#Ulster Defence Regiment

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1975 – Miami Showband massacre | UVF volunteers (some of whom were also UDR soldiers) shot dead three members of an Irish showband at Buskhill, Co Down.

Three members of the Miami Showband are killed by Ulster Volunteer Force members posing as members of the security forces when returning from a performance at The Castle Ballroom in Banbridge, Co Down. (Four of the killers were actually members of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR), an official reserve force for the British army). At the time, the Miami Showband were one of the most popular…

[seachranaidhe]

UDR: Britain’s sectarian army

https://declassifieduk.org/britains-sectarian-army/

[georgefairbrother]

This month (April) in 1969, the BBC reported on a surprising by-election result;

“…A 21-year-old woman, Bernadette Devlin, has become Britain’s youngest ever female MP and the third youngest MP ever…Standing as an independent Unity candidate, Miss Devlin wrested the seat of Mid-Ulster in Northern Ireland from the Ulster Unionists…”

She had grown up in a working class family of six children, and both parents had died by the time she was a teenager, forcing her to balance furthering her education while taking care of her younger siblings.

Bogside 1969 (image BBC News)

Having been arrested and subsequently imprisoned for her role in the Battle of the Bogside, violent sectarian protests in Derry in August of that year, she was re-elected at the UK general election in 1970 and served one full term.

Following Bloody Sunday, she (literally) smacked Conservative Home Secretary Reginald Maudling in the face for asserting in the House of Commons that the behaviour of members of the the British Parachute Regiment, (which had killed 14 civilians and wounded at least a further 15 during street protests in Derry), had been justified on the grounds of acting in self-defence. Devlin had personally witness these events.

Having not sought re-election in 1974, she remained active politically, supporting the cause of the hunger strikers in 1981 and standing unsuccessfully for seats in the European Parliament and the Dail Eirreann (Parliament of the Irish Republic).

On January 16th, 1981, the BBC reported:

“…The Northern Ireland civil rights campaigner and former Westminster MP, Bernadette McAliskey (formerly Devlin) has been shot by gunmen who burst into her home…The three men shot Mrs McAliskey, in the chest, arm and thigh as she went to wake up one of her three children. Her husband, Michael, was also shot twice at point blank range…Three men are now being questioned by police. They were arrested by members of the Parachute Regiment, who were on patrol nearby when they heard the shots…The McAliskeys were flown by army helicopter to hospital in Belfast, where their condition is said to be serious, but not life-threatening…”

(Irish news sources claim that the British soldiers were 'watching the home' but did not intervene).

The BBC also reported that Loyalist paramilitaries were going after those who were campaigning for H Block prison reform, in the heightened tensions surrounding hunger strikes over demands for ‘prisoner of war’ status by Republicans in custody. Four campaign activists had been killed to that point.

Bernadette McAliskey continued to advocate for civil rights in Northern Ireland, and for inmates and former inmates of the Maze Prison. She later founded the South Tyrone Empowerment Programme, a community welfare organisation, now listed as a resource on the UK government family support webpage for Northern Ireland, researching and campaigning in areas such as housing, family support, civil rights, and the welfare of migrant workers.

Top image and additional material from the website of herstory.ie

[spudkid]

June 18 - Belfast cont.

This afternoon we booked a Black Cab tour of Belfast’s neighborhoods.

Michael “Mick” Clarke was our driver guide. (Sadly, I didn’t get a picture of us with him). He was 14 during the height of the troubles.

Fáilte Feirste Thiar means Welcome to West Belfast. The sectarian neighborhoods are still divided by walls today.

The Troubles was a violent sectarian conflict from about 1968 to 1998 in Northern Ireland between the overwhelmingly Protestant unionists (loyalists), who desired the province to remain part of the United Kingdom, and the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic nationalists (republicans), who wanted Northern Ireland to become part of the republic of Ireland. The other major players in the conflict were the British army, Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), and Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR; from 1992 called the Royal Irish Regiment), and their avowed purpose was to play a peacekeeping role, most prominently between the nationalist Irish Republican Army (IRA), which viewed the conflict as a guerrilla war for national independence, and the unionist paramilitary forces, which characterized the IRA’s aggression as terrorism. Marked by street fighting, sensational bombings, sniper attacks, roadblocks, and internment without trial, the confrontation had the characteristics of a civil war, notwithstanding its textbook categorization as a “low-intensity conflict.” Some 3,600 people were killed and more than 30,000 more were wounded before a peaceful solution, which involved the governments of both the United Kingdom and Ireland, was effectively reached in 1998, leading to a power-sharing arrangement in the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont.

Neighborhoods are behind walls and some actually close road gates and enforce a 7am to 7pm curfew. The protest walls are everywhere. Some honor those killed…others honor leaders of the fight.

Mick pointed out that the Catholics are on the side of Palestinians and the Protestants support Israel.

Mick also said that the Protestants and Catholics are getting along now….but that could change at any moment!

When will we ever learn?

