It is due to the memory of these brave fellows that their beloved Province shall be fairly treated.

”

After the war had ended, King George V paid tribute to the 36th Division saying, “I recall the deeds of the 36th (Ulster) Division, which have more than fulfilled the high opinion formed by me on inspecting that force on the eve of its departure for the front. Throughout the long years of struggle, which now so gloriously ended, the men of Ulster have proved how nobly they fight and die …”.^[2]

Winston Churchill

“The record of the Thirty-Sixth Division will ever be the pride of Ulster. At Theipval in the battle of the Somme on July 1st 1916; at Wytschaete on June 17th,1917, in the storming of the Messines Ridge; on the Canal du Nord, in the attack on the Hindenburg Line of November 20th same year; on March 21, 1918, near Fontaine-les-Clercs, defending their positions long after they were isolated and surrounded by the enemy; and later in the month at Andechy in the days of ‘backs to the wall’, they acquired a repution for conduct and devotion deathless in military history of the United Kingdom, and repeatedly signalised in the despatches of the Commander-in-Chief.”

Colonel John Buchan (History of War)

North of Theipval the Ulster Division broke through the enemy trenches, passed the crest of the ridge, and reached the point called the Crucifix, in rear of the first German position. For a little while they held the strong Schwaben Rebout (where), enfiled on three sides, they went on through successive German lines, and only a remnant came back to tell the tale. Nothing finer was done in the war. The splendid troops drawn from those Volunteers who had banded themselves together for another cause, now shed their blood like water for the liberty of the world.”

Richard Doherty

Whether town dweller or country lad, volunteer or regular, officer or other rank, Catholic or Protestant, the Sons of Ulster knew a comradship and a trust in adversity that should be a lesson to us all.

Order of Battle

107th Brigade

15th (Service) Battalion (North Belfast), the Royal Irish Rifles
8th (Service) Battalion (East Belfast), the Royal Irish Rifles
9th (Service) Battalion (West Belfast), the Royal Irish Rifles
10th (Service) Battalion (South Belfast), the Royal Irish Rifles (until February 1918)
1st Battalion, the Royal Irish Fusiliers (from August 1917 until February 1918)
1st Battalion, the Royal Irish Rifles (from February 1918)
2nd Battalion, the Royal Irish Rifles (from February 1918)
107th Brigade Machine Gun Company (from 18 December 1915, moved into 36 MG Bn 1 March 1918)
107th Trench Mortar Battery (from 1 April 1916)

On 29 August 1917, the 8th and 9th battalions of the Royal Irish Rifles amalgamated to form the 8/9th Battalion, which disbanded on 7 February 1918.

Between 6 November 1915 to 7 February 1916 the brigade swapped with the 12th Brigade from the 4th Division.

108th Brigade

9th (Service) Battalion, the Royal Irish Fusiliers
12th (Service) Battalion (Central Antrim), the Royal Irish Rifles
2nd Battalion, the Royal Irish Rifles (from November 1917 to 107th Bde. February 1918)
11th (Service) Battalion (South Antrim), the Royal Irish Rifles
13th (Service) Battalion (County Down), the Royal Irish Rifles
1st Battalion, the Royal Irish Fusiliers (from 107th Bde. February 1918)
108th Brigade Machine Gun Company (from 26 January 1916, moved into 36 MG Bn 1 March 1918)
108th Trench Mortar Battery (from 1 April 1916)

In August 1917 the 11th and 13th battalions of the Royal Irish Rifles amalgamated to form the 11/13th Battalion, which disbanded in February 1918.

109th Brigade

9th (Service) Battalion (County Tyrone), the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
10th (Service) Battalion (Derry), the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (disbanded January 1918)
11th (Service) Battalion (Donegal and Fermanagh), the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (disbanded February 1918)
14th (Service) Battalion (Young Citizens), the Royal Irish Rifles (disbanded February 1918)
1st Battalion, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (from February 1918)
2nd Battalion, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (from February 1918) ll
109th Brigade Machine Gun Company (from 23 January 1916, moved into 36 MG Bn 1 March 1918)
109th Trench Mortar Battery (from 1 April 1916).

Battles

Commanders

1914–1915 Major-General C. H. Powell
1915 – 6 May 1918 Major-General Oliver Nugent
6 May 1918 – ? Major-General Clifford Coffin

Great War Memorial

Guildhall Derry stained-glass window which commemorates the Three Irish Divisions, left the 36th, right the 10th and 16th

Ulster Tower Memorial Thiepval, France.
Irish National War Memorial Gardens, Dublin
Island of Ireland Peace Park Messines, Belgium.
Menin Gate Memorial Ypres, Belgium.

As I child I learned the stories & legends of the Battle of Boyne & Siege of Derry at my grandfather’s & father’s k… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…—
Belfast Child (@bfchild66) June 07, 2020

18th February – Deaths & Events in Northern Ireland Troubles

February 17, 2016Deaths in the Troubles18 February, Allan Brammagh, Anthony Coleman,, David Corner, David McAleese, Edward O'Brien, Francis Bradley,, Mark Rossborough, Michael Kearney,, Paul Best, Stephen McCreabelfastchildis

Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles

18^th February

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Sunday 18 February 1973

Two Catholic civilians were shot dead by Loyalists in a gun attack on the Ravenhill Road, Belfast.

Tuesday 18 February 1975

Airey Neave was appointed as the Conservative Party’s spokesman on Northern Ireland. [ IRA Truce; Constitutional Convention. ]

See : Airey Neave- The Assasination of Airey Neave

Saturday 18 February 1978

The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) carried out a series of arrests in connection with the La Mon bombing.

Saturday 25 February 1978

The Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party (VUPP) was dissolved as a political party and most of the party’s members joined the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). According to the Standing Committee of Irish Catholic Bishops conference the vast majority of Irish people wanted the conflict in Northern Ireland to end.

Gerry Adams, then Vice-President of Sinn Féin (SF), was charged with membership of the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

[On 6 September 1978 Adams was freed when the Judge hearing the case ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove that he was a member of the IRA.]

Thursday 18 February 1982

James Prior, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, announced that a full public inquiry would take place into the matters surrounding the Kincora Scandal.

[Three members of the private inquiry resigned on 12 February 1982.]

There was a General Election in the Republic of Ireland.

[When the count of the votes was completed the ruling coalition government of Fine Gael (FG) and Irish Labour Party lost the election and a minority Fianna Fáil (FF) government was returned. Charles Haughey became the Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister). Sinn Féin (SF) had seven candidates in the election but none were returned.]

Sunday 18 February 1986

Francis Bradley (20), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by undercover British soldiers at the back of a farmhouse, near Toome, County Derry.

The government in the Republic of Ireland announced its intention to sign the European Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism.

[The Republic signed the Convention on 24 February 1986.]

Sunday 18 February 1990

In a radio interview Peter Brooke, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, stated that whilst there would be not be a complete suspension of the Anglo-Irish Agreement (AIA) to allow for talks to begin, it might be possible to use gaps in the Anglo-Irish Conference for political negotiations to take place.

Monday 18 February 1991

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a bomb at Victoria Station in London. An inadequate warning was given and one person was killed and over 40 people injured in the attack.

Friday 18 February 1994

The Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a cover name (pseudonym) used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), carried out a gun attack injuring three workmen outside the headquarters of Sinn Féin (SF) in west Belfast.

Sunday 18 February 1996

Edward O’Brien (21), later claimed as one of their members by the Irish Republican Army (IRA), was killed by the premature explosion of the bomb he was carrying. The bomb accidentally detonated in the bus he was traveling in as it passed along Aldwych, London. A number of passengers were injured in the explosion.

David Trimble, then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), agreed to meet Dick Spring, then Tánaiste (deputy Irish Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs), for discussions based on a ‘limited agenda’. Ronnie Flanagan was appointed as Deputy Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC).

Tuesday 18 February 1997

John Hermon, the former Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), launched his autobiography Holding the Line. At the launch Hermon denied that there had every been a ‘shoot-to-kill’ policy by the security forces during the 1980s. Hermon also criticised the Anglo-Irish Agreement and the Downing Street Declaration.

The State Department in the United States of America (USA) confirmed that it had issued a visitors visa to Sean O’Callaghan, who was a former Irish Republican Army (IRA) informer.

Wednesday 18 February 1998

Sinn Féin (SF) brought a High Court action in Dublin to try to prevent the party from being expelled from the multi-party talks.

[The action was eventually to fail and SF was expelled from the talks.]

David Adams, a cousin of Gerry Adams then President of Sinn Féin (SF), was awarded £30,000 in damages against the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) for injuries he received when he was assaulted by several officers.

David Adams suffered a broken leg, two fractured ribs, a punctured lung and multiple cuts and bruises after he was arrested in 1994. Adams was arrested when the RUC prevented an attempt to kill a senior detective.

The Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) published a video entitled Policing the Police which highlighted a number of complaints against the RUC in relation to their policing of controversial parades in Nationalist areas.

One clip showed Rosemary Nelson, then a solicitor based in Lurgan, County Armagh, who alleged she was physically and verbally abused by RUC officers when she tried to speak to them about their handling of a Nationalist demonstration against an Orange Order parade down the Garvaghy Road, Portadown.

Nelson claimed that the RUC officers had called her a “Fenian fucker” and had told her to “fuck off” when she had asked for an officer’s number.

[Rosemary Nelson was killed by Loyalist paramilitaries on 15 March 1999 amid claims of security force collusion in her death.]

See Rosemary Nelson

Thursday 18 February 1999

It was revealed that the cost of policing the dispute over the Orange Order Drumcree parade was £10,000 per day. In the Republic of Ireland the Independent Radio and Television Commission banned an advertisement for the Irish Catholic newspaper from being broadcast on two local radio stations.

Monday 18 February 2002

Bertie Ahern, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), travelled to London for talks with Tony Blair, then British Prime Minister.

[It is believed that the two prime ministers discussed political progress in Northern Ireland and focussed on the issues of demilitarisation, decommissioning and the forthcoming parades season.]

Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) members opposed to the Good Friday Agreement warned that they could collapse the peace process if the British government gave an amnesty to Irish Republican Army (IRA) suspects ‘on the run’.

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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.

10 People lost their lives on the 18th February between 1973– 1996

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18 February 1973

Anthony Coleman, (30)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Shot from passing car as he walked along Divis Street, Belfast.

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18 February 1973

David McAleese, (38)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Shot from passing car as he walked along Divis Street, Belfast.

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18 February 1974
Allan Brammagh, (31)

nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed by booby trap bomb hidden in parcel, left at the side of the road, while on British Army (BA) foot patrol, Moybane, near Crossmaglen, County Armagh.

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18 February 1976
Paul Best (19)

Catholic
Status: Civilian Political Activist (CivPA),

Killed by: Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA)
Sinn Fein (SF) member. Died three months after being shot while walking along Monagh Road, Turf Lodge, Belfast. Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) / Irish Republican Army (IRA) feud.

