[112] The vast majority of its victims were Irish Catholic civilians, who were often killed at random. In Belfast, loyalists responded by attacking nationalist districts. Mr Spence was convicted for the murder of one of the victims, 18-year-old Peter Ward, who was shot dead after being identified as a Catholic while he drank in a mainly Protestant pub. Malcolm Sutton's Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland, part of the Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN), states that the UVF and RHC was responsible for at least 485 killings during the Troubles, and lists a further 256 loyalist killings that have not yet been attributed to a particular group. Read about our approach to external linking. Gusty Spence is regarded as one of the founders of loyalist paramilitarism, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. [41] On 17 May, two UVF units from the Belfast and Mid-Ulster brigades detonated four car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan. The family of the former UVF leader Gusty Spence is planning a funeral with the emphasis on his British army past rather than his time in the paramilitary group. One of the first UVF members to be convicted of murder, Spence was a senior figure in the organisation for over a decade. It claimed the pubs were used for republican fundraising. In June, nine UVF members were convicted of the attacks. [71], On 14 September 2005, following serious loyalist rioting during which dozens of shots were fired at riot police and the British Army the Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain announced that the British government no longer recognised the UVF ceasefire. [24] The murder of Ward was, however, repudiated by Paisley and condemned in his Protestant Telegraph, sealing the split between the two. Bistir na Seanchille. [54] This was endorsed by Gusty Spence, who issued a statement asking all UVF volunteers to support the new regime. Recently it has emerged from the Police Ombudsman that senior North Belfast UVF member and Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) Special Branch informant Mark Haddock has been involved in drug dealing. Two Ulster Unionist Assembly members, Michael McGimpsey and Mike Neabitt, were among the mourners at the funeral. He was jailed for life for the murder of a Catholic barman in 1966 and served 18 years in prison. When the prisoner was unable to provide one, Spence would then seek to convince them of the wisdom of his more politicised path, something that he accomplished with Mitchell. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former British Army soldier from Northern Ireland.The group undertook an armed campaign of almost thirty years during The Troubles.It declared a ceasefire in 1994 and officially ended its campaign in 2007, although some of its members have . [31] Spence also took on responsibility for the restructuring, returning the UVF to the same command structure and organisational base that Edward Carson had utilised for the original UVF, with brigades, battalions, companies, platoons and sections. [23] Tim Pat Coogan has described Spence as a "loyalist folk hero". His father was a Somme veteran who emigrated to Belfast after the war and became a member of the Orange Order. In keeping with his wishes, there were no paramilitary trappings and his coffin was draped with the regimental flag of the Royal Ulster Rifles, in which he served. Along with the UDA, it helped to enforce the strike by blocking roads, intimidating workers, and shutting any businesses that opened. "However he did dedicate himself to peace and reconciliation for much of his later life so he will also be remembered as a major influence in drawing loyalism away from sectarian strife," he added. He later became involved in politics and announced the landmark loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994. Gusty Spence Funeral RIP 21,778 views Nov 15, 2013 95 Dislike Share Save Elmwoodgrove 14 subscribers The Funeral at Craven Street Gusty said Some day The PUP will grow a set of Jaws And BITE. The biggest of these was the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings, which killed 34 civilians, making it the deadliest terrorist attack of the conflict. Gusty Spence announced the loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. [67] According to Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN), the UVF killed 17 active and four former republican paramilitaries. Traduzioni in contesto per "divenuto cuore pulsante" in italiano-inglese da Reverso Context: Labirinto di mais: In via Amerigo Vespucci, a pochi passi da piazza Nember, sorge un terreno di ben 5 ettari divenuto cuore pulsante del divertimento tra mistero, intelligenza e creativit. [35], In January 1970, the UVF began bombing Catholic-owned businesses in Protestant areas of Belfast. [84] The Progressive Unionist Party's condemnation, and Dawn Purvis and other leaders' resignations as a response to the Moffett shooting, were also noted. Reverend Chris Hudson, who helped broker contacts between loyalist paramilitaries and the Irish government, said that aspect of the statement was significant. Gusty was a man of war, he was also a man of peace, she said. [145], Scotland was a source of funding and aid, supplying explosives and guns. ][102] On 11 April, the UVF reportedly ordered the removal of Catholic families from