[readingvocabulary]

Paul Muldoon ~~~

loy - spade (Irish)

farcy - glanders in horses (or a similar disease in cattle) in which there is inflammation of the lymph vessels, causing nodules

Mescalero - type of Apache Indian

arroyo - also called a wash or wadi, is a dry watercourse that temporarily or seasonally fills and flows after sufficient rain

glipe - idiot (Irish)

UDR - Ulster Defence Regiment

sheugh - boundary ditch (Irish)

thrapple - a person's or animal's throat

Gallowglass - a class of elite mercenary warriors who were principally members of the Norse-Gaelic clans of Ireland and Scotland between the mid 13th century and late 16th century

coney - a rabbit

dibble - to make holes or plant seeds using, or as if using, a dibble

boke - vomit (Scot/Irish)

pooka - Irish goblin

anthracite - hard coal

thurified - burning incense

deasil - in the direction of the sun's apparent course, considered as lucky; clockwise (Scot)

gralloch - to disembowel a deer

vernix - a protective coating that forms on baby's skin in utero

widgeon - type of duck

chanterelle - type of mushroom

Kickapoo- Indian tribe

jennet - a kind of small Spanish horse; female donkey.

horse latitudes - subtropical regions known for calm winds and little precipitation

[silodrome]

For Sale: A Vintage Shorland Mk 3 Armored Patrol Car – With A Rotating Roof Turret

This is a Shorland Mk 3 Armored Patrol Car, it was built by the Short Brothers & Harland Ltd. of Belfast, Northern Ireland on a Land Rover 109 Series 3 platform, and it still retains both its 1/3 of an inch steel armor and its functional roof turret. The Shorland Mk 3 was used extensively by the Royal Ulster Constabulary, then later by the Ulster Defence Regiment in Northern Ireland during “The…

[thefivedemands]

TROUBLES. RICHIESTO UN STUDIO SUI SUICIDI

TROUBLES. RICHIESTO UN STUDIO SUI SUICIDI

E’ stato chiesto l’avvio di uno studio sul reale tasso di suicidi legati ai Troubles, che potrebbe portare ad un aumento delle vittime

La richiesta è partita dopo le confidenze rilasciate da un ex soldato UDR part-time, Ernie Wilson (82),  sul suicidio del figlio James dopo che l’attentato dell’IRA contro un autobus scolastico guidato dal padre. James si incolpava di non aver individuato la…

[churchofsatannews]

Prose From The Shadows 4: We Will Remember Them In this Remembrance Sunday special. The Ringmaster performs a short selection of war poetry to commemorate the fallen of WW1 and subsequent conflicts.

[livinglikebritishroyalty]

𝒫𝓇𝒾𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝑅𝒾𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒹

♕ 𝐹𝓊𝓁𝓁 𝒩𝒶𝓂𝑒: Richard Alexander Walter George

♕ 𝐹𝓊𝓁𝓁 𝒯𝒾𝓉𝓁𝑒: His Royal Highness Prince Richard Alexander Walter George The Duke of Gloucester

♕ 𝐵𝓸𝓇𝓃: Saturday, August 26th, 1944 at St. Matthew's Nursing Home in Northampton, England

♕ 𝒫𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈: His Royal Highness Prince Henry The Duke of Gloucester (Father) & Her Royal Highness Princess Alice Duchess of Gloucester (Mother)

♕ 𝒮𝒾𝒷𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈: His Royal Highness Prince William of Gloucester (Brother)

♕ 𝒮𝓅𝓸𝓊𝓈𝑒:  Her Royal Highness Birgitte The Duchess of Gloucester (M. 1972)

♕ 𝒞𝒽𝒾𝓁𝒹𝓇𝑒𝓃: Major Alexander Earl of Ulster (Son), Lady Davina (neé Windsor) Lewis (Daughter), & Lady Rose (neé Windsor) Gilman (Daughter) 

♕ 𝐸𝒹𝓊𝒸𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓸𝓃: Barnwell Manor (In Northamptonshire, England), Wellesley House School (In Kent, England), Eton College (In Berkshire, England), & Magdalene College at the University of Cambridge (In Cambridge, United Kingdom: Studied Architecture, Bachelor & Master of Arts Degrees in Architecture)