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18 February 1985

Mark Rossborough, (21)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Found shot at rubbish dump, off Ballygomartin Road, Belfast.

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18 February 1986

Francis Bradley, (20)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot by undercover British Army (BA) members, while approaching arms cache, in field at the rear of a farmhouse, Hillhead, near Castledawson, County Derry

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18 February 1987

Michael Kearney, (33)

Catholic
Status: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA),

Killed by: Irish People’s Liberation Organisation (IPLO)
Shot near his home, Springhill Avenue, Ballymurphy, Belfast. Irish National Liberation Army / Irish People’s Liberation Organisation feud.

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18 February 1989
Stephen McCrea, (36)

Protestant
Status: Red Hand Commando (RHC),

Killed by: Irish People’s Liberation Organisation (IPLO)
Died two days after being shot during gun attack on Orange Cross Social Club, Craven Street, Shankill, Belfast.

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18 February 1991
David Corner, (36)

nfNIB
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed by bomb hidden in litter bin, at Victoria Railway Station, London. Inadequate warning given

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18 February 1996

Edward O’Brien, (21)

nfNIB
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
From County Wexford. Died in premature explosion, while transporting bomb on bus travelling along Wellington Street, Aldwych, London.

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My autobiography: A Belfast Child is now available to pre-order on Amazon , launch date is 30th April.

Image below of Book cover and outline of my story

You can pre-order via this link on Amazon https://t.co/QAjG1d3u6H

Visit my blog for more info: https://t.co/cpdGDOXdgy pic.twitter.com/71z7bgjwQ5
— John Chambers – A Belfast Child (@ABelfastChild1) January 19, 2020

Mod days & getting stoned with Paul Weller ?

February 17, 2016Blog, Mod, mod days, We are the Mods !Belfast Mods, belfast mods 1985, MAGIC mUSHROOMS, Mod, Mods, Paul Weller, secret affair, Small Faces, Sniffifng Glue, SOCIAL DRUGS, the jam, The Kinks, The Loyalist Mod, The Whobelfastchildis

Mod days , Magic Mushrooms and other drugs

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Small Faces – Tin Soldier

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Extracts from Belfast Child

MY Autobiography

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As a teenager growing up in Glencairn, a bleak loyalist council estate in West Belfast ( I loved it as a child ) there was little to do apart from joy riding, rioting and fighting with the gangs from the top and bottom of the estate.

Sure – I was surrounded by vast open spaces and miles of forest and glens , but I was a teenager and I needed excitement.

I couldn’t drive , was bored of rioting and so like many of my peers I turned to drugs to escape the madness around me and block out the car crash that was my tragic young life.

I was 14 years old and my dad had died when I was nine , after a long brutal struggle with cancer and I was missing him terribly. I didn’t know if my mum was alive or dead and all around me was death and destruction as Belfast tore itself apart and the paramilitaries waged a brutal sectarian war and the slaughter of the innocent at times seemed endless.

And I really fancied Gina Nixon and wanted to kiss her on the lips, but she didn’t even know I existed.

It’s hardly surprising that I wanted to escape reality and so l lost myself in drugs and through a hazy fuelled utopia I was able to suspend reality for brief moments of escape and boy did I need them.

Glue

My first drug was glue – Time Bond to be exact, although I could settle for Evo Stick or if I was really desperate Bridge Port, which was a horrible , thick black solution that was used to fix punctures on bikes –

although I can’t comment on how effective it was at mending tyres as I never used it for this purpose.

The first time I sniffed glue I remembering I was standing against the wall of an allay way and as the fumes entered my body I felt them gentle circulate throughout my entire being and as I slowly slid down the wall I was filled with the most beautiful feeling of being detached from my surrounding and floating in a Never Never land of soothing lights and utter peace of mind.

I was hooked.

Being a teenager who may or may not be an orphan (I still didn’t know if my mum was alive or dead) I was faced with the very real problem of needing more glue and not having the money to pay for it. So I did exactly what all my peers would do in the same situation and I begged, borrowed and stole.

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The Jam – That’s Entertainment

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I didn’t concern myself with the wrongs and right of it , I just needed to get my hands on more glue and visit my Never Never land again and again and again and..

When I say beg, borrowed or steal what I really mean is that I would beg most of the time , borrow some of the time (when I could get away with it ) and stand watch outside Woolies whilst the rest of the gang went shop lifting and I acted as look-out!

Despite the environment I lived in and the abuse a fickle fate had thrown at me, deep down I still wanted to believe in Baby Jesus and hadn’t Rev. Lewis told me on countless occasions that God saw everything and would one day judge me.

So I tried to be a good boy and obey the commandments – but this wasn’t always easy when you were surrounded by sectarian slaughter, thieves and psychopathic killers in the making.

And that was all perfectly normal to me as a child.

Once I was stood outside a shop in Belfast City Centre, I was lost in a drug induced fog as I waited for the others to return from shoplifting. It was close to Christmas and the town was full of shoppers and day trippers. Suddenly a guy taps the door of the shop with his toe and I could see that he’s weighed down with a tower of Quality Street tins. Feeling the Xmas spirit I opened and held the door for him and I was just a little surprised to note that once out of the shop, he kicked the door closed and started legging it down the street, dropping tins of Quality Street as he went.

Strange thinks I and then all hell broke out.

The Indian guy who owned the shop and his twelve sons (well two, but seemed like more ) came charging out of the door and before I knew what is happening they piled on top of me and I was pinned to the ground until the cops arrived.

It took all my powers of persuasion and a kind old lady who had witness the event to clear my name and eventually I was free to go and I caught up with the rest of the gang, whom had witness the whole thing , but because they were weighed down with their shoplifting haul had wisely kept their distance.

Another time when I was stood outside a local builder’s yard waiting for someone, I was delighted and beside myself with joy as I watched box after box of Time Bond glue being unloaded from a delivery truck and stacked against the yard wall.

I sent for the rest of the gang and when darkness fell I supervised as my cousin Pickle, scaled the wall and began throwing over boxes of glue. We brought it all up to a Davey Johnston’s (a friend) house and he promised to look after it and only take a few tins for himself and his mates. I didn’t really care at that stage as I was off my head on glue and went off to my favourite spot in the local park and laying down on a bed of grass I watched for hours as the stars drifting endlessly across the heavens on their timeless dance through the universe.

A few days later, out of glue I sat off to Davy’s house to pick a few tins and I was surprised to see a long line of teenagers queuing outside his front door. When I finally made it to the front of the queue I could see Davy’s Ma, Big Barbara hanging out the window with a fag dangling from her mouth, a glue bag under her arm and enquiring of me

“How many tins of glue did I wish to purchase, love ? ”

Well you could have knocked me down with a feather and I demanded to see Davy right away. Turns out that Barbara had been hitting the glue herself and she’d enjoyed the experience so much she wanted to share the joy with the local population – at the right price off course.

I hid my disgust as I realised that half the stash had been sold or sniffed by Barbara, who was now singing and dancing in the street in her knickers and making rude suggestions to all and sundry.

Grabbing an armful of glue tins I headed off to the forest and the night sky and for a few hours lost myself in the mysteries of the universe and time and space.

Smoking Weed with Paul Weller

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The Jam – When You’re Young

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As I grew older and wiser (I know ) I gravitated towards more ahem.. Socially accepted drugs like weed, pills and acid and I must confess I had some very strange experiences on the way.

I remember once when I was visiting a friend and we were just chillin out with Paul Weller ( his dog) and his sister , Mad Maggie , who worked as a cleaner in the local butchers shop came home with a bag full of off-cuts the butcher had gifted her.

Looking in the bag I was disgusted to see that it was mostly pig’s trotters (some of them still had hair on them) and the smell was so bad I almost threw up. Mad Maggie was rushing out on a date and putting the trotters on the stove to boil she ordered us to keep an eye on them and turn them off when they were cooked.

We sagely nodded our understanding and proceeded to get stoned as Paul Weller watched us from the floor with a look of utter disgust on his face.

After smoking’s countless joints we both got the mad munchies and as the shops were now closed we started hunting for food throughout the kitchen and were desperately disappointed to see that there was nothing in the fridge apart from a block of butter, half bottle of sour milk and a ball of cheese that had a fuzzy , luminous green cloak covering it.

Suddenly we both remember the pig’s trotters and after a momentary pause we grab them off the stove, drained them and proceeded to eat the lot, hair, toe nails and whatever other parts of a pig’s trotter that dwelled in the bottom of the pot.

Despite his unsociable behaviour we slung Paul Weller a few scraps and he rudely snatched them off us and giving us a contemptuous look he ran into the kitchen as if we were going to take them back of him and proceeded to hid them behind the bin.

But we were way to smart for that dog and when he settled down for a nap we tip toed past him and stole the trotters back and eat the lot

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The Jam “Down In The Tube Station”

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After our feast we both fell into a slumber and I drifted off into a satisfying snooze and the world was all good. Next thing I can feel something wet, hot and sticky sliding up and down my face and opening one eye I came face to face with Paul Weller and he was shamelessly licking the juices of the pigs trotter off my face.

Shooing him out of the way I made my way to the kitchen and rinsed his slobber of my face and put the kettle on. Just then Mad Maggie comes down the stairs with her fella in tow and they are both laughing their heads off.

“What’s so fecking funny “ , I enquired

“You’re looking Ruff, so you are” says Mad Maggie’s fella

“Did you enjoy the dogs dinner, did you? “

Laughs Mad Maggie in my face and I remembered the pigs trotter and almost throw up all over them.

Apparently the trotters had been laying about the butchers for the past two – three weeks and were far beyond what was considered fit for human consumption and we had eaten the lot of them. Grabbing my coat I left in a hurry and as I past Paul Weller in the hall I swear I heard him snigger!

Feckin dog.

Mod revival

480431_10151397105990684_1244872956_n — I’m the one with the shades on

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The Who – I Can’t Explain

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The mod revival was a music genre and subculture that started in England in 1978 and later spread to other countries (to a lesser degree). The mod revival’s mainstream popularity was relatively short, although its influence has lasted for decades. The mod revival post-dated a Teddy Boy revival, and mod revivalists sometimes clashed with Teddy Boy revivalists, skinhead revivalists, casuals, punks and rival gang members.

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The Jam – Thick as Thieves

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The late 1970s mod revival was led by the band The Jam, who had adopted a stark mod look and mixed the energy of punk with the sound of 1960s mod bands. The mod revival was a conscious effort to harken back to an earlier generation in terms of style. In the early 1980s in the UK, a mod revival scene influenced by the original 1960s mod subculture developed.

