BRITISH SOLDIERS HANDED LOYALIST GUNMAN OVER TO THE UDA NEXT DAY AFTER THE MURDERS

EXCLUSIVE 

DECADES OF PAIN: BROTHER OF 13-year-old GUN VICTIM SPEAKS OUT

“It’s very unnerving to know that, around the same time our loved ones were murdered they were letting loyalist gunmen go”

A BRITISH Army unit responsible for the murder of five unarmed Catholic civilians, including a 13-year-old schoolgirl, handed a loyalist gunman over to the UDA.

Children murdered by the British army and the RUC

Ministry of Defence (MoD) documents reveal how a day after the Springhill Massacre in 1972, British soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the Kings Regiment arrested a 17-year-old found walking the streets of West Belfast with a pistol and 11 rounds of ammunition. But instead of criminally charging the young gunman, he was released into the hands of a loyalist terror boss who told soldiers the UDA “will sort him out”. The shocking revelation can be made after secret British military logs were unearthed by a Belfast-based legacy research group. Paper Trail called the incident an example of “casual collusion” between members of the British security forces and loyalist Paramilitaries during the Troubles.

Five people, including a 13-year-old schoolgirl and a Catholic priest, were murdered when soldiers opened fire on the Springhill estate on July 9th, 1972. Margaret Gargan (13), David McClafferty (15), John Dougal (16), Patrick Butler (39) and Catholic priest Father Noel Fitzpatrick (40) were all shot dead in a hail of gunfire that lasted 90 minutes. Eyewitness reports from the time say Patrick Butler and Fr Fitzpatrick had been attempting to reach Margaret, the Ballymurphy Massacre’s youngest victim, who was shot in the head as she chatted to friends. The killings took place 11 months after the Ballymurphy Massacre and just six months after Bloody Sunday. Copies of the military logs, seen by the Sunday World, showed that at 11.08pm on July 10th, 1972, just over 24 hours on from the Springhill murders, the Kings Regiment reported it had arrested a gunman in the Springmartin Road area. 

More children who were murdered by the so-called police keeping forces in the occupied six Counties of the North of Ireland

PISTOL 

A follow-up note at 11.47pm stated that the youth, whose name was redacted in the publicly available documents, was carrying a 9mm pistol and 11 rounds of ammunition in a holster. “He does not have a fire arms certificate”, the log added. “Arrested by patrol and not RUC. “If detained by Security Forces, there will be a major incident”. The 17-year-old, described as “very frightened”, was photographed and “documented”. The logs stated he was due to be handed over to the RUC”. However, another log a few minutes later by the CO (Commanding Officer) stated the gunman “will now be released by British Military on advice of the RUC”

At 2.32am the 39 Brigade reported to British Army HQ: “Ref Protestant Gunman, 17 year old boy Stupid Boy – UDA Company Commander request (ed) to deal with it – Did not have a firearms certificate. Being released to the UDA to the UDA on the advice of the RUC”. British military intelligence documents from May 1972 record that the UDA ‘A’ Company Commander over Highfield/Springmartin as Andy Tyrie – who went on to become the Supreme Commander of the loyalist terror group. It is not known who the teenage gunman is and whether he went on to carry out violence or killings on behalf of the UDA.

SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY THE VICTIMS MURDERED IN 1972 WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN R.I.P

Ciaran MacAirt, Project Manager with Paper Trail, who compiled the research, said: “These two incidents involved the same British Army regiment – just over 24 hours apart and just a couple of hundred yards away from each other, “In one incident, 1 Kings committed mass murder, killing unarmed teenagers, a family man and the local priest; in the other, 1 Kings colluded with the RUC and UDA and released a loyalist gunman it had caught in the act. “The difference, of course, was that Springhill was an Irish Catholic estate and Springmartin was a British Protestant estate.”