♕ 𝐼𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒲𝓸𝓇𝓀: Interests: Armed Forces (Air Force, Architecture, Court System, Defense, Disabled, Fallen Soldiers, Heraldry, & Security), Education, Food (Wine Trade), Health (Blindness, Cancer, Historic Sites, Hospitals, Leprosy, Medicine, & Support Animals), Nature (Agriculture, Conservation, Forests, Horticulture, Land Management, Soil, & Wildlife), People (Disabled, Elderly, Homelessness, Religious, & Trade), Science (Anthropology, Archeology, Art History, Engineering, Technology, & Transportation (Cars, Trains, & Trams)), Sports (Golf & Rowing), & The Arts (Architecture, Metal Work, Music, Shoe-Making, Stonemasonry, & Theatre). Work: Chancellor of The University of Worcester, Commissioner of the Historic Building & Monuments Commission for England, Co-Patron of Abbotsford Trust Appeal, Corporate Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, Fellow of The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts/Manufactures/Commerce, Founding Chancellor of The University of Worcester, Freeman of The City of London, Freeman/Liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Masons, Honorary Fellow of The Institution of Civil Engineers, Honorary Fellow of The Institute of Clerks of Works and Construction Inspectorate, Honorary Fellow of The Institution of Structural Engineers, Honorary Fellow of The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, Honorary Freeman of The City of Gloucester, Honorary Freeman/Liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, Honorary Freeman/Liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Vintners, Honorary Freeman of The Worshipful Company of Grocers, Honorary Life Member of The Bath Industrial Heritage Trust Ltd, Honorary Life Member of The Farmers Club, Honorary Life Member of The Friends of All Saints Brixworth, Honorary Life Member of The Royal Army Service Corps & Royal Corps of Transport Association, Honorary Member of The Architecture Club, Honorary Member of The Friends of Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens, Honorary Member of The Oxford & Cambridge Club, Honorary Member of The Petal Childhood Cancer Research, Honorary Member of The Reform Club, Honorary Membership of The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway Association, Honorary President of The The 20-Ghost Club Limited, Honorary President of The BR Class 8 Steam Locomotive Trust, Honorary President of The Somme Association, International Advisory Board Member of The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, Joint President of Cancer Research UK, Member of The International Advisory Board for The Royal United Services Institute, Member of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Member of The Scottish Railway Preservation Society, Member of The St George's Chapel Advisory Committee, Patron of Action on Smoking & Health, Patron of Canine Partners for Independence, Patron of English Heritage, Patron of Flag Fen, Patron of St Bartholomew's Hospital, Patron of The Architects Benevolent Society, Patron of The Black Country Living Museum, Patron of The British Association of Friends of Museums, Patron of The British Homeopathic Association, Patron of The The British Korean Veterans Association, Patron of The British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association, Patron of The British Mexican Society, Patron of The British Society of Soil Science, Patron of The Built Environment Trust, Patron of The Built Environment Education Trust (SHAPE), Patron of The Church Monuments Society, Patron of The Cresset (Peterborough) Ltd, Patron of The Construction Youth Trust, Patron of The De Havilland Aircraft Museum, Patron of The Essex Field Club, Patron of The Forest Education Initiative & Forest Education Network, Patron of The Fortress Study Group, Patron of The Fotheringhay Church Appeal, Patron of The Friends of Gibraltar Heritage Society, Patron of The Friends of Gloucester Cathedral, Patron of The Friends of Peterborough Cathedral, Patron of The Friends of St. Bartholomew the Less, Patron of The Gilbert & Sullivan Society, Patron of The Gloucestershire Millennium Celebrations, Patron of The Grange Centre for People with Disabilities, Patron of The Guild of the Royal Hospital of St Bartholomew, Patron of The Heritage of London Trust, Patron of The International Council on Monuments & Sites, Patron of The Isle of Man Victorian Society, Patron of The Japan Society, Patron of The Kensington Society, Patron of The Learning in Harmony Project, Patron of The Leicester Cathedral's King Richard III Appeal, Patron of The London Chorus, Patron of The London Playing Fields Foundation, Patron of The Magdalene Australia Society, Patron of The Mavisbank Trust, Patron of The Middlesex Association for the Blind, Patron of The Norfolk Record Society, Patron of The North of England Civic Trust, Patron of The Northamptonshire Archaeological Society, Patron of The Newcomen Society, Patron of The Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust, Patron of The Oriental Ceramic Society, Patron of The Oundle Town Rowing Club, Patron of The Peel Institute, Patron of The Pestalozzi International Village Trust, Patron of The Richard III Society, Patron of The Royal Academy Schools, Patron of The Royal Air Force 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron Association, Patron of The Royal Anglian Regiment Association, Patron of The Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Patron of The Royal Blind (Services for the Blind and Scottish War Blinded), Patron of The Royal Epping Forest Golf Club, Patron of The Royal Royal Pioneer Corps Association, Patron of The Scottish Society of Architect Artists, Patron of The Severn Valley Railway, Patron of The Society of Antiquaries of London, Patron of The Society of the Friends of St Magnus Cathedral Association, Patron of The Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum, Patron of The St George's Society of New York, Patron of The Three Choirs Festival Association, Patron of The Tramway Museum Society, Patron of The United Kingdom Trust for Nature Conservation in Nepal, Patron of The Victorian Society, Patron of The Westminster Society, Patron of The Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers, Patron-In-Chief of The Scottish Veterans' Residences, Patron-In-Chief of The Friends of St Clement Danes, Practicing Partner at Hunt Thompson Associates Architectural Firm, President of Ambition, President of British Expertise International, President of Christ's Hospital, President of The Britain-Nepal Society, President of The Cambridge House, President of The Crown Agents Foundation, President of The Greenwich Foundation, President of The Institute of Advanced Motorists, President of The London Society, President of The Lutyens Trust, President of The Peterborough Cathedral Development and Preservation Trust, President of The Public Monuments and Sculpture Association, President of The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution, President of The Society of Architect Artists, President of St Bartholomew's Hospital, Ranger for The Epping Forest Centenary Trust, Royal Bencher for The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, Royal Patron of Bede's World Museum, Royal Patron of Habitat for Humanity (UK Branch), Royal Patron of The 82045 Steam Locomotive Trust, Royal Patron of The British Museum, Royal Patron of The Global Heritage Fund UK, Royal Patron of The Global Heritage Fund UK, Royal Patron of The Lilongwe Wildlife Trust, Royal Patron of The Nene Valley Railway, Royal Patron of The Peace and Prosperity Trust, Royal Patron of The Royal Auxiliary Air Force Foundation, Royal Patron of The Strawberry Hill Trust, Royal Patron of The Wells Cathedral - Vicars' Close Appeal, Senior Fellow of The Royal College of Art, The Duke of Gloucester Young Achiever's Scheme Awards, The Offices Development Group for the Ministry of Works, Vice Royal Patron of The Almshouse Association, Vice Patron of The National Churches Trust, Vice President of LEPRA, Vice President of The Royal Bath and West of England Society, Vice President of The Royal Cornwall Agricultural Association, Vice President of The Royal Smithfield Club, & Visitor of The Royal School Dungannon