A dedicated follower of fashion

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Small Faces – Itchycoo Park

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Around the early 1980s when I was 15/16 I started taking a more serious interest in my street cred and for the first time ever I started getting into music in a big way and this opened up a whole new world for me.

Up until that point I’d enjoyed some of the pop and disco tunes which dominated the late 70’s early 80s charts and if push came to shove I could sing along to all the songs in “Grease “if the feeling took.

Which I’m not ashamed to admit it sometimes did.

But then I discovered a band that seemed to speak to me personally and the lead singer seemed to understand the angst and pitfalls of my teenage odyssey and hence Paul Weller and The Jam became my teenage obsession.

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The Jam – Going Underground

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The Jam were starting to get noticed around this time and in my book were the coolest band in the world and Paul Weller’s lyrics spoke to my soul like no one before or since . I couldn’t get enough of The Jam and came to love timeless classic like Down in the Tube Station at Midnight , That’s Entertainment, Thick as Thieves and the tune that was their first number one hit “ Going Underground” released in March 1980 and going straight to the top of the charts.

I began to embraced the whole Mod scene and became a dedicated follower of fashion and a connoisseur of the Mod movement from the 60s to the “Modern World “of the early 1980s were I now dwelt.

Me in the Middle, My Brother David on the right and my BFF Gary on the left

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The High Numbers – Zoot Suit

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At first I followed the style of the modern Mods and dressed to impress I started hanging about the Ballysillian area of Belfast and was quickly accepted by all the Mods from Silver Stream and surrounding areas. Being Loyalist West Belfast many of these guys and their families were involved with the various loyalist paramilitaries groups and after the Friday night disco in the community centre we would often be approached and asked if we wanted to join the UDA and fight for our country.

I had no interest in fighting for my country at this stage in my life and was only interested in getting high and listening to Mod music and building up my ever growing record collection.

Also around this time I noticed that I had started getting interest from the female species and I was pleased to discover that they seemed to find me acceptable and without bragging I never had any problem finding female company when the mood took me. But once again my music and drugs came first and although I had many opportunities to “get off” with the various girls that hang about with us, I showed little interest and preferred the company of my mates and getting wasted.

Acid

It was around this time that I took my first acid trip and I had the most bizarre, scary, mind bending trip of my life. The acid in question was a particularly potent strain and I think my first mistake was taking three in one go.

There was a gang of us in the park and it was a dark, cold winter’s night and snow was falling all around and for a while I sat on the freezing ground and watched silently as the snowflakes drifted lazily from the sky and landed softly on the ground beneath me. Gradually the snow began to change colour and I watched fascinated as the flakes began to take on all the colours of the rainbow and red, blue, orange etc snowflakes engulfed me and explosions of colour, like tiny bombs were spontaneously appearing and disappearing before my eyes.

Well this started freaking me out and I asked my mates if they could also see what I was seeing and they all looked at me as if I was crazy and told me to “Enjoy the trip” .

Little did I know that this was only the beginning and I would be locked in a psychedelic world of wonder for the next ten hours.

As the night wore on and the acid took hold of me I began to get paranoid and was seeing things that couldn’t possibly be real, The moon had now turned into a giant purple and blue ball of fire and was playing pinball with a million different coloured stars and I watched in amazement as the stars bounced off each other and flew across the universe, to suddenly reappear right in front of my nose.

I was no longer enjoying this trip and in an effort to come down I decided to jog round the park and see if that brought me back to reality. As I jogged through the snow and slid all over the place I gradually started to feel more in control and coming to a shed at the back of some shops I sat down to catch my breath and then it happened.

Suddenly I heard the theme tune of Dr. Who and it seemed to fill every part of my being and soul and right in front of me I watched gob smacked as the Tardis materialised from thin air and the blue doors swung opened invitingly. Reality had been suspended and looking around I could see that there was no one or nothing in the universe but me and the Tardis and taking a few steps forward I entered and the door slammed closed behind me.

I stepped up to the console and fiddling with the time rotor I spun the dials and suddenly the engine started to rev up and the Tardis started to vibrate violently and the display started to spin backwards through the years , 1960 ,1920, 1901, 1876 , 1848 and stopped on 1841.

The Tardis had come to a stop and I nervously pushed the door open and stepped outside – straight into a scene from Victorian England. I was in a busy London street, the sun was shining and people dressed in Victorian clothes were going about their daily business. There were horses and carts everywhere and the smell was appalling and I stood in wonder and took in the scenes before.

The acid I had taken was not for the faint hearted and although my eyes and ears were telling me I was in Victorian England , somewhere at the back of my acid confused consciousness I knew I couldn’t really have travelled back through time – could I ?

Then I panicked – How the hell was I going to get back to Ballysillian and the 1980s.

I kid you not, in my altered state I really did believed that I had travelled back through time and I was now stuck in Victorian England. I didn’t consider the sheer ridiculousness of the situation I found myself in , my only concern was getting back to the future and I started to freak out and run up and down the streets , dodging horses I begged people to help me , but they didn’t seem to know I was there and this just freak me out more.

Eventually I came across the Tardis again and this time it opened from the top and I hurriedly climbed in and closed the door above me and peace descended as I closed my eyes and tried to block out the nightmare I found myself in.

I must have fallen asleep and was awoken suddenly as the Tardis started to vibrate again and opening my eyes I braced myself for another journey through time and space.

This acid was a bitch and I was cursing myself for taking so much.

Suddenly the top door of the Tardis open and light flooded in and to my amazement a man was staring down at me and the look on his face said it all. I was also relieved to see that he was dressed in clothes that were definitely 1980s and not 1880s. I clambered out and taking in the scene I realized that my Tardis had been an industrial wheelie bin and the guy had come to drop off some rubbish. I had spent the night covered in shit and waste and smelt like a bad weekend.

The guy who had released me looked as though he had seen a ghost and thanking him I made off down the hill and home for a long soothing bath and a good long talk with myself about the dangers of acid!

We are the Mods

When I wasn’t trying to kill myself with drugs or getting lost in a parallel universe I took being a Mod very seriously and fully embraced the sub cultural that was sweeping the UK and the streets of Belfast. At this stage I didn’t really know or mix with any Catholics, as simple I never had the opportunity to meet them as Catholics would never venture into the badlands of Loyalist West Belfast .

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Belfast Mods documentary

I’m the guy with the hat at 2.08

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But as time moved on and I got more and more into the Mod scene my world was ever expanding and I started going to Mod clubs in Belfast City Centre and further afield and mixing with Mods from all walks of life , regardless off religious or politically backgrounds.

393126_10151397105225684_1241973428_n — Me and David Homes ( Homer)

942217_575063065861282_870478585_n — Me on front of Belfast Mods Book

Before long I was a well known face in the Belfast Mod scene and was on the rocky road to more hell raising adventures and lost weekends and if you want to know about these come back soon and I will take you by the hand and lead you into a world of unimagable stupidity – My World. ( Secret Affairs )

See Steve Marriott – his life story & rare pictures

See : The Loyalist Mod: Death of a fellow Mod & A catholic friend! Noddy Clarke R.I.P

Please see home page or follow this link to read of my autobiography

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SECRET AFFAIR-MY WORLD

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Go on surprise me and buy me a coffee!!

To make a small ( or large ) donation please click the PayPal button below and follow instructions.

Thank you

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Now I have two kids and I would be horrified if they got up to half the things I did back in me youth and I would be really disappointed to learn they were using drugs.. I know – hypocrite and all that , but back in the ghettos of loyalist West Belfast in the early 80s life was hard and very different and I was living the rock and roll lifestyle.

More Mods stories :

See: below for other Iconic songs and the story behind them .

My autobiography: A Belfast Child is now available to pre-order on Amazon , launch date is 30th April.

Image below of Book cover and outline of my story

You can pre-order via this link on Amazon https://t.co/QAjG1d3u6H

Visit my blog for more info: https://t.co/cpdGDOXdgy pic.twitter.com/71z7bgjwQ5
— John Chambers – A Belfast Child (@ABelfastChild1) January 19, 2020

The brutal Killing of Farkhunda Malikzada

February 17, 2016Blog, islam, Islamic ExtremistsAli A Olomi, burning the Quran, Farkhunda Malikzada, Farkhunda,, Farkhunda: The making of a martyr - BBC Newsnight, Hashmat Stanikzai,, Islam, Qur'an, Sharia Law, the killling of Farkhunda Malikzada, women's rights in Afghanistan., Zainuddin,belfastchildis

The brutal Killing of Farkhunda Malikzada

Farkhunda Malikzada^[1] (Persian: فرخنده) was a 27-year-old Afghan woman who was publicly slain by a mob in Kabul on March 19, 2015. A large crowd formed in the streets around Farkhunda when accusers began yelling, announcing her alleged crimes to the public. They claimed that she had burned the Quran, and for that, her accusers announced that she must pay the ultimate price.

Police initially tried to protect Farkhunda and disperse the crowd, but were overwhelmed by the mob’s numbers and fury.

The mob grabbed Farkhunda, pulled her hair, hit her, spit at her, pushed her to the ground, stomped on her body, kicked her in the head, and ripped the veil from her face. Police, seeing the urgency of the situation, attempted to remove her from the crowds by climbing atop a shop roof. Farkhunda lost her balance while fighting to stay conscious, and slipped down the rooftop and back into the crowd.

She was brutally and mercilessly beaten into unconsciousness; seeing Farkhunda now motionless, the crowd dragged her into the street and ran over her body with a car, dragging her some 300 feet. They then set her corpse on fire and watched her body burn. They used their own clothing articles (e.g. scarves and hats) to keep the fire alight, because her own clothing and body were so bloodied that they would not catch alight.

She was murdered after allegedly arguing with a mullah who falsely accused her of burning the Quran, the Quran. Police investigations revealed that she had not burned anything.^[2] Her murder led to 49 arrests;^[3] three adult men received twenty year prison sentences, eight other adult males received sixteen year sentences, a minor received a ten year sentence, and eleven police officers received one year prison terms for failing to protect Farkhunda.^[4] Her murder and the subsequent protests served to draw attention to women’s rights in Afghanistan.

Background

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Farkhunda: The making of a martyr – BBC Newsnight

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Farkhunda was an observant Muslim who wore a veil (hijab). At the time of the attack, she had just finished a degree in religious studies and was preparing to take a teaching post.^[5] Her name means “auspicious” and “jubilation”.^[6]

The attack

In a still frame from a video captured and widely disseminated on social media and in the news, a bloodied Farkhunda appears to plead with her attackers before she is knocked down.