a housing estate in Carrickfergus. "Shortly after he was jailed, Gusty, after a period of reflection on his own life, quickly started to challenge other loyalists coming into prison to reflect on their own lives.". Spence now argued that UVF members were soldiers and soldiers should not kill civilians, as had been the case at McGurk's Bar. During this time he restructured the organisation into brigades, battalions, companies, platoons and sections. House of Commons: Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, Cusack & McDonald, p.3435, 105, 199, 205, The Lost Lives, David McKittrick, Page 1475, Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 06:47, Timeline of Ulster Volunteer Force actions, protests throughout Northern Ireland, some of which became violent, Provisional IRA campaign 1969-1997 Loyalists and the IRA killing and reprisals, Republic of Ireland national football team, Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, "Report drawn up on behalf of the Political Affairs Committee on the situation in Northern Ireland", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfGe4WO8yok, "Sutton Index of Deaths: Organisation responsible for the death", "Sutton Index of Deaths: Crosstabulations", "Inside the UVF: Money, murders and mayhem - the loyalist gang's secrets unveiled", "UVF mural on Shankill Road being investigated by police", "UVF 'behind racist attacks in south and east Belfast'", Chronology of Key Events in Irish History, 1800 to 1967, "Irish tighten security after Dublin bombing", "Call for probe of British link to 1974 bombs", "Collusion in the South Armagh / Mid Ulster Area in the mid-1970's". A former leader of the UVF's political wing, the Progressive Unionist Party, described him as "one of the pivots on which a page of Irish history turned". It began carrying out gun attacks to kill random Catholic civilians and using car bombs to attack Catholic-owned pubs. "We have to get in there, and stay in there," he continued, remembering that "it took several hundred years to bring about this situation, so we must have a little bit of patience. Ontario is to Ulster Protestants what Boston is to Irish Catholics." A former leader of the UVF's political wing, the Progressive Unionist Party, described him as "one of the pivots on which a page of Irish history turned". . [2], In August 2000, Spence was caught up in moves by Johnny Adair's "C" Company of the UDA to take control of the Shankill by forcing out the UVF and other opponents. Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric'. Spence was praised by, among others, PUP leader Brian Ervine, who stated that "his contribution to the peace is incalculable". For an online, self-service experience, please visit: The widow of former PUP leader David Ervine, Jeanette, also attended. [36], Spence soon became the UVF commander within the Maze Prison. One of the first UVF members to be convicted of murder, Spence was a senior figure in the organisation for over a decade. Tributes were paid to former leading loyalist paramilitary turned peacemaker Gusty Spence at his funeral in Belfast today. He later became involved in politics and announced the landmark loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [41] Furthermore, the VPP suffered a heavy defeat in West Belfast in the October 1974 general election, when the DUP candidate John McQuade captured six times as many votes as the VPP's Ken Gibson. After the Troubles began, an Orange-Canadian loyalist organization known as the Canadian Ulster Loyalist Association (CULA) sprang to life to provide the 'besieged' Protestants with the resources to arm themselves. [130], Prior to and after the onset of the Troubles the UVF carried out armed robberies. In 1990, the UVF joined the Combined Loyalist Military Command (CLMC) and indicated its acceptance of moves towards peace. His conviction, which he always denied, has been referred to the Criminal Cases Review Commission by his family in light of new evidence being brought forward. However, the UVF spurned the government efforts and continued killing. . Leader of the, 414 (~85%) were civilians, 11 of whom were civilian political activists, 21 (~4%) were members or former members of republican paramilitary groups, 44 (~9%) were members or former members of loyalist paramilitary groups, 6 (~1%) were members of the British security forces. His hearse bore a floral tribute that spelt out the word Granda, while relatives who spoke at the funeral recalled personal memories of a family man. In the 1960s, he founded the Ulster Volunteer Force, which was responsible for hundreds of murders during the Troubles. Mein Nisinta Seirbhse Poibl na hireann, Originally Published / Wednesday, 28 Sep 2011. [131] The UVF has also been involved in the extortion of legitimate businesses, although to a lesser extent than the UDA,[138] and was described in the fifth IMC report as being involved in organised crime. Sinn Fein MLA Gerry Kelly said many nationalists would remember Spence as someone "who was central to the sectarianism that gave birth to the modern loyalist paramilitary". After several years away from the spotlight, Spence was again asked to read the statement, a role which senior loyalists said was indicative of his significance within Northern Ireland loyalism. [29], Spence was granted two days leave around in early July 1972 to attend the wedding of his daughter Elizabeth to Winston Churchill "Winkie" Rea. [citation needed] The feud between the UVF and the LVF erupted again in the summer of 2005. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former British Army soldier from Northern Ireland. [84] The Independent Monitoring Commission stated Moffett was killed by UVF members acting with the sanction of the leadership. [18] On 27 May, Spence ordered four UVF men to kill an Irish Republican Army (IRA) member, Leo Martin, who lived on the Falls Road. [2] His brother Bobby, also a UVF member, died in October 1980 inside the Maze, a few months after the death of their brother Billy. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. [44], The brigade formed part of the Glenanne gang, a loose alliance of loyalist assassins which the Pat Finucane Centre has linked to 87 killings in the 1970s. ", This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 06:47. My experience of Gusty was as the whole man. Gusty Spence is regarded as one of the founders of loyalist paramilitarism, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. [93] Much of the UVF's orchestration was carried out by its senior members in East Belfast, where many attacks on the PSNI and on residents of the Short Strand enclave took place. Speaking from his home in Belfast last night, Mr Spence said he had become acquainted with Mr Lynch three or four years ago. [38] This came to a climax on 4 December, when the UVF bombed McGurk's Bar, a Catholic-owned pub in Belfast. The gunmen shot dead six people and injured five. [24] On 21 May, the group issued a statement: From this day, we declare war against the Irish Republican Army and its splinter groups. On the basis of that, we as a federation have called for the respecification of the UVF [stating that its ceasefire is over]. Augustus Andrew Spence (28 June 1933[2] 25 September 2011) was a leader of the paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and a leading loyalist politician in Northern Ireland. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. In May 1966, the UVF issued a statement, announcing that it was declaring war on the IRA. Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric'. While the Troubles broke out in 1969, the murders carried out by the UVF years earlier were seen as brutal sectarian attacks that shocked Northern Ireland. It was not in his later life. [38] By this time Spence polarised opinion within the UVF, with some members fiercely loyal to a man they saw as a folk hero and others resenting his draconian leadership and increasing emphasis on politics, with one anonymous member even labelling him "a cunt in a cravat". Read about our approach to external linking. [57] In 1976, Tommy West was replaced with "Mr. F" who is alleged to be John "Bunter" Graham, who remains the incumbent Chief of Staff to date. Mr Lynch died following a brief illness. Spence was initially held over the murder of the first victim of the Troubles, John Scullion, who was shot by the UVF in the Falls Road area of Belfast. In the 1960s, he founded the Ulster Volunteer Force, which was responsible for hundreds of murders during the Troubles. They were blamed by the PSNI on members of the UVF, who also said UVF guns had been used to try to kill police officers. Spence claimed that he was approached in 1965 by two men, one of whom was an Ulster Unionist Party MP, who told him that the UVF was to be re-established and that he was to have responsibility for the Shankill. "BBC News Man held over East Belfast police murder bid", "Surge in Belfast violence blamed on resurgent UVF", "The Beast from East Belfast could put an end to flags violence right now but he won't", "East Belfast UVF: Mission Accomplished? Gusty Spence, who died over the weekend, was a paramilitary godfather in Northern Ireland and one of the founding figures of the UVF, but was also among the first to recognise the need for peace. Among their engagements was one as guests of honour of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy. [128] Information regarding the role of women in the UVF is limited. Entdecke Gareth Mulvenna - Mein Leben in Loyalitt - Neues Taschenbuch - C245A in groer Auswahl Vergleichen Angebote und Preise Online kaufen bei eBay Kostenlose Lieferung fr viele Artikel! [85][86] Fifty-year-old Stockman was stabbed more than 10 times in a supermarket in Belfast; the attack was believed to have been linked to the Moffett killing. [87][88], On the night of 20 June 2011, riots involving 500 people erupted in the Short Strand area of East Belfast. Brian Ervine said: "His contribution to the peace is incalculable and without him, probably the paramilitaries would still be at war. [106][107] This uniform, based on those of the original UVF, was introduced in the early 1970s. [32] He was returned to Crumlin Road gaol soon afterwards, where he shared a cell with William "Plum" Smith, one of the Red Hand Commandos whom he had met upon his initial release and who had since been jailed for attempted murder. It was not in his later life. [25], On 27 May, Spence sent four UVF members to kill IRA volunteer Leo Martin, who lived in Belfast. According to Billy Mitchell, Spence quizzed him and others sent to the Maze about why they were there, seeking an ideological answer to his question. [36] It also continued its attacks in the Republic of Ireland, bombing the Dublin-Belfast