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1691 – The Fall of Athlone | Despite the bravery of legendary Sergeant Custume and others, severely outnumbered, the Connacht side of the town fell.

The first assault on Athlone came in 1690 after the defeat of the Irish at the Battle of the Boyne. General Douglas leading a substantial force, consisting mostly of Ulster regiments was the Williamite commander. His troops possibly numbered 10,000. When he arrived at Athlone he was confident that he would quickly conquer the town for King William but he hadn’t reckoned on the spirited defence of…

[seachranaidhe]

My story is one of crawling on my bullet-riddled stomach around a blood-soaked field through the mutilated bodies of my friends and the scattered, burning, body-parts of their murderers. Demonic social media agitators are trying to make my experience your reality too. Shun them.

My story is one of crawling on my bullet-riddled stomach around a blood-soaked field through the mutilated bodies of my friends and the scattered, burning, body-parts of their murderers. Demonic social media agitators are trying to make my experience your reality too. Shun them. pic.twitter.com/VzVDhcrVfO— Stephen Travers (@MiamiShowband) October 31, 2022 Stephen Travers

[georgefairbrother]

On August 14th, 1969, the Harold Wilson (Labour) government sent the military into Northern Ireland in what they described as a limited operation to restore law and order. Three hundred troops from the First Battalion, Prince of Wales’ Own Regiment of Yorkshire, occupied the centre of Londonderry, supporting the Royal Ulster Constabulary.

The move was in response to three days of violent clashes in Bogside, and other areas of Northern Ireland including Belfast itself, following the (Protestant Unionist) Apprentice Boys march.

The BBC reported;

"…The Royal Ulster Constabulary were forced to use tear gas - for the first time in their history - to try to bring the rioting under control. But tensions mounted with the mobilisation of the B Specials. The special constables, who are armed and mostly part-time, were supposed to help the RUC restore order - but they are regarded with deep suspicion by the Roman Catholics…"

According to reports, the apparently temporary deployment of British troops was initially welcomed by the Catholic communities, however the mood changed as more and more troops arrived. By the mid-1970s there were over 20 000 British soldiers deployed in Northern Ireland.

BBC;

"…As more British troops were deployed in Northern Ireland, fresh questions were raised about the role of Westminster. Although the army in Northern Ireland came under the control of the Secretary of State for Defence in London, many Catholics saw it as a tool of the Unionist Government in Stormont…"

In 1971, the Northern Ireland government (Stormont) introduced the highly contentious policy of internment, pre-emptive imprisonment without trial and often on evidence The Irish Times described as seriously faulty.

The Irish Times;

"…Internment without trial, called Operation Demetrius, was introduced in Northern Ireland by the Stormont unionist government early on the morning of August 9th 1971. It involved mass British army arrests of more than 340 people from Catholic and nationalist  backgrounds. The then unionist prime minister Brian Faulkner said it was designed to smash the IRA. Approval for internment was given to Faulkner by the British (Conservative) Home Secretary Reginald Maudling who was said to be unenthusiastic about the move but feared a loyalist backlash if he did not act…Almost 2,000 people were interned up until its ending in December 1975. It is estimated that just over 100 were loyalists…"

Some internees were subjected to what was officially referred to as interrogation in depth, a practice initially described as torture by the European Court on Human Rights, however following an appeal from the British Government, the wording was changed to inhuman and degrading treatment.

In 1972, British Prime Minister Edward Heath (Conservative), suspended Stormont and imposed direct rule.

Internment was discontinued in 1975. 

The official deployment of British troops finally ended in 2007.

Sources (facts and images): BBC On This Day, The Irish Times.

[long70s]

The Troubles, Pt 2

1972

2 January: An anti-internment rally is held in Belfast, North Ireland

3 January: The Irish Republican Army (IRA) explodes a bomb in Callender Street, Belfast, injuring over 60 people.

17 January: Seven men who were held as internees escape from the prison ship HMS Maidstone in Belfast Lough.

21 January: Prime Minister of Northern Ireland Brian Faulkner bans all parades and marches in Northern Ireland until the end of the year.

27 January: Two Royal Ulster Constabulary officers shot dead by IRA in an attack on their patrol car in the Creggan Road, Derry; The British Army and the Irish Republican Army engage in gun battles near County Armagh; British troops fire over 1,000 rounds of ammunition.