Farkhunda had previously been arguing with a mullah named Zainuddin, in front of a mosque where she worked as a religious teacher,^[2] about his practice of selling charms at the Shah-Do Shamshira Mosque, the Shrine of the King of Two Swords,^[7] a religious shrine in Kabul.^[8] During this argument, Zainuddin reportedly accused her of burning the Quran. She responded

“I am a Muslim, and Muslims do not burn the Quran!”^[9]

According to eyewitnesses, hundreds of angry civilians flocked to the mosque upon overhearing the mullah’s accusation. They dragged out Farkhunda and started to beat her.^[5] She was thrown from a roof, run over by a car, and beaten with sticks and stones outside the mosque. The mob then set her body alight and dumped it in the Kabul River while police allegedly looked on.^[8]^[10] Farkhunda’s parents said the killing was instigated by the mullah with whom Farkhunda had been talking, who, according to Tolo News, began loudly accusing her of burning the Quran “in order to save his job and life.”^[11] An eyewitness said that the mob was chanting anti-American and anti-democratic slogans while beating Farkhunda.^[12]

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The Killing of Farkhunda

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Reactions

Public reaction in Afghanistan

A number of prominent public officials turned to Facebook immediately after the death to endorse the murder. The official spokesman for the Kabul police Hashmat Stanekzai, for instance, wrote that Farkhunda “thought, like several other unbelievers, that this kind of action and insult will get them U.S. or European citizenship. But before reaching their target, they lost their life.” The Deputy Minister for Culture and Information Simin Ghazal Hasanzada also approved the execution of a woman “working for the infidels.” Zalmai Zabuli, chief of the complaints commission of the upper house of parliament, posted a picture of Farkhunda with this message: “This is the horrible and hated person who was punished by our Muslim compatriots for her action. Thus, they proved to her masters that Afghans want only Islam and cannot tolerate imperialism, apostasy, and spies.” ^[13]

After it was revealed that she did not burn the Quran, the public reaction in Afghanistan turned to shock and anger. Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Kabul on 23 March protesting her brutal death. Protesters marched from where the attack began to where Farkhunda was thrown in the river. A number of women on the march wore masks of her bloodied face while others condemned the government for failing to bring security to Afghanistan. Shukria Barakzai, a member of parliament representing Kabul Province and a longtime women’s rights activist, told Al Jazeera that her killing had triggered the city and the rest of the country to think about women’s rights.^[10] She said: “This is not a male or female issue, this is a human issue and we will not stop until the killers are brought to justice.”^[10] Roshan Siren, a former member of parliament, said that the murder highlights violence against women in the country, and has become a rallying point for a younger generation of women to campaign for “the protection and progress of women.”^[14]

The woman’s father complained that police could have done more to save Farkhunda.^[8]

Protests

On March 23, hundreds of women protested the attack, demanding that the government prosecute those responsible for Farkhunda’s death.^[8] The protest was organized by Solidarity Party of Afghanistan and residents of Kabul.^[15] Farkhunda’s death has also become a rallying point for women’s rights activists in Afghanistan.^[16] On March 24, thousands of people protested the attack in front of the Afghan Ministry of Justice in Kabul.^[17]

Official response in Afghanistan

Afghan president Ashraf Ghani ordered an investigation into the incident and, in a statement released by his office, condemned the “act of extreme violence”.^[18] He described the killing as “heinous”.^[11] He also said that Farkhunda’s death revealed that Afghanistan’s police were too focused on the Taliban insurgency in the country and not focused enough on local policing.^[19]

Nine men who were seen in the video of Farkhunda’s murder on social media were subsequently detained.^[20] The Interior Ministry later reported that 28 people were arrested and 13 police officers suspended as part of investigations. Hashmat Stanikzai, a cleric who publicly endorsed the murder, was sacked over comments that he made on social media supporting Farkhunda’s killers.^[5]

The Afghanistan Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs announced that it found no evidence that Farkhunda had burned the Quran.^[11]

International reaction

The European Union condemned the attack. A spokeswoman for European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement that “[t]he killing of Ms Farkhunda… is a tragic reminder of dangers women face from false accusations and the lack of justice in Afghanistan.” She added, “We all hope that [those] responsible can be brought to justice.”^[5] The United States also condemned the murder, with a statement from its embassy in Kabul calling for “those responsible to be brought to justice so such heinous acts will never occur again”.^[21]

Global Times China columnist Farman Nawaz wrote “Choosing rulers through the ballot box is a positive sign for the country, but the survival, and even growth, of extremist mentality even after suffering from the barbarism of extremist groups reflects a critical failure by Afghan political parties”.^[22] Afghan American historian Ali A Olomi argued that Farkhunda’s murder demonstrated the endurance of an underlying culture of violence and devaluation of human life that comes out of generations of Afghans being raised during a war and facing oppression.^[23]

Reaction from Islamic scholars

In Afghanistan

The day after the murder, certain imams and mullahs endorsed the killing during Friday prayer services in their mosques. One of them, the influential Maulavi Ayaz Niazi of the Wazir Akbar Khan mosque, warned the government that any attempt to arrest the men who had defended the Quran would lead to an uprising.^[13]^[24]

After it was revealed she did not burn the Quran, senior Islamic scholars in Afghanistan expressed outrage over the incident. Ahmad Ali Jebreili, a member of Afghanistan’s Ulama Council set for administering Islamic law, condemned the attack, accusing it of contravening Islam.^[18] Haji Noor Ahmad, a local cleric, said “People come and execute a person arbitrarily; this is totally prohibited and unlawful. However, some justified her killing and were met with public anger.”^[25]

Abroad

Abu Ammaar Yasir Qadhi, a prominent, conservative, Islamic scholar, expressed horror on his Facebook page and said “A sign of how truly civilized a nation is, is how it treats its women. May Allah restore the honor and respect that women deserve in our societies!”^[26]

Yama Rasaw of the International Policy Digest blamed intolerance among Afghans and Muslims for the killing of Farkhunda.^[27]

Funeral

On March 22, a number of women, dressed in black, carried Farkhunda’s coffin from an ambulance to a prayer ground and then to a graveyard. This was a marked departure from tradition, which holds that such funerals are typically only attended by men.^[12]

Criminal cases

Of 49 suspects tried in the case, four men were sentenced to death for their roles in Farkhunda’s murder. The sentences were handed down by Judge Safiullah Mojadedi in Kabul on May 5, 2015. Eight other defendants were sentenced to 16 years in prison. The trial was noted for its unusual brevity, lasting just two days.^[28] The verdict has been criticized because although some investigators believe a fortuneteller set the attacks on Farkhunda in motion, this person was found not guilty on appeal, and the shrine’s custodian had his death sentence commuted despite the fact that he originated the false charge that Farkhunda had burned the Koran.^[29]

Three suspects in the murder were still at large at the time of the May 5 sentencing, according to Mojadedi.^[30]

On May 19, eleven police officers were sentenced to one year in prison for failing to protect Farkhunda.^[31]

On 2 July 2015, an appeals court overturned the death sentences for those convicted in the mob killing. Three of those had their sentences reduced to 20 years in jail, while the fourth was re-sentenced to 10 years prompting street protests and a debate on women’s rights.^[32]

As of August 12, 2015 an examination of the outcome of the proceedings in the matter by a panel of lawyers appointed by Afghanistan’s president resulted in a planned recommendation to the Afghan Supreme Court that those accused in her death be retried.

See Sharia Law

See Women’s rights in Afghanistan

Women’s rights in Afghanistan

This is simply the story of a boy trying to grow up, survive, thrive, have fun & discover himself against a backdro… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…—
Belfast Child (@bfchild66) July 23, 2020

17th February – Deaths & Events in Northern Ireland Troubles

February 16, 2016Deaths in Northern Ireland17th February, 17th February deaths in the troubles, Andrew Johnston, Carol Mills, Christine Lockhart, Colin Lynch,, Daniel Magill, Dorothy, Elizabeth English,, Elizabeth McCracken, Francis Taggart,, Gary Reid, Gordon Crothers, Iain Corden-Lloyd, Ian McCracken, Joan Crothers, Kevin Conway, Kirk Watters, Patrick Kerr, Paul Nelson, Sandra Morris, Sarah Cooper, Thomas Neeson, William Beacombelfastchildis

Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles

17^th February

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Monday 17 February 1969

In the run-up to the election on 24 February 1969 the BBC programme ‘Panorama’ interviewed the main political figures. This programme was broadcast across the UK and was an early instance of viewers in Britain having an opportunity to see the conflict in Northern Ireland being discussed in depth..

Saturday 17 February 1973

William Craig, then leader of Vanguard, address a rally in the Ulster Hall, Belfast. In his speech Craig said: “Much though we wish to maintain the Union we should all be seriously thinking of an independent dominion of Ulster

Sunday 17 February 1974

The British Army shot three members of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) in riots on the Newtownards Road, Belfast. One man died immediately and another died nine days later.

Friday 17 February 1978

La Mon Restaurant Bombing Twelve people, all Protestant civilians, were killed and 23 badly injured when an incendiary bomb exploded at the restaurant of the La Mon House Hotel, Gransha, near Belfast. The bomb had been planted by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Canisters of petrol had been attached to a bomb which was left on a window-sill of the restaurant. An inadequate warning had been given and the hotel was being cleared when the bomb exploded. Many of those killed were burnt to death. Seven of the dead were women. There were three married couples among the dead. All those who died were attending the annual dinner-dance of the Irish Collie Club

See La Mon Restaurant Bombing

A British soldier was killed in a helicopter crash in County Armagh.

[The IRA claimed to have shot down the helicopter. For many years the British Army denied the claim before finally acknowledging that the IRA had indeed caused the crash.]

Thursday 17 February 1983

The British Labour Party took the decision to oppose the Prevention of Terrorism Act in existing form.

[As the Act needed to be renewed on an annual basis this decision was to lead to continuing friction between Labour and the Conservative government.]

Monday 17 February 1992

Sinn Féin held their annual Ard Fheis (conference) in a community hall in Ballyfermot, Dublin. A document, Towards a Lasting Peace in Ireland (Sinn Féin, 1992), was launched at the Ard Fheis.

Thursday 17 February 1994

RUC Officer and Catholic Civilian Killed

William Beacom (30), an Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officer, was killed and two other officers injured when the Irish Republican Army (IRA) carried out a rocket attack on a police Land Rover in the Markets area of Belfast.

Sean McParland (55), a Catholic civilian, was mortally wounded in a gun attack carried out by the Red Hand Commando (RHC), a cover name used by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), while he was baby-sitting his four grandchildren in north Belfast. He died on 24 February 1994.

Friday 17 February 1995

Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, lifted the exclusion orders against 10 people.

[The orders had been imposed to prevent people travelling from Northern Ireland to Britain.]

Following a letter from the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) on 14 February 1995 John Major, then British Prime Minister, responded that the document on North / South and London / Dublin relationships was neither a “unionist agenda nor a nationalist agenda”.

Monday 17 February 1997

The Garda Síochána (the Irish police) arrested five people following the discovery of detonators near Portlaw, County Waterford. Accusations of a secret deal were made when the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) abstained in a vote of censure on a Conservative government minister.