CAMPAIGNERS UNCOVER INCREDIBLE DOCUMENT WHICH SHOWS BRITISH ARMY CO-OPERATED WITH TERROR GANG

He added: “The Springhill and Westrock families have been fighting for truth and justice for their loved ones for over 47 years. “But what happened to the loyalist gunman who was released by the British Army and RUC? Was he involved in loyalist violence after his release? Did he hurt other people? And did the British Army and police call in a favour after that night and use him as an agent  – he certainly owed them?” Speaking to the Sunday World, Harry Gargan (60), whose 13-year-old sister was shot dead by the same British troops, said: “It’s very unnerving to know that, around the same time our loved ones were murdered they were letting loyalist gunmen go. In fact, it is horrific.” The grandfather from West Belfast, who was 12 when his sister was murdered in the street, said it was yet again more proof that a new inquest is needed into the atrocity. In 2014, Attorney General John Larkin directed that new inquests into the deaths should be opened. However, to date that has not happened. Harry said: “My family’s aim is to get this inquest and that was always our aim. Just what Ballymurphy got, just what Bloody Sunday got.

FIGHT 

“You would think it wouldn’t be too much to ask. It’s always been fight, fight, fight. We’ve tried to get our campaign off the ground like Ballymurphy but we get so far and it falls away.” He added : “Margaret’s killing was cold-blooded. I don’t  believe it was an ordinary soldier that killed her. She was shot dead with one bullet wound to the temple from a distance  – it was a target kill. “The thing that my mother and father could not get over was, during the inquest at the time, someone from the MoD (Ministry of Defence) stood up and read out a statement saying a solider identified a 20-year-old gunman. They were trying to say they thought she was a 20-year-old gunman and it was a mistake. “But no one challenged them on this. They were allowed to stand up and say whatever they wanted and walked out. “My mother and father came back to our house that day destroyed.” 

Describing the impact of the loss of his older sister had on his family, Harry said: “I could never accept it for a long time. “I don’t  remember the funeral or anything. Sometimes you wonder how you’ve come through all of it – it’s hard. My mother didn’t exist for a long time after Margaret died. She couldn’t even get out of bed. “Myself and Bernadette, Margaret’s twin sister, would go to the shop for her. “When I was a bit older and out drinking, when I was coming home and saw the living room light on I wouldn’t go in to the house. “I would have went walking for two hours around the place because I couldn’t I couldn’t bear to see my mother sitting there crying. She just couldn’t get over it. She died at 57-years-old of a heart attack. “Eventually she came around a good bit, but she never got over it.” 

With many thanks to: The Sunday World and Patricia Devlin for the EXCLUSIVE original story 

Follow these links to find out more: https://eurofree3.wordpress.com/2014/02/20/springhill-the-forgotten-massacre/

 

Loyalists have always said that they fought the IRA, a long with their British handlers they claimed to be defending the UK.

These are just some of the children they murdered

David Devine (16), Strabane, Tyrone, shot along with two adult Catholics by SAS.

Pauline Doherty (17), North Belfast, in her house, shot six times by British paramilitary terrorists.
James Doherty (4), West Belfast, shot outside his home.
Gerald Donaghy (17), Derry, in civil rights march, killed along with five other Catholic minors and eight Catholic adults on Bloody Sunday, by British soldiers of the Parachute reg’t and Royal Anglian reg’t, shot in back.

Thomas Donaghy (16), North Belfast, shot dead on way to work along with 18-year-old Margaret McErlean, by British paramilitary terrorists.
Michael Francis Donnelly (14), Silverbridge, Armagh, killed along with two adult Catholics in bomb-and-bullet attack on Donnelly’s Bar; by RUC, UDR and British paramilitary terrorists.
John Dougal (16), West Belfast, shot from British army observation bunker.
Jack Duddy (17), Derry, on Bloody Sunday, by British soldiers, shot in back.
Brian Duffy (15), North Belfast, in a taxi stand, died along with driver, shot by British paramilitary terrorists.