28 January: The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association place "special emphasis on the necessity for a peaceful incident-free day" at the next march on 30 January in an effort to avoid violence.

30 January: Bloody Sunday: 27 unarmed civilians are shot (14 are killed) by the British Army during a civil rights march in Derry, Northern Ireland; this is the highest death toll from a single shooting incident during 'the Troubles.’

31 January: British Home Secretary Reginald Maudling to House of Commons on 'Bloody Sunday', "The Army returned the fire directed at them with aimed shots and inflicted a number of casualties on those who were attacking them with firearms and with bombs.”

1 February: British Prime Minister Edward Heath announces the appointment of Lord Chief Justice Lord Widgery to undertake an inquiry into the 13 deaths on 'Bloody Sunday; The Ministry of Defence also issues a detailed account of the British Army's version of events during 'Bloody Sunday.'

2 February: Angry demonstrators burn the British Embassy in Dublin to the ground in protest at the shooting dead of 13 people on 'bloody sunday'

5 February: Two IRA members are killed when a bomb they were planting exploded prematurely.

6 February: A Civil Rights march held in Newry, County Down; very large turn-out with many people attending to protest at the killings in Derry the previous Sunday.

10 February: BBC bans "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" by Wings; two British soldiers are killed in a land mine attack near Cullyhanna, County Armagh; an IRA member is shot dead during an exchange of gunfire with RUC officers.

14 February: Lord Widgery arrives in Coleraine, where the 'Bloody Sunday' (30 January 1972) Tribunal was to be based, and holds a preliminary hearing.

22 Febuary: The Official IRA bombs Aldershot military barracks, the headquarters of the British Parachute Regiment, killing seven people; thought to be in retaliation for Bloody Sunday.

25 February: Attempted assassination of Irish Minister of State for Home Affairs John Taylor who is shot a number of times (the Official Irish Republican Army later claimed responsibility)

1 March: Two Catholic teenagers shot dead by the Royal Ulster Constabulary while 'joy riding' in a stolen car in Belfast.

4 March: Abercorn Restaurant bombing: a bomb explodes in a crowded restaurant in Belfast, killing two civilians and wounding 130.

9 March: Four members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) die in a premature explosion at a house in Clonard Street, Lower Falls, Belfast.

14 March: Two IRA members shot dead by British soldiers in the Bogside area of Derry.

15 March: Two British soldiers killed when attempting to defuse a bomb in Belfast; an RUC officer iskilled in an IRA attack in Coalisland, County Tyrone.

18 March: Ulster Vanguard hold a rally of 60,000 people in Belfast; William Craig tells the crowd: "if and when the politicians fail us, it may be our job to liquidate the enemy.”

20 March: Donegall Street bombing: the Provisional Irish Republican Army detonate its first car bomb on Donegall Street in Belfast; four civilians, two RUC officers and a UDR soldier killed while 148 people were wounded.

24 March: Great Britain imposes direct rule over Northern Ireland

27 March: Ulster Vanguard organise industrial strike against the imposition of direct rule on Northern Ireland by Westminster

30 March: Northern Ireland's Government and Parliament dissolved by the British Government and 'direct rule' from Westminster is introduced.

6 April: The Scarman Tribunal Report, an inquiry into the causes of violence during the summer of 1969 in N Ireland, is published, finding that the Royal Ulster Constabulary had been seriously at fault.

7 April: Three members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) die in a premature bomb explosion in Belfast

10 April: Two British soldiers are killed in a bomb attack in Derry.

14 April: The Provisional Irish Republican Army explodes twenty-four bombs in towns and cities across Northern Ireland.

15 April: A member of the Official Irish Republican Army is shot dead by British soldiers at Joy Street in the Markets area of Belfast close to his home; a member of the British Army is shot dead by the Official IRA in the Divis area of Belfast.< April: Two British soldiers are shot dead by the Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) in separate incidents in Derry.

18 April: The Widgery Report on 'Bloody Sunday' in Northern Ireland is published, causing outrage among the people of Derry who call it the "Widgery Whitewash.”

19 April: British Prime Minister Edward Heath confirms that a plan to conduct an arrest operation, in the event of a riot during the march on 30 January 1972, was known to British government Ministers in advance.

22 April: An 11-year-old boy killed by a rubber bullet fired by the British Army in Belfast; he was the first to die from a rubber bullet impact.

22 April: The Sunday Times Insight Team publish their account of the events of 'Bloody Sunday.’

10 May: An Irish Republican Army bomb starts a fire that destroys the Belfast Co-operative store.

13 May: Battle at Springmartin: following a loyalist car bombing of a Catholic-owned pub in the Ballymurphy area of Belfast, clashes erupt between PIRA, UVF and British Army.

14 May: 13 year old Catholic girl is shot dead by Loyalist paramilitaries in Ballymurphy, Belfast.

17 May: The Irish Republican Army (IRA) fires on workers leaving the Mackies engineering works in west Belfast (Although the factory was sited in a Catholic area it had an almost entirely Protestant workforce.

21 May: The Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) kidnaps and shoots dead William Best (19), a soldier in the Royal Irish Rangers stationed in Germany whilst on leave at home.