Tuesday 17 February 1998

Kevin Conway (30), a Catholic civilian, was taken from his home in Lurgan, County Armagh, by armed men.

[Conway’s body was found on 19 February 1998 in a derelict building with his hands tied behind his back. The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) later said that they believed that Republican paramilitaries were responsible for the killing.]

Wednesday 17 February 1999

Leaders of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and Sinn Féin (SF) met for talks at Stormont.

Sunday 17 February 2002

Security forces discovered a grenade launcher and war head during an operation in Coalisland, County Tyrone. Four men were arrested at the scene. Police officers said that they had foiled “an imminent terrorist attack” and blamed dissident Republican paramilitaries.

During the eight hour security operation a crowd attacked police with stones and bottles. Two men were injured after separate shooting incidents in Larne, County Antrim. Both were shot in the leg. The first incident happened on the Kintyre Road at approximately 8.30pm (2030GMT) when a man (30) was shot at the back of derelict house. At 11.50pm (2350GMT) a man was shot while out walking his dog in the Greenland Crescent area.

The film ‘Bloody Sunday’, directed and written by Paul Greengrass, won the coveted Golden Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival. The film shared the prize with a Japanese animated feature film.

[‘Bloody Sunday’ had previously won the World Cinema Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival.]

See Bloody Sunday

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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.

22 People lost their lives on the 17th February between 1972– 1998

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17 February 1972
Elizabeth English, (65)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Died seven days after being shot during attempted ambush of British Army (BA) foot patrol, Barrack Street, Lower Falls, Belfast.

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17 February 1973
Francis Taggart, (20)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY)
Found shot in his car, Watt Street, off Ravenhill Road, Belfast.

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17 February 1974
Kirk Watters, (19)

Protestant
Status: Ulster Defence Association (UDA),

Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot during street disturbances, Belvoir Street, off Newtownards Road, Belfast

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17 February 1974
Gary Reid, (17)

Protestant
Status: Ulster Defence Association (UDA),

Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot during street disturbances, Belvoir Street, off Newtownards Road, Belfast. He died on 25 February 1974

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17 February 1976
Colin Lynch, (18)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF)
Shot during gun attack on McLaughlin’s Bar, Claudy, County Derry.

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17 February 1978

Iain Corden-Lloyd, (39)

nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed when British Army (BA) helicopter he was travelling in crashed, shortly after being hit by gunfire, near Jonesborough, County Armagh.

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17 February 1978

Sarah Cooper, (52)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed in blast incendiary bomb attack on La Mon House Restaurant, Gransha, near Belfast, County Down. Inadequate warning given.

See La Mon Restaurant Bombing

—————————————————————————

17 February 1978

Gordon Crothers, (30)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed in blast incendiary bomb attack on La Mon House Restaurant, Gransha, near Belfast, County Down. Inadequate warning given.

See La Mon Restaurant Bombing

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17 February 1978

Joan Crothers, (26)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed in blast incendiary bomb attack on La Mon House Restaurant, Gransha, near Belfast, County Down. Inadequate warning given.

See La Mon Restaurant Bombing

—————————————————————————

17 February 1978

Christine Lockhart, (33)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed in blast incendiary bomb attack on La Mon House Restaurant, Gransha, near Belfast, County Down. Inadequate warning given.

See La Mon Restaurant Bombing

—————————————————————————

17 February 1978

Daniel Magill, (37)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed in blast incendiary bomb attack on La Mon House Restaurant, Gransha, near Belfast, County Down. Inadequate warning given.

See La Mon Restaurant Bombing

—————————————————————————

17 February 1978

Ian McCracken, (25)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed in blast incendiary bomb attack on La Mon House Restaurant, Gransha, near Belfast, County Down. Inadequate warning given.

See La Mon Restaurant Bombing

—————————————————————————

17 February 1978

Elizabeth McCracken, (25)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed in blast incendiary bomb attack on La Mon House Restaurant, Gransha, near Belfast, County Down. Inadequate warning given.

See La Mon Restaurant Bombing

—————————————————————————

17 February 1978

Carol Mills, (26)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed in blast incendiary bomb attack on La Mon House Restaurant, Gransha, near Belfast, County Down. Inadequate warning given.

See La Mon Restaurant Bombing

—————————————————————————

17 February 1978

Sandra Morris, (27)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed in blast incendiary bomb attack on La Mon House Restaurant, Gransha, near Belfast, County Down. Inadequate warning given.

See La Mon Restaurant Bombing

—————————————————————————

17 February 1978

Thomas Neeson, (52)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed in blast incendiary bomb attack on La Mon House Restaurant, Gransha, near Belfast, County Down. Inadequate warning given.

See La Mon Restaurant Bombing

—————————————————————————

17 February 1978

Paul Nelson, (37)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed in blast incendiary bomb attack on La Mon House Restaurant, Gransha, near Belfast, County Down. Inadequate warning given.

See La Mon Restaurant Bombing

—————————————————————————

17 February 1978

Dorothy Nelson, (34)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed in blast incendiary bomb attack on La Mon House Restaurant, Gransha, near Belfast, County Down. Inadequate warning given.

See La Mon Restaurant Bombing

—————————————————————————

17 February 1985

Patrick Kerr, (37)

Catholic
Status: Prison Officer (PO),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Shot outside St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh.

—————————————————————————

17 February 1992

Andrew Johnston, (17)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Irish People’s Liberation Organisation (IPLO)
Shot at his workplace, video shop, Upper Crumlin Road, Belfast.

—————————————————————————

17 February 1994

William Beacom, (30)

Protestant
Status: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Killed during horizontal mortar attack on Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) mobile patrol, Friendly Street, Markets, Belfast.

—————————————————————————

17 February 1998
Kevin Conway, (30)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: not known (nk)
Found shot, in derelict farmhouse, off Soldierstown Road, near Aghalee, County Antrim.

—————————————————————————

My autobiography: A Belfast Child is now available to pre-order on Amazon , launch date is 30th April.

Image below of Book cover and outline of my story

You can pre-order via this link on Amazon https://t.co/QAjG1d3u6H

Visit my blog for more info: https://t.co/cpdGDOXdgy pic.twitter.com/71z7bgjwQ5
— John Chambers – A Belfast Child (@ABelfastChild1) January 19, 2020

La Mon Restaurant bombing – 17 February 1978

February 16, 2016Deaths in the Troubles, Major events in The TroublesCarol Mills, Christine Lockhart, Daniel Magill, Denis Donaldson, Dorothy Nelson, Elizabeth McCracken, Gordon Crothers, Ian McCracken, Joan Crothers, La Mon restaurant, La Mon restaurant bombing, Lilly McDowell, Paul Nelson, Sandra Morris, Sarah Wilson Cooper, Thomas Neesonbelfastchildis

La Mon restaurant bombing

The La Mon restaurant bombing was an incendiary bomb attack by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) on 17 February 1978 that has been described as “one of the worst atrocities” of the Troubles.

It took place at the La Mon House hotel/restaurant near Belfast, Northern Ireland. The IRA left a large incendiary bomb, containing a napalm-like substance, outside one of the restaurant’s windows. There were 450 diners, hotel staff and guests inside the building. The IRA members then tried to send warnings by telephone, but were unable to do so until nine minutes before it detonated.

The blast created a fireball, killing twelve people and injuring thirty more, many of whom were severely burnt. Many of the injured were treated in the Ulster Hospital in nearby Dundonald.

Since the beginning of its campaign, the IRA had carried out numerous attacks on economic targets, killing many members of the public in the process. The IRA’s goal was to harm the economy and cause disruption, which would put pressure on the British government to withdraw from Northern Ireland.

Belfast man Robert Murphy received 12 life sentences for the manslaughter of those who died. Murphy was freed from prison on licence in 1995. There are allegations that two of the IRA members involved were British double agents.

The Bombing

Warnings

On 17 February 1978, an IRA unit planted an incendiary bomb attached to petrol-filled canisters on meat hooks outside the window of the Peacock Room in the restaurant of the La Mon House Hotel, located at Gransha, County Down, about 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of central Belfast.

After planting the bomb, the IRA members tried to send a warning from the nearest public telephone, but found that it had been vandalised. On their way to another telephone they were delayed again when forced to stop at an Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) checkpoint.

By the time they were able to send the warning, only nine minutes remained before the bomb exploded at 21:00.The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base at Newtownards had received two further telephone warnings at 20:57 and 21:04.By the time the latter call came in it was too late. When an officer telephoned the restaurant to issue the warning he was told :

“For God’s sake, get out here – a bomb has exploded!”.

Although the bombers tried to warn of the bomb (the IRA often gave bomb warnings when destroying property but never when targeting the police or military), a 2012 news article claimed that the IRA were targeting RUC officers they believed were meeting in the restaurant that night. The article claimed that the IRA had got the wrong date and that the meeting of RUC officers had taken place exactly a week before.

Lily McDowell pictured after the La Mon bomb attack in 1978 — Lilly McDowell suffered severe burns in the attack

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La Mon Hotel Bombing

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Explosion and fireball

That evening the two main adjoining function rooms, the Peacock Room and Gransha Room, were packed with people of all ages attending dinner dances. Including the hotel guests and staff, there was a total of 450 people inside the building.^[3] The diners had just finished their first course when the bomb detonated, shattering the window outside of which it was attached and vaporising the canisters. The explosion created an instantaneous and devastating fireball of blazing petrol, 40 feet high and 60 feet wide, which engulfed the Peacock Room.

Twelve people were killed, having been virtually burnt alive, and a further 30 were injured, many of them critically. Some of the wounded lost limbs, but for the most part received severe burns. One badly burnt survivor described the inferno inside the restaurant as “like a scene from hell”, whilst another who lost her daughter Elizabeth and son-in-law, Ian McCracken, said the blast was “like the sun had exploded in front of my eyes”.

There was further pandemonium after the lights had gone out and choking black smoke filled the room. The survivors, with their hair and clothing on fire, rushed to escape the burning room. It took firemen almost two hours to put out the blaze.

The dead included eleven Protestant civilians and one RUC officer. Half of the victims were young married couples. Most of the dead and injured were members of the Irish Collie Club and the Northern Ireland Junior Motor Cycle Club, which were holding their yearly dinner dances in the Peacock Room and Gransha Room respectively. The former took the full force of the explosion and subsequent fire; many of those who died had been seated closest to the window where the bomb had gone off. Some of the injured were still receiving treatment 20 years later.

The device was a small blast bomb attached to four large petrol canisters, each filled with a home-made napalm-like substance of petrol and sugar. This was designed to stick to whatever it hit, a combination which caused severe burn injuries. The victims were found beneath a pile of hot ash and charred beyond recognition making identity extremely difficult as all their individual human features had been completely burned away.