Seamus Duffy (15), North Belfast, shot at close range by RUC rubber bullet.
Bernard Samuel Fox (16), North Belfast, shot by British soldiers.
Margaret Gargan (13), West Belfast, shot by British soldiers who also shot dead Fr. Noel Fitzpatrick as he gave her Last Rites. The bullet that killed Fr. Fitzpatrick passed through him and also killed Patrick Butler. While trying to drag Fr. Fitzpatrick to safety David McCafferty was also shot dead by the soldiers. (The first priest killed was Fr. Hugh Mullan, West Belfast, shot, twice, by British soldiers as he gave Last Rites to another of their victims. An attempt to drag him to safety ended when Frank Quinn was shot dead by the soldiers.)
Rosaleen Gavin (8), North Belfast, shot by British soldiers from an observation post.
Stephen Geddes (10), West Belfast, shot in head at close range by British soldier with rubber bullet.
Gerald Gibson (17), West Belfast, shot in head by British soldiers.
Hugh Gilmore (17), Derry, one of fourteen shot dead on Bloody Sunday.
Rory Gormley (14), West Belfast, while being driven to school by his father, shot by British paramilitary terrorists.
Desmond Healey (14), West Belfast, shot in back by Parachute Reg’t soldier.
Kevin Heatley (12), Newry, Co. Down, shot by British soldier. Kevin’s father later committed suicide.
Daniel Hegarty (16), Derry, shot twice in the head by British soldiers.
Terrence Hennebry (17), South Belfast, shot by British paramilitary terrorists.
Clare Hughes (4), North Belfast, in blast of British paramilitary car-bomb outside Benny’s Pub.
Michael James Hughes (16), Newry, Co. Down, shot by Royal Marine.
Charles Irvine (16), West Belfast, shot by British soldiers at a checkpoint.
Carol Ann Kelly (11), West Belfast, shot in head by British soldier’s rubber bullet as she brought milk home from a nearby shop.
Michael Kelly (17), Derry, shot on Bloody Sunday.
Paul Kelly (17), West Belfast, Shot by British soldiers at a checkpoint.
James Kennedy (15), South Belfast, killed, along with four Catholic adults, in British paramilitary gun attack on betting shop.
James Kerr (17), South Belfast, shot by British paramilitary terrorists.
Julia Livingstone (14), shot in head at close range by a rubber bullet gun mounted on a British armored vehicle.
Brenda Logue (17), Carrickmore, Co. Tyrone, in Omagh atrocity.
Colin Lundy (16), Glengormley, Co. Antrim, burned to death along with his mother when British paramilitary terrorists firebombed their home at 4 a.m.
Eileen Mackin (14), West Belfast, shot by British paramilitary terrorists.
Anne Magee (15), North Belfast, while at work in a grocery, shot in face by British paramilitary terrorists.
Gerald Martin Maginn (17), shot repeatedly in head by RUC.
Andrew Maguire (6 weeks),
Joanne Maguire (8) and
John Maguire (2), West Belfast, all crushed by a car when its driver was shot dead by a British soldier. Their mother later committed suicide.
Hugh Maguire (9), West Belfast, hit by British armored vehicle.
John Mahon (16) Belfast, joyriding in stolen car, shot by RUC.
Jolene Marlow (17), Co. Tyrone, in Omagh bomb blast.
Shane McArdle (17), Markethill, Co. Armagh, at a taxi stand, shot along with Gavin McShane, by RUC/British paramilitary terrorists.
Gerald McAuley (15), West Belfast, shot dead along with an adult Catholic, by British paramilitary terrorists who were also burning down the homes of Catholics on Bombay Street and adjacent streets.
Patrick McCabe (17), North Belfast, shot from a nearby Parachute Reg’t observation post.
Siobhan McCabe (4), West Belfast, shot near her house by British soldiers.
David McCafferty (14), West Belfast, shot by British soldiers while trying to drag to safety Fr. Fitzpatrick who the soldiers had just shot.
James McCallum (16), West Belfast, in British paramilitary bombing of Murtagh’s Pub.
Gary McCartan (17), South Belfast, shot when he opened his front door to British paramilitary terrorists. (British paramilitary terrorists separately murdered his brother, three uncles and a cousin.)
Michael McCartan (16), South Belfast, brother of Gary McCartan, while painting a republican slogan on a wall, shot by RUC.
James Francis McCaughey (13), Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, killed in street along with his friend, Patrick Barnard (13). Joe Mc Guinness aged 13 murdered by the UDA on North Queen Street North Belfast. defending ulster is a dirty business eh boys ?

With many thanks to: The Simple Truth for the original posting

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