22 May: Over 400 women in Derry attack the offices of Official Sinn Féin in Derry, North Ireland, following the shooting of William Best by the Official Irish Republican Army.

24 May: Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA) kidnaps and shoots dead William Best (19), a soldier in the Royal Irish Rangers stationed in Germany whilst on leave at home.

26 May: The Irish Republican Army (IRA) plant a bomb in Oxford Street, Belfast, killing a 64 year old woman.

28 May: Four Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers and four civilians killed when a bomb they were preparing exploded prematurely at a house in Belfast.

29 May: The Official IRA announce a ceasefire.

2 June: British soldiers die in an IRA land mine attack near Rosslea, County Fermanagh.

11 June: Gun battle between Loyalist and Republican paramilitaries break out in the Oldpark area of Belfast.

13 June: The Irish Republican Army invites British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Willie Whitelaw to 'Free Derry'; Whitelaw rejects offer and reaffirms his policy to not "let part of the United Kingdom ... default from the rule of law.”

14 June: Members of the NI Social Democratic and Labour Party hold a meeting with representatives of the Irish Republican Army in Derry; the IRA representatives outline their conditions for talks with the British Government.

15 June: The Social Democratic and Labour Party meet Secretary of State for Northern Ireland W Whitelaw, to present the IRA's conditions for a meeting.

18 June: 3 members of the British Army are killed by an Irish Republican Army (IRA) bomb in a derelict house near Lurgan, County Down.

19 June: A Catholic civilian is shot dead by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in the Cracked Cup Social Club, Belfast; Secretary of State for Northern Ireland William Whitelaw concedes 'special category' status, or 'political status' for paramilitary prisoners in Northern Ireland.

20 June: Secret Meeting Between IRA and British Officials held.

22 June: The Irish Republican Army announce that it would call a ceasefire from 26 June 1972 provided that there is a "reciprocal response" from the security forces.

24 June: The Irish Republican Army (IRA) kill 3 British Army soldiers in a land mine attack near Dungiven, County Derry.

26 June: IRA proclaims resistant in North-Ireland; The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) begin a "bi-lateral truce" as at midnight; The Irish Republican Army (IRA) kill two British Army soldiers in separate attacks during the day.

30 June: Ulster Defence Association (UDA) begin to organise its own 'no-go' areas (this is a response to the continuation of Republican 'no-go' areas and fears about concessions to the IRA).

2 July: Two Catholic civilians are shot and killed in Belfast by Loyalist paramilitaries, probably the Ulster Defence Association (UDA)

3 July: The Ulster Defence Association and the British Army come into conflict about a 'no-go' area at Ainsworth Avenue, Belfast

4 July: The Royal Ulster Constabulary forward a file about the killings on 'Bloody Sunday' (30 January 1972) to the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland

5 July: Two Protestant brothers are found shot dead outside of Belfast (speculation that they were killed by Loyalists because they had Catholic girlfriends).

7 July: Secret Talks Between IRA and British Government: Gerry Adams is part of a delegation to London for talks with the British Government; 7 people are killed in separate incidents across Northern Ireland.

9 July: Springhill Massacre: British snipers shoot dead five Catholic civilians and wounded two others in Springhill, Belfast; The ceasefire between the Provisional IRA and the British Army comes to an end.

13 July: A series of gun-battles and shootings erupt across Belfast between the Provisional Irish Republican Army and British Army soldiers.

18 July: The 100th British soldier to die in the Northern Ireland "troubles" is shot by a sniper in Belfast; Leader of the British Labour Party Harold Wilson holds meeting with representatives of the Irish Republican Army.

21 July: Bloody Friday: within the space of seventy-five minutes, the Provisional Irish Republican Army explode twenty-two bombs in Belfast; six civilians, two British Army soldiers and one UDA volunteer were killed, 130 injured.

22 July: 2 Catholics are abducted, beaten, and shot dead in a Loyalist area of Belfast.

31 July: Operation Motorman: the British Army use 12,000 soldiers supported by tanks and bulldozers to re-take the "no-go areas" controlled by the Provisional Irish Republican Army; Claudy bombing: nine civilians were killed when three car bombs exploded in County Londonderry, North Ireland; no group has since claimed responsibility.

9 August: There is widespread and severe rioting in Nationalist areas of Northern Ireland on the anniversary of the introduction of Internment.

11 August: Two IRA members are killed when a bomb they were transporting exploded prematurely.

12 August: British soldiers are killed by an IRA booby trap bomb in Belfast.

14 August: A Catholic civilian is shot dead during an IRA attack on a British Army patrol in Belfast.

22 August: IRA bomb explodes prematurely at a customs post at Newry, County Down - 9 people, including three members of the IRA and five Catholic civilians, are killed in the explosion.

23 August: 4 civilians and 1 British soldier are injured in separate overnight shooting incidents in North Ireland.

2 September: The headquarters of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) in Belfast is severely damaged by an IRA bomb.

10 September: 3 British soldiers are killed in a land mine attack near Dungannon, County Tyrone.

14 September: 2 people are killed and 1 mortally wounded in a Ulster Volunteer Force bomb attack on the Imperial Hotel, Belfast.