Some of the bodies had shrunk so much in the intense heat, it was first believed that there were children among the victims. One doctor who saw the remains described them as being like “charred logs of wood”. According to a published account by retired RUC Detective Superintendent Kevin Sheehy, this type of device had already been used by the IRA in more than one hundred attacks on commercial buildings before the La Mon attack.

Aftermath

Gordon & Joan Crothers Killed in the bomb

The day after the explosion, the IRA admitted responsibility and apologised for the inadequate warning. The hotel had allegedly been targeted by the IRA as part of its firebomb campaign against commercial targets; however, the resulting carnage brought quick condemnation from other Irish nationalists, with one popular newspaper comparing the attack to the 1971 McGurk’s Bar bombing.

Sinn Féin president Ruairí Ó Brádaigh also strongly criticised the operation. In consequence of the botched attack, the IRA Army Council gave strict instructions to all units not to bomb buses, trains or hotels.

As all the victims had been Protestant, many Protestants saw the bombing as a sectarian attack against their community. Unionists called for the return of the death penalty.

The same day, about 2,000 people attended a lunchtime service organised by the Orange Order at Belfast City Hall. Belfast International Airport also shut for an hour, while many workers in Belfast and Larne stopped work for a time. Workers at a number of factories said they were contributing a half-day’s pay to a fund for the victims.

Ulster loyalists criticised the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Roy Mason, for his “complacent attitude” to the attack. He claimed that the explosion was “an act of criminal irresponsibility” performed “by remnants of IRA gangs”. He also claimed that the IRA was on the decline.

A team of 100 RUC detectives was deployed in the investigation. As part of the investigation, 25 people were arrested in Belfast, including Gerry Adams.^[6] Adams was released from custody in July 1978. Two prosecutions followed. One Belfast man was charged with twelve murders but was acquitted. He was convicted of IRA membership but successfully appealed. In September 1981, another Belfast man, Robert Murphy was given twelve life sentences for the manslaughter of those who died. Murphy was freed on licence in 1995.As part of their bid to catch the bombers, the RUC passed out leaflets which displayed a graphic photograph of a victim’s charred remains.

In 2012, a news article claimed that two members of the IRA bombing team—including the getaway driver—were British double agents working for MI5. According to the article, one of the agents was Denis Donaldson.

That year, Northern Ireland’s Historical Enquiries Team (HET) completed a report on the bombing. It revealed that important police documents, including interviews with IRA members, have been lost.A number of the victims’ families slammed the report and called for a public inquiry. They claimed the documents had been removed to protect certain IRA members. Unionist politician Jim Allister, who had been supporting the families, said:

“There is a prevalent belief that someone involved was an agent and that is an issue around which we need clarity”.

Details

* At the time of the blast there were 450 diners, hotel staff and guests inside the hotel.

* Twelve people were killed when the bomb detonated, and a further 30 were injured. The fatalities included 12 Protestant civilians (see below), including three sets of young married couples.

* The IRA claimed that it had tried to telephone the hotel to warn them about the explosion but, due to various obstacles, was only able to do so nine minutes before detonation.

* The day after the bombing the IRA admitted responsibility and apologised for the inadequate warning.

* In the aftermath of the attack 25 people were arrested, including Gerry Adams, who was released from custody in July 1978 and became president of Sinn Fein two months later.

* In September 1981, Robert Murphy, a native of Belfast, was handed 12 life sentences for the manslaughter of those who died. Murphy was freed from prison on licence in 1995.

Victims

Date	Name and age	Status
17 February 1978	Thomas Neeson (52)	Protestant civilian
17 February 1978	Sandra Morris (27)	Protestant civilian
17 February 1978	Ian McCracken (25)	Protestant civilian
17 February 1978	Elizabeth McCracken (25)	Protestant civilian
17 February 1978	Daniel Magill (37)	Protestant civilian
17 February 1978	Carol Mills (26)	Protestant civilian
17 February 1978	Gordon Crothers (30)	Protestant civilian
17 February 1978	Joan Crothers (26)	Protestant civilian
17 February 1978	Paul Nelson (37)	Protestant civilian
17 February 1978	Dorothy Nelson (34)	Protestant civilian
17 February 1978	Christine Lockhart (33)	Protestant civilian
17 February 1978	Sarah Wilson Cooper (52)	Protestant civilian

here

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First Published 24/08/2013

La Mon bombing

A split second of evil… and then they were orphans.

One night 35 years ago, Andrea and Melanie Nelson’s parents went out to a dinner dance and never came back. They died in the IRA La Mon bombing. For their daughters, the battle to survive without them was just the beginning.

‘She’s had to travel a long and painful road since she and her teenage sister were orphaned by one of the IRA’s most savage bomb attacks 35 years ago but there’s still one journey that Andrea Nelson simply can’t and won’t undertake

And the resolute Dundonald woman, who now lives in Yorkshire, says she will never go anywhere near the La Mon House Hotel in the Castlereagh Hills above Belfast.

For that’s where Andrea and her sister Melanie lost their parents Dorothy and Paul Nelson in the infamous bombing which killed a total of 12 people — seven of them women — on February 17, 1978 when some of the victims were burned beyond recognition.

The Nelsons, who weren’t ones for socialising on a regular basis, had accompanied friends to the hotel for a Friday night dinner dance organised by the Irish Collie Club after ensuring that 13-year-old Melanie and Andrea, who was a year older, were in safe hands back home.

Andrea recalls: “They didn’t go out very often. We were basically a quiet little family unit of four and it was a big thing for mum and dad to attend a function with their chums.”

However, it was a night out which was ruthlessly cut short by one of the most lethal bombs ever assembled by the IRA, one which was later likened to the type of horrific device which might have been seen in the war in Vietnam.

The blast bomb was attached to four large petrol cans, all of them filled with a home-made napalm-like mixture of petrol and sugar which was designed to stick to whatever or whoever it hit

The IRA said they tried to give a warning but claimed a telephone box wasn’t working and shortly afterwards a huge fireball — over 60ft wide and 40ft high — engulfed the guests in La Mon’s Peacock Room, creating a scene of almost unspeakable carnage which still haunts many of the survivors three-and-a-half decades on.

The Nelsons quite simply didn’t stand a chance. Andrea now knows that her parents were seated right beside the huge bomb which had been hung with a meat hook on to a window grille.

One of their friends was also killed. Another member of their party survived. “I think she had just popped out to the toilet,” says Andrea.

Back in 1978 in their house at Brooklands Gardens in Dundonald, the Nelsons’ daughters were blissfully unaware of their parents’ deaths, even though Andrea had seen TV coverage of the atrocity.

“I didn’t know the name of the place they had gone to for their evening out,” says Andrea, who was babysitting for a family next door. “I actually saw the fire on the television news but I didn’t realise my mum and dad were there.”

The Nelsons’ neighbours returned around midnight and Andrea immediately saw that they were upset. “They asked if our parents had got back yet but when we said no, they told us they’d been at the hotel which was wrecked by the explosion”

It was then that the sisters’ happy and secure world started to fall apart. Their minister, the late Rev Roy Magee, was to describe their despair as he addressed mourners at their parents’ funeral in his Presbyterian Church at Dundonald.

Talking directly to the Provisional IRA he said: “Try to picture the scene at 4.30am on Saturday when two young girls were still waiting in vain for their parents to come home. Ponder the agony and heartbreak you have caused to so many families but remember that though you may escape the law of man, you cannot escape the law of God.”

Mr Magee, who became a central figure in moves to persuade loyalist paramilitaries to stop their violence, had gone to Brooklands after the bombing to see if he could help the Nelson sisters.

Andrea says: “In the hours after the blast there was a lot of confusion as relatives tried to find out about their loved ones. Some people were in hospital, some had gone home from La Mon. But we didn’t know what had happened and it was almost like a period of a dawning realisation that our parents weren’t coming back.”

Mr Magee liaised between the families and the police and hospital authorities. Tragically he held out little hope for Andrea and Melanie. Andrea says: “The strange thing was that because our parents didn’t return and because of the ferocity of the bomb there wasn’t any way of identifying them positively for days and days. We had to provide hair brushes and toothbrushes from the house to try and match them with the remains.

“The penny was dropping with us slowly rather than anyone telling us definitively that our parents were dead. There was always the straw to clutch on to that they might have been in hospital somewhere or they might have been wandering around Castlereagh with head injuries, having lost their memories.

“Obviously you want to have any options rather than the one you think is coming towards you.”

It was nearly a week before Andrea and Melanie received confirmation that their parents had perished in the devastation at La Mon. “With the limited techniques 35 years ago, the forensics people had a real challenge giving any certainty. I suppose the advances in DNA would make it all very different nowadays”

The sense of emptiness was now complete for the girls who no longer had “two important members of their little team of four” in their lives, but their relatives rallied around them.

At first they lived with an aunt and uncle in Chester but after the summer of 1978 they returned to Northern Ireland where their grandparents looked after them as they went back to Bloomfield Collegiate on the Upper Newtownards Road.

The sisters, who were always close to each other, became inseparable after the deaths of their parents. “There’s a bond there which will never be broken,” says Andrea.

After leaving school, the girls enrolled in English universities with Andrea studying mechanical engineering and then nursing before working towards a PhD in bio-engineering, while Melanie qualified as a nursery nurse.

The two sisters travelled extensively to further their careers but they’ve now settled 40 minutes from each other near Leeds.

Andrea is a nurse and a professor of wound healing at the University of Leeds and Melanie has just graduated with a degree in sociology and criminology.

And it was Melanie’s successful return to her studies which prompted the sisters to write a letter earlier this week to the Belfast Telegraph — where their mum was a secretary in the Seventies — to thank the people of Northern Ireland for the huge impact they’d made on their lives.

“This letter of thanks is long overdue,” wrote the girls. “But we want to acknowledge our gratitude to everyone who contributed to a public collection in 1978. That generosity has allowed us both to pursue our education.”

The money raised for the La Mon families helped the sisters to buy a small house of their own in London, a place they could call home in the absence of a family base back in Belfast.

“We didn’t have a mum and dad to go home to but we had each other, to have a home for each other. That fund made a real difference to our lives because we were able to go on with our studying rather than having to get a job as we didn’t have our parents to assist us financially,” says Andrea.

The sisters have also thanked their family, friends and schoolteachers at Bloomfield for being their rocks in their crisis years. Andrea says: “We lost a massive part of our lives when we were just ordinary young girls but we’re grateful to so many people who gave us a safe and stable anchor.”

Despite all the trauma and turmoil of the sisters’ youth, Andrea still calls Northern Ireland home and clearly has a deep and abiding affection for the province that she left behind in her quest for a new life in Britain.

She says: “I married a Scotsman and I took him home to show him that Scotland wasn’t a patch on Northern Ireland. We don’t get back as often as I would like but I always visit my parents’ grave at Redburn Cemetery. But I’ve never seen La Mon and I never will. That’s a blank page which I want to remain a blank page.”