railway line, an electricity substation, a radio mast, and Irish nationalist monuments. [50] The UVF was banned again on 3 October 1975 and two days later twenty-six suspected UVF members were arrested in a series of raids. [84] Eleven months later, a man was arrested and charged with the attempted murder of the UVF's alleged second-in-command Harry Stockman, described by the Belfast Telegraph as a "senior Loyalist figure". "[56], His funeral service was held in St Michael's Church of Ireland on the Shankill Road. While the only echoes of Mr Spences paramilitary past were the UVF murals that dotted his funeral route, a guard of honour was formed by veterans of his old British Army regiment, the Royal Ulster Rifles. The Sunday World's offices were also firebombed. However, RUC Special Branch believed that his brother Billy, who kept a much lower public profile, was the real leader of the group. This collection contains Gusty Spence's personal and business correspondence from 1959-1998, the bulk of which was written during Spence's time in prison (1966-1984). [63], The UVF also attacked republican paramilitaries and political activists. He had risen through its ranks to become a sergeant in the military police and the regiments flag was draped across his coffin. Instead his coffin was adorned with the beret and regimental flag of the Royal Ulster Rifles, his former regiment. [39], Spence began to move towards a position of using political means to advance one's aims, and he persuaded the UVF leadership to declare a temporary ceasefire in 1973. The statement also included a warning that activities could "provoke another generation of loyalists toward armed resistance". He then became involved in politics and announced the landmark loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994. Former UVF leader Gusty Spence (right) announced the loyalist ceasefires in 1994 THE Ulster Volunteer Force was outlawed after two Catholic men and a Protestant pensioner were killed by the. One of the first UVF members to be convicted of murder, Spence was a senior figure in the organisation for over a decade. They shot dead John Scullion (28), a Catholic civilian, as he walked home. [27][28] Spence respected some Irish republican paramilitaries, who he felt also lived as soldiers, and to this end he wrote a sympathetic letter to the widow of Official IRA leader Joe McCann after he was killed in 1972. The damage from security service informers started in 1983 with "supergrass" Joseph Bennett's information, which led to the arrest of fourteen senior figures. Formed in 1965,[7] it first emerged in 1966. The charges were dropped but later in 1966 he was given life for the murder of Peter Ward, who had called in to a Shankill Road bar with Catholic workmates and was shot dead as he left. The UVF's declared goals were to combat Irish republicanism particularly the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and to maintain Northern Ireland's status as part of the United Kingdom. [53] Spence, a talented footballer in his youth with Old Lodge F.C., was a lifelong supporter of Linfield F.C. 2023 BBC. for a proxy bomb attack targeting a "peace-building" event in Belfast where Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney was speaking. Although Mr Lynch was from a different tradition, he had "welcomed his friendship," and he recalled the conversations they had about peace in Ireland. "He was an Irishman and looked upon himself as an Ulster Irishman as well as being British. He also directed a significant restocking of the group's arsenal, with guns mostly taken from the security forces. [34] In December, the UVF detonated a car bomb near the Garda central detective bureau and telephone exchange headquarters in Dublin. Video, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story, Harry and Meghan told to 'vacate' Frogmore Cottage, Rare Jurassic-era bug found at Arkansas Walmart, Dozens of girls treated after new Iran poisonings, Prince Andrew offered Frogmore Cottage - reports, China and Belarus call for peace in Ukraine, Beer and wine sales in Canada fall to all-time low, Man survives 31 days in jungle by eating worms, Havana Syndrome unlikely to have hostile cause - US. [30] There were bombings on 30 March, 4 April, 20 April, 24 April and 26 April. It was during his time in the Maze prison that Spence began to talk politics and encouraged others to do the same. [37], The IRA had split into the Provisional IRA and Official IRA in December 1969. It was during his time in the Maze prison that Spence began to talk politics and encouraged others to do the same. "Sunningdale pushed hard-liners into fatal outrages in 1974". [11] He was also a member of the Royal Black Institution and the Apprentice Boys of Derry. Wright was apparently enraged by the nickname and made numerous threats to O'Hagan and Campbell. The UVF's leadership is based in Belfast and known as the Brigade Staff. [76][77][78], In January 2008, the UVF was accused of involvement in vigilante action against alleged criminals in Belfast. Mr Spence said last night he was an eternal optimist" where the present situation in the North was concerned. [2] In 1978, Spence left the UVF altogether. Donoghue noted the links between Orange Lodges in Scotland and loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland and that membership of the Orange Order in Scotland at