20 September: The Social Democratic and Labour Party issues a document entitled "Towards a New Ireland", proposing that the British and Irish governments should have joint sovereignty over Northern Ireland.

6 October: Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Jack Lynch closes the Sinn Féin office in Dublin.

10 October: 3 members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) die in a premature explosion in a house in Balkan Street, Lower Falls, Belfast.

14 October: North Irish Loyalist paramilitaries raid Headquarters of the 10 Ulster Defence Regiment in Belfast and steal rifles and ammunition.

16 October: 2 members of the Offical Irish Republican Army are shot dead by the British Army in County Tyrone. Protestant youth members of the Ulster Defence Association, and a UDA member are run over by British Army vehicles during riots in east Belfast.

17 October: The Ulster Defence Association open fire on the British Army in several areas of Belfast.

19 October: The Ulster Defence Association open fire on the British Army in several areas of Belfast.

23 October: Loyalist paramilitaries carry out raid on an Ulster Defence Regiment.

24 October: British soldiers kill 2 Catholic men at a farm at Aughinahinch, near Newtownbbutler, County Fermanagh.

30 October: The Northern Ireland Office issues a discussion document 'The Future of Northern Ireland'; the paper states Britain's commitment to the union as long as the majority of people wish to remain part of the United Kingdom; Loyalist paramilitaries carry out a raid on Royal Ulster Constabulary station in County Derry, and steal 4 British Army Sterling sub-machine Guns.

31 October:  2 Catholic children (6 and 4) playing on the street are killed in a Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) car bomb attack on a bar in Ship Street, Belfast.

2 November: Government of the Republic of Ireland introduce a bill to remove the special position of the Catholic Church from the Irish Constitution.

5 November: Vice-President of Sinn Féin Maire Drumm is arrested in the Republic of Ireland.

19 November: Leader of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) Seán MacStiofáin is arrested in Dublin.

20 November: 2 British soldiers are killed in a booby trap bomb in Cullyhanna, County Armagh.

24 November: Taoiseach Jack Lynch meets with British Prime Minister Edward Heath in London to give Irish approval to Attlee's paper stating new arrangements should be 'acceptable to and accepted by the Republic of Ireland'

26 November: Bomb explosion at the Film Centre Cinema, in O’Connell Bridge House in Dublin.

28 November: 2 IRA members are killed in a premature bomb explosion in the Bogside area of Derry.

1 December: 2 people killed and 127 injured when 2 car bombs explode in the centre of Dublin, Republic of Ireland

20 December: Five civilians (four Catholics, one Protestant) killed in gun attack on the Top of the Hill Bar in Derry, North Ireland.

28 December:  2 people are killed in a Loyalist bomb attack on the village of Belturbet, County Cavan, Republic of Ireland.

29 December: President of Sinn Féin Ruairi O Bradaigh is arrested and held under new legislation in Republic of Ireland.

[casbooks]

Book Review: Pilgrim Days from Vietnam to the SAS

My Review: For those of us who devour military history books, especially biographies, Pilgrim Days fills a special spot on our library shelf. Mackenzie served with a multitude of military units across the globe, from the New Zealand Infantry Regiment in Vietnam to the British Paras and SAS in Northern Ireland, and the Pathfinders in the SADF fighting SWAPO in Angola. He served alongside other authors such as Dave Barr, Jan Breytenbach, and Peter McAleese and his experiences help flesh out the stories found in their books, while putting his own unique spin on them.

With his constant moving and changing of uniforms, he missed out on some major incidents like the Iranian Embassy Siege as well as the Falklands War, but his insight into the NZ experience in Vietnam, his work in Northern Ireland, his experiences in Africa, and especially his later training work in Oman and elsewhere as a private contractor are unique and definitely worth reading.

Mind you, this man has had a extremely robust life and trying to encapsulate it all in one book has made it more of an overview, where the author more often just lists and tells one or two things about each experience, instead of delving into each one in any depth. But what I found most enjoyable was his attention to the people he served with and how no matter where he ended up, he was able to slide in and soldier on.

This isn’t a fictional story about a one man army, but instead the true life of one man who served in many armies around the world, and was part of a period of time where armed conflict and instability made the cold war quite hot. With today’s global war on terrorism, and private military companies, it’s important to read Pilgrim Days and take notes of where he was, who he was with, and use it as a jumping off point to study more about the things he mentions, from South Armagh to Tim Spicer and what happened in Bouganville.

Really good book, really good read, entertaining, and I’m so glad I have it on my shelf!