The La Mon massacre has been the subject of an investigation by the Historical Enquiries Team and last year the Nelson sisters, like the families of all the victims, received an 81-page report about the killings though many of the documents relating to the original RUC probe were missing.

A number of the La Mon survivors called for a public inquiry after questioning if the disappearance of the files was linked to a bid to protect IRA members now involved in the peace process.

Andrea Nelson prefers to keep her own counsel about the HET inquiry. “They’ve done their bit and they produced a comprehensive narrative of all the information they had but the passage of time from 1978 has meant that there’s no prospect of more cases being brought.

“However, I don’t feel I am able to judge whether or not the investigation was satisfactory.”

Two men were arrested and tried on charges linked to the outrage. Edward Manning Brophy was acquitted and Robert Murphy, who pleaded guilty to 12 counts of manslaughter, was jailed for life in 1981 but freed 14 years later. Both men are now dead.

Neither Andrea nor Melanie have maintained any real contacts with the rest of the La Mon families.

An aunt was closely involved with Iris Robinson and Castlereagh Borough Council as they developed plans for a La Mon memorial but she died around 10 years ago.

An Ulster exile she may be, but Andrea isn’t fixated on what goes on back home.

She accepts that she’s probably moved on in more ways than one.

“I’ve kept my accent but I haven’t kept up my interest in Northern Irish politics,” she says.

Melanie has a 12-year-old daughter but Andrea hasn’t any children. “I’ve been too busy,” she says.

Andrea says she hasn’t allowed herself to think too much about the IRA terrorists who killed her mother and father. “We dwelt instead on surviving and making our parents proud of us,” she says. “We didn’t want to spend all our time being reactive to negative things and not being in charge of our own lives.

“So our determination was that while the bombers took something from us, they weren’t going to take everything. If we had lived our lives according to anger or spite, we would have been the worse off and the people who did it would have moved ahead. The only losers would have been us.”

Factfile

* The restaurant of the La Mon House Hotel, in Gransha, Co Down, was bombed by the IRA on February 17, 1978. The attack was thought to be part of the Provo terror campaign against economic targets.

* At the time of the blast there were 450 diners, hotel staff and guests inside the hotel.

* Twelve people were killed when the bomb detonated, and a further 30 were injured. The fatalities included 11 Protestant civilians and one Royal Ulster Constabulary officer.

* The IRA claimed that it had tried to telephone the hotel to warn them about the explosion but, due to various obstacles, was only able to do so nine minutes before detonation.

* The day after the bombing the IRA admitted responsibility and apologised for the inadequate warning.

* In the aftermath of the attack 25 people were arrested, including Gerry Adams, who was released from custody in July 1978 and became president of Sinn Fein two months later.

* In September 1981 Belfast man Robert Murphy was handed 12 life sentences for the manslaughter of those who died. Murphy was freed from prison on licence in 1995.

See Belfast Telegraph for full story

My autobiography: A Belfast Child is now available to pre-order on Amazon , launch date is 30th April.

Image below of Book cover and outline of my story

You can pre-order via this link on Amazon https://t.co/QAjG1d3u6H

Visit my blog for more info: https://t.co/cpdGDOXdgy pic.twitter.com/71z7bgjwQ5
— John Chambers – A Belfast Child (@ABelfastChild1) January 19, 2020

16th February – Deaths & Events in Northern Ireland Troubles

February 15, 2016Deaths in the Troubles16 February, 16 February deaths in the troubles, Clonoe ambush, David Vincent, Kevin O'Donnell, Mark Coe, Michael Prime, Peter Clancy, Thomas Callaghanbelfastchildis

Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles

16^th February

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Saturday 16 February 1980

An off-duty colonel in the British Army was shot dead outside his home in Bielfeld, West Germany.

At the Fianna Fáil (FF) conference in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Charles Haughey, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), called for a joint initiative, on behalf of the British and Irish governments, to try to find a political solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland.

Saturday 16 February 1985

Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), was refused a visa to enter the United States of America (USA). Adams was supposed to address a meeting of members of Congress but the US State Department turned down the visa application.

Tuesday 16 February 1988

William Quinn was extradited from the United States of America to Britain under extradition legislation that came into force in July 1986.

Sunday 16 February 1992

Four members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) were shot dead by undercover soldiers of the British Army in the car park of St Patrick’s Catholic church in Dernagh, near Coalisland, County Tyrone.

The shooting took place after an earlier gun attack on the joint Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) / British Army base in Coalisland.

See Clone Ambush

Tuesday 16 February 1993

Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), gave an interview to the Irish News (a Northern Ireland newspaper) in which he called for “inclusive dialogue” and a new Irish-British agreement that would bring an end to partition.

Friday 16 February 1996

There was a large peace rally at City Hall, Belfast, and a number of smaller rallies at venues across Northern Ireland.

Monday 16 February 1998

Talks Move to Dublin

The multi-party talks moved venue from Stormont in Belfast to Dublin Castle in the Republic of Ireland. In addition to representatives of the Irish government and the British government seven political parties were also present at the talks. The parties were: Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), Sinn Féin (SF), Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI), Progressive Unionist Party (PUP), Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition (NIWC), and Labour.

In the days leading up to the meeting there had been speculation that the British government would move to have Sinn Féin (SF) expelled from the negotiations because the Irish Republican Army (IRA) were believed to be responsible for two killings in Belfast on 9 and 10 February 1998. Gerry Adams, then President of SF, said that he was “absolutely pissed off” after the Bertie Ahern, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), indicated that he would support moves to exclude SF from the multi-party talks. This followed a declaration (in the form of a ‘speaking note’) from the British government that it would begin an indictment procedure against Republicans. British ministers said that they agreed with the assessment Ronnie Flanagan, then Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), that the IRA was responsible for the two killings in Belfast on 9 and 10 February 1998.

SF said that it would fight the move to have the party expelled from the talks. In a written parliamentary reply Adam Ingram, then a Northern Ireland Minister, gave details of security incidents in the region for the six month period 20 July 1997 to 25 January 1998. The figures showed that Loyalist paramilitaries had been responsible for 13 deaths during the period while Republicans had been responsible for two killings.

In total there had been 93 shooting incidents of which 51 were attributed to Loyalists and 21 to Republicans (the other 21 attacks could not be attributed). Republicans were believed to have carried out 20 bombing incidents while Loyalists were responsible for six bomb attacks.

Tesco in Ireland stated that an advertisement placed by its British parent company pledging not to buy Irish beet for its British stores was a “mistake”. The advertisement had caused outrage amongst Irish farmers.

Tuesday 16 February 1999

A report containing proposals for structures of government was put before the Northern Ireland Assembly by David Trimble, then First Minister Designate, and Seamus Mallon, then Deputy First Minister Designate.

The report was endorsed by 77 votes to 29 votes (29 Unionists voted in favour of the report and 29 voted against). The structures included the establishment of new government departments and the North-South bodies.

[10 March 1999 was set as the deadline to establish the proposed Executive. This was later postponed to 2 April 1999 (Good Friday).]

It was reported by security sources that detonators, which were part of an arms cache uncovered in west Belfast, had been acquired by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) following the second ceasefire in 1997. Sinn Féin (SF) spokespersons claimed that the RUC was pursuing a political agenda. Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), held a meeting with Tony Blair, then British Prime Minister, in London.

Saturday 16 February 2002

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers carried out a planned search of a house in Holywood, County Down, and discovered an assault rifle and a handgun. A number of other items were also recovered. One man was arrested.

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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.

7 People lost their lives on the 16th February between 1972– 1992

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16 February 1972

Thomas Callaghan, (45)

Catholic
Status: Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Found shot, shortly after being abducted while driving bus, Foyle Road, Derry.

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16 February 1972

Michael Prime, (18)

nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Shot by sniper while on British Army (BA) mobile patrol, by the Moira roundabout, MI Motorway, County Down.

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16 February 1980
Mark Coe, (44)

nfNIE
Status: British Army (BA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty British Army (BA) officer. Shot outside his home, Bielefeld, West Germany

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16 February 1992

Kevin O’Donnell,21) Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot by undercover British Army (BA) members, in the car park of St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, Dernagh, near Coalisland, shortly after he had been involved in gun attack on Coalisland British Army (BA) / Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base, County Tyrone.

See Clone Ambush

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16 February 1992

Sean O’Farrell, (23)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

See Clone Ambush

—————————————————————————

16 February 1992

Peter Clancy, (19)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

See Clone Ambush

—————————————————————————

16 February 1992
David Vincent, (20)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

See Clone Ambush

—————————————————————————

My autobiography: A Belfast Child is now available to pre-order on Amazon , launch date is 30th April.

Image below of Book cover and outline of my story

You can pre-order via this link on Amazon https://t.co/QAjG1d3u6H

Visit my blog for more info: https://t.co/cpdGDOXdgy pic.twitter.com/71z7bgjwQ5
— John Chambers – A Belfast Child (@ABelfastChild1) January 19, 2020

SAS take out four IRA men – Clonoe ambush

February 15, 2016Deaths in the Troubles, Major events in The Troubles, SASClonoe ambush, Clonoe, County Tyrone, David Vincent, Kevin O'Donnell, Peter Clancy, S.A.S KILL 4 IRA MEN, SAS, Sean O'Farrellbelfastchildis

The Clonoe ambush

SAS take out four IRA men – Clonoe ambush

The Clonoe ambush happened on 16 February 1992 in the village of Clonoe, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. A local Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) unit was ambushed by the Special Air Service and 14 Intelligence Company at a graveyard after launching a heavy machine gun attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base in Coalisland. IRA members Peter Clancy, Kevin Barry O’Donnell, Seán O’Farrell, and Patrick Vincent were killed, while two others escaped. An SAS soldier was wounded in the operation.

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S.A.S KILL 4 IRA MEN WHO ATTACK COALISLAND POLICE STATION.

——————————————

The Victims

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16 February 1992

Kevin O’Donnell,21) Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

—————————————————————————

16 February 1992

Sean O’Farrell, (23)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

—————————————————————————

16 February 1992

Peter Clancy, (19)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

—————————————————————————

16 February 1992
David Vincent, (20)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

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– Disclaimer –

The views and opinions expressed in this post / documentary are soley intended to educate and provide background information to those interested in the Troubles of Northern Ireland.

They in no way reflect my own opinions and I take no responsibility for any inaccuracies or factual errors.