the time was 80,000, and was concentrated in Glasgow, Lanarkshire and Inverness. [31], The UVF had launched its first attack in the Republic of Ireland on 5 August 1969, when it bombed the RT Television Centre in Dublin. [3] Spence was the sixth of seven children, their birth order being Billy, Cassie, Jim, Bobby, Ned junior, Gusty and Lily. [29], On 12 August 1969, the "Battle of the Bogside" began in Derry. The crowds included a leader of the loyalist Ulster Defence Association Jackie McDonald. [29] The loyalists "intended to force a crisis which would so undermine confidence in O'Neill's ability to maintain law and order that he would be obliged to resign". [30] Met by two members of the Red Hand Commando upon his release, Spence was informed of the need for a restructuring within the UVF and told not to return to prison. The coffin, covered with the flag of the Ulster Rifles and his beret, of former UVF leader Gusty Spence passes a UVF mural along the Shankill Road in Belfast after his funeral at St Michael's Church. In the 1960s, he founded the modern Ulster Volunteer Force, an organisation which was responsible for hundreds of sectarian murders during the Troubles. They have been engaged in orchestrating violence on our streets, and it's very clear to me that they are engaged in an array of mafia-style activities. [114] Many retaliatory attacks on Catholics were claimed using the covername "Protestant Action Force" (PAF), which first appeared in autumn 1974. There were no paramilitary trappings as mourners carried the coffin of the loyalist leader. It would continue these tactics for the rest of its campaign. [26] He died of his wounds on 11 June. [49], On 3 May 2007, Spence read out the statement by the UVF announcing that it would keep its weapons but put them beyond the reach of ordinary members. Gusty Spence funeral to have no . [37] As the loyalist Maze commander, Spence initially also had jurisdiction over the imprisoned members of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), although this came to an end in 1973 when, following a deterioration in relations between the two groups outside the prison walls, James Craig became the UDA's Maze commander. [125], The UVF has killed more people than any other loyalist paramilitary group. [45], In 1974, hardliners staged a coup and took over the Brigade Staff. The 78-year-old died in hospital at the weekend after a long illness. [citation needed] There were also reports that UVF members fired shots at police lines during a protest. Fifteen Catholic civilians were killed and seventeen wounded. Hundreds of mourners have attended the funeral of the former loyalist leader Gusty Spence. It declared a ceasefire in 1994 and officially ended its campaign in 2007, although some of its members have continued to engage in violence and criminal activities. [89] The UVF leader in East Belfast, who is popularly known as the "Beast of the East" and "Ugly Doris" also known as by real name Stephen Matthews, ordered the attack on Catholic homes and a church in the Catholic enclave of the Short Strand. page 1. [140][141], In contrast to the IRA, overseas support for loyalist paramilitaries including the UVF has been limited. [113] At other times, attacks on Catholic civilians were claimed as "retaliation" for IRA actions, since the IRA drew almost all of its support from the Catholic community. [10] Whatever the truth of this intelligence, Gusty Spence's Shankill UVF team was made up of only around 12 men on its formation. As a lone piper led his funeral cortege through the area, the streets were lined by mourners. From late 1975 to mid-1977, a unit of the UVF dubbed the Shankill Butchers (a group of UVF men based on Belfast's Shankill Road) carried out a series of sectarian murders of Catholic civilians. Some of them left much of Belfast without power and water. Hundreds of mourners have attended the funeral of the former loyalist leader Gusty Spence. After his release December 1984, Spence was a key figure in developing UVF thinking and indirectly its political wing, the Progressive Unionist Party. [5] The family home was 66 Joseph Street in an area of the lower Shankill known colloquially as "the Hammer". [56] The UVF's activities in the last years of the decade were increasingly being curtailed by the number of UVF members who were sent to prison. [10] Spence then found employment at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, where he worked as a stager (builder of the scaffolding in which the ships are constructed), a skilled job that commanded respect amongst working class Protestants and ensured for Spence a higher status within the Shankill. While republicans were the expressed target, the attacks that followed were explicitly sectarian. Photograph: Peter Morrison/AP. 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Barbaric ' leader David Ervine, Jeanette, also attended the deaths of civilians... `` provoke another generation of loyalists toward armed resistance '' numerous threats to O'Hagan and Campbell Jeanette, also.. Time in the Military police and the regiments flag uvf gusty spence funeral draped across his coffin was adorned the. 37 ], in January 1970, the streets were lined by.. Who helped broker contacts between loyalist paramilitaries and political activists ] Spence, a former British soldier!
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