Title: Pilgrim Days: From Vietnam to the SAS

Authors: Alastair MacKenzie

ISBN: 9781472833174

Tags: 21 SAS, 22 SAS, 3 Para, 32 Bn, 44 South African Parachute Brigade, Airborne, Angola, ANZAC, Ardroyne Rd, Australian Army Training Team, Belfast, Belize, China, Dhofar, Duke of Lancaster’s Own Yeomanry, Flax Street Mill, Hong Kong, Infantry, Long Tan, MPLA, Namibia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Training and Advisory Team, Nui Dat, Oman, Operation Banner, Parabats, Paras, Phouc Tuy Province, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, Royal Ulster Constabulary, SADF, SADF Pathfinders, South Africa, South African Pathfinders, South Armagh, South West Africa, Special Air Service, SpecOps, SWAPO, UNITA, Vietnam, Vung Tau

Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Africa.Angola, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Africa.South Africa, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Infantry, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Europe.Northern Ireland Troubles, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Infantry.South Africa, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Infantry.UK.British Army, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Middle East-SWA.Oman, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.SpecOps.New Zealand.NZSAS, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.SpecOps.UK.SAS

Description: 'We are the Pilgrims, master; we shall go, Always a little further; it may be, Beyond that last blue mountain barred with snow.'

If there was ever anyone who went a little further, a little beyond, it was Alastair MacKenzie. In a career spanning 30 years, MacKenzie served uniquely with the New Zealand Army in Vietnam, the British Parachute Regiment, the British Special Air Service (SAS), the South African Defence Force's famed ParaBats, the Sultan of Oman's Special Forces and a host of private security agencies and defence contractors.

MacKenzie lived the soldier's life to the full as he journeyed 'the Golden Road to Samarkand'. This extraordinary new work from the author of Special Force: The Untold Story of 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) vividly documents, in a detail that stuns, the experience of infantry combat in Vietnam, life with the Paras, the tempo of selection for UK Special Forces, covert SAS operations in South Armagh and SAS Counter Terrorist training on the UK mainland, vehicle-mounted Pathfinder Brigade insertions into Angola and maritime counter-terrorism work in Oman.

**

About the Author

Alastair MacKenzie comes from a military family of long standing and he served as a para-trained platoon commander for 12 months with the New Zealand infantry on combat operations in South Vietnam and in the special forces of South Africa, Oman and the UK, where for four years he was troop commander in the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment. After his retirement as a full-time Army officer he enjoyed a successful commercial career with Royal Ordnance and British Aerospace before moving to consultancy roles. In civilian life he retained an involvement with the Territorial Army as an SAS officer and retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel in 2001. He obtained his PhD in politics in 2005 and is the author of works including Special Force: The Untold Story of 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) and The Sounds Soldiers' Memorial--Stories of the Fallen. He lives on the South Island of New Zealand.

[nebris]

Free Derry (Irish: Saor Dhoire)[1] was a self-declared autonomous Irish nationalist area of Derry, Northern Ireland, that existed between 1969 and 1972, during the Troubles. It emerged during the Northern Ireland civil rights movement, which sought to end discrimination against the Irish Catholic/nationalist minority by the Protestant/unionist government. The civil rights movement highlighted the sectarianism and police brutality of the overwhelmingly Protestant police force, the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). The area, which included the mainly-Catholic Bogside and Creggan neighbourhoods, was first secured by community activists on 5 January 1969 following an incursion into the Bogside by RUC officers. Residents built barricades and carried clubs and similar arms to prevent the RUC from entering. Its name was taken from a sign painted on a gable wall in the Bogside which read, "You are now entering Free Derry". For six days the area was a no-go area, after which the residents took down the barricades and RUC patrols resumed. Tensions remained high over the following months.

On 12 August 1969, sporadic violence led to the Battle of the Bogside: a three-day pitched battle between thousands of residents and the RUC, which spread to other parts of Northern Ireland. Barricades were re-built, petrol bomb "factories" and first aid posts were set up, and a radio transmitter ("Radio Free Derry") broadcast messages calling for resistance. The RUC fired CS gas into the Bogside – the first time it had been used by UK police. On 14 August, the British Army were deployed at the edge of the Bogside and the RUC were withdrawn. The Derry Citizens Defence Association (DCDA) declared their intention to hold the area against both the RUC and the British Army until their demands were met. The British Army made no attempt to enter the area. The situation continued until October 1969 when, following publication of the Hunt Report, military police were allowed in.

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) began to re-arm and recruit after August 1969. In December 1969 it split into the Official IRA and the Provisional IRA. Both were supported by the people of Free Derry. Meanwhile, the initially good relations between the British Army and the nationalist community worsened. In July 1971 there was a surge of recruitment into the IRA after two young men were shot dead by British troops in Derry. The government introduced internment on 9 August 1971 in Operation Demetrius. In response, barricades went up once more around Free Derry. This time, Free Derry was defended by well-armed members of the IRA. From within the area they launched attacks on the British Army, and the Provisionals began a bombing campaign in the city centre. As before, unarmed "auxiliaries" manned the barricades, and crime was dealt with by a voluntary body known as the Free Derry Police.

Support for the IRA rose further after Bloody Sunday in January 1972, when thirteen unarmed men and boys were shot dead by the British Parachute Regiment during a protest march in the Bogside (a 14th man was wounded and died 4+1⁄2 months later). Following the Bloody Friday bombings, the British decided to re-take the "no-go" areas. Free Derry came to an end on 31 July 1972 in Operation Motorman, when thousands of British troops moved in with armoured vehicles and bulldozers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Derry

[artofreddit]

Ulster Defence Regiment (United Kingdom, 1972) posted by Reddit User: Joseph_Whitebear Visit artofreddit.com for more art #propagandaposters