Background

See also: Loughgall ambush, Ballygawley bombing, Derrygorry Gazelle shootdown and Coagh ambush

From 1985 onwards, the IRA in East Tyrone had been at the forefront of a wide IRA campaign against British military facilities. In 1987, an East Tyrone IRA unit was ambushed and eight of its members killed by the SAS while bombing an RUC base at Loughgall, County Armagh. This was the IRA’s greatest loss of life in a single incident during the Troubles. Despite these losses, the IRA campaign continued unabated; 33 British bases were destroyed and nearly 100 damaged during the next five years.^[2] The SAS ambush had no noticeable long-term effect on the level of IRA activity in East Tyrone. In the two years before the Loughgall ambush the IRA killed seven people in East Tyrone and North Armagh, and eleven in the two years following the ambush.^[3]

Three other IRA volunteers — Gerard Harte, Martin Harte and Brian Mullin — had been ambushed and killed by the SAS as they tried to kill an off-duty Ulster Defence Regiment soldier near Carrickmore, County Tyrone.^[4] British intelligence identified them as the perpetrators of the Ballygawley bus bombing, which killed eight British soldiers. After that bombing, all troops on leave or returning from leave were ferried in and out of East Tyrone by helicopter.^[5] Another high-profile attack of the East Tyrone Brigade was carried out on 11 January 1990 near Augher, where a Gazelle helicopter was shot down.^[6]

On 3 June 1991, three IRA men, Lawrence McNally, Michael “Pete” Ryan and Tony Doris, died in another SAS ambush at Coagh, where their car was riddled with gunfire. Ryan was the same man who according to Irish journalist and author Ed Moloney had led the mixed flying column in the attack on Derryard checkpoint on the orders of IRA Army Council member ‘Slab’ Murphy two years before. Moloney, who wrote A Secret History of the IRA, reported that the IRA East Tyrone Brigade lost 53 members during the Troubles — the highest of any “Brigade area”.^[7] Of these, 28 were killed between 1987 and 1992.^[8]

The ambush

On 16 February 1992 at 22:30, a car and a truck carrying a number of IRA members drove into the centre of Coalisland and stopped at the fortified RUC/British Army base. The unit opened fire on the base at point-blank with armour-piercing tracer ammunition. They had mounted a heavy DShK machine-gun on the back of the lorry. The machine-gun was manned by Kevin Barry O’Donnell. The two vehicles then drove up the Annagher hill and drove past the house of Tony Doris, an IRA member killed the previous year. There they spent the last rounds of ammunition firing in the air and shouting, “Up the ‘RA, that’s for Tony Doris!”. The IRA unit was intercepted by the SAS^[9] at the car park of St Patrick’s Roman Catholic church in Clonoe. The unit was trying to dump the truck and escape in cars. The roof of the church was accidentally set on fire after a stray round hit a fuel storage tank.^[10] Three of the dead were found around the truck, while the fourth was caught in a fence outside the church grounds. The machine-gun had been partially dismantled. At least two IRA men got away from the scene, but the four named above were killed. One SAS soldier was wounded, as was Aidan McKeever, the IRA getaway driver.^[11] Several witnesses claimed some of the IRA volunteers were trying to surrender but were summarily executed by the SAS.^[1] McKeever was awarded ₤75,000 in damages in 2012 by Mr Justice Treacy of Northern Ireland’s High Court. It is unclear if this decision was appealed or if the damages were ever paid.^[12]

Internal IRA criticism

A local IRA source pointed out a number of flaws in the operation that led to the deaths of the volunteers:

The use of a long-range weapon for a point-blank shooting. The DShK could be used up to 2,000 meters from the target, and its armour-piercing capabilities at 1,500 meters are still considerable.
The use of tracer rounds, since the firing location, if not executed from a well-hidden position, is easily spotted.
The escape route was chosen at random, with the machine-gun in full sight and the support vehicle flashing its hazard lights.
The gathering of so many men at the same place after such an attack was another factor in the getaway’s failure.^[1]

Aftermath

15th February – Deaths & Events in Northern Ireland Troubles

February 14, 2016Deaths in the Troubles15th February, 15th February deaths in the troubles, Alan Johnston, Doris McGrath, James McGrillen, John Laurie,, Mary Sloan, Mervyn Johnsonbelfastchildis

Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles

15^th February

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Monday 15 February 1971

A British soldier died seven days after being mortally wounded in an Irish Republican Army (IRA) attack.

Thursday 15 February 1973

Albert Browne, then a member of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), was found guilty of killing a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) in October 1972.

[Initially Browne was sentenced to death but this was later commuted to life imprisonment. The death penalty was later abolished as part of the Emergency Provisions Act.] [ Political Developments. ]

Sunday 15 February 1976

Two Catholic civilians, and a Protestant friend, were shot dead by Loyalist paramilitaries at Wolfhill Drive, Ligoniel, Belfast. Another member of the family was shot but survived.

IRA member James McGrillen,

An IRA member was killed by the British Army in Belfast.

Tuesday 15 February 1977

Ian Smith, then leader of Rhodesia, thanked the Portadown branch of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) for its message of support to him.

Wednesday 15 February 1978

John Hume, then deputy leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), said that the British government should consider a third option in its search for a political solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland.

[The first option, of maintaining the status quo or further integration with Britain, was one which Nationalists believed the government had been following, and the second option was withdrawal from Northern Ireland which was being advocated by many Nationalists.]

The third option was an “agreed Ireland” where the British government would declare that its objective was to bring the two main traditions in Ireland together in reconciliation and agreement

Monday 15 February 1982

The shipyard Harland and Wolff in Belfast announced that it would lay off 1,000 workers from its workforce of 7,000.

Monday 15 February 1988

Margaret Thatcher, then British Prime Minister, met Charles Haughey, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), following a European Community summit in Brussels.

Saturday 15 February 1992

A bomb, estimated at 250 pounds, exploded in the centre of Belfast.

Thursday 15 February 1996

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) left a five pound Semtex bomb in a telephone kiosk in the Charing Cross Road, London. Additional troops were flown into Northern Ireland to be deployed in the border areas.

Saturday 15 February 1997

Patrick Mayhew, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, said that there would be no official apology or no new inquiry into the killings on ‘Bloody Sunday’. The relatives of those killed on 30 January 1972 expressed outrage and disappointment.

Tuesday 15 February 2000

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) announced that it was withdrawing from talks with the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD).

Bertie Ahern, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), agreed and published the terms pf reference for the Commission of Inquiry into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings in 1974.

[The Commission of Inquiry began its work in February 2000, with a minimal staff consisting of the Sole Member, Liam Hamilton, the former Chief Justice, a legal assistant, and a secretary. Subsequently, the Commission on Inquiry was asked to conduct similar Inquiries into the bombing of Kay’s Tavern, Dundalk, on 19 December 1975, and the shooting of Seamus Ludlow on 2 May 1976. The Inquiry was also asked to look into the shooting of Brid Carr in 1971; bombings in Dublin on 1 December 1972 and 20 January 1973; and other bombings within the State. These inquiries were to be dealt with separately.]

Friday 15 February 2002

British Army technical officers were called to deal with a pipe-bomb discovered near a hospital in Ballymena, County Antrim. Two controlled explosions were carried out and the remains of the device were removed for forensic examination.

A police officer was slightly injured during a disturbance at 2.00am (0200GMT) in the Dunmurry area south of Belfast. A police patrol had gone to a reported traffic accident. The patrol was attacked by a large crowd throwing petrol bombs, bricks and bottles.

Postal deliveries in Derry were again disrupted after a threatening letter was sent to staff. The letter was signed “Waterside Young Loyalists” and it warned 11 named people not to enter the Waterside area of the city.

[The threat had been made almost two weeks previously but details were not made public.]

Kevin Fulton, who had previously acted as a police informer, was granted leave to begin a judicial review of the decision, by the Chief Constable of the police, not to grant him a firearms certificate. Fulton was one of two people who had supplied information about a bomb attack in Northern Ireland prior to the Omagh bombing (15 August 1998).

[The police had been accused of “undue delay” in processing his application for a personal protection weapon.]

The National Audit Office published a report that suggested that over half of the petrol stations in Northern Ireland were selling illegal (smuggled) fuel. It was estimated that of the 700 filling stations in the region as many as 450 were dealing in illicit supplies. This illegal trade plus the loss incurred by drivers crossing the border to fill their cars with cheaper fuel resulted in a loss to the Exchequer of £380 million during 2000.

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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.

7 People lost their lives on the 15th February between 1971– 1993

—————————————————————————

15 February 1971

John Laurie, (22)

nfNI
Status: British Army (BA),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Died seven days after being shot by sniper while on British Army (BA) mobile patrol, Crumlin Road, Ardoyne, Belfast.

—————————————————————————

15 February 1976

James McGrillen, (25)

Catholic
Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),

Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot while travelling in car, immediately after launching gun attack on pedestrians, Ballygomartin Road, Belfast.

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15 February 1976
Mary Sloan, (50)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
Shot at her home, Wolfhill Drive, Ligoniel, Belfast.

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15 February 1976
Mary Sloan, (19)

Catholic
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
Shot at her home, Wolfhill Drive, Ligoniel, Belfast

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15 February 1976
Doris McGrath, (23)

Protestant
Status: Civilian (Civ),

Killed by: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)
Shot while visiting friends home, Wolfhill Drive, Ligoniel, Belfast.

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15 February 1988

Alan Johnston, (23)

Protestant
Status: Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Shot at his workplace, joinery works, Greencastle Road, Kilkeel, County Down.

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15 February 1993

Mervyn Johnson, (38)

Protestant
Status: Royal Irish Regiment (RIR),

Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Shot outside his home, Highfern Gardens, Highfield, Belfast.

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My autobiography: A Belfast Child is now available to pre-order on Amazon , launch date is 30th April.

Image below of Book cover and outline of my story

You can pre-order via this link on Amazon https://t.co/QAjG1d3u6H

Visit my blog for more info: https://t.co/cpdGDOXdgy pic.twitter.com/71z7bgjwQ5
— John Chambers – A Belfast Child (@ABelfastChild1) January 19, 2020

Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick – Last soldier killed in Northern Ireland Troubles

February 14, 2016Deaths in the Troubles, Major events in The Troublesbelfastchildis

Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick

12th Februar 1997

The last British Soldier to die on active service in Northern Ireland as a consequence of the Troubles.

See operation banner

IRA Killer Bernard McGinn

Shot by IRA sniper Bernard McGinn as he manned a checkpoint in Bessbrook, south Armagh, in February 1997 he held the tragic distinction of being the last British soldier to be murdered by paramilitaries in Northern Ireland. Until now.

The 23-year-old, serving with the 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, was five months into his second tour of duty in the Province when he was shot on Feb 12 1997.

He was manning a checkpoint on the Green Road outside the village when he was hit with single shot fired from a .50 calibre Barrett rifle.

Claims from a former soldier that an SAS team had been on standby ready to intercept the sniper that day but had been ordered…

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Mod days , Magic Mushrooms and other drugs

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The brutal Killing of Farkhunda Malikzada

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La Mon restaurant bombing

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La Mon bombing

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Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick

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