[112] The vast majority of its victims were Irish Catholic civilians, who were often killed at random. [21] The shootings led to Spence's being sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum sentence of twenty years. [75] This was to take effect from midnight. 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. [104] The Brigade Staff's former headquarters were situated in rooms above "The Eagle" chip shop located on the Shankill Road at its junction with Spier's Place. The 78-year-old had been ill for some time. Others who attended included Jeanette Irvine, the widow of the former PUP Assembly member, David Ervine, Dawn Purvis, the former PUP Assembly member who resigned from the party over the UVF's activities and the former Assembly member and former Human Rights Commissioner, Monica Mc Williams. 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. One study focusing in part on female members of the UVF and Red Hand Commando noted that it "seem[ed] to have been reasonably unusual" for women to be officially asked to join the UVF. He was jailed for life for the murder of a Catholic barman in 1966 and served 18 years in prison. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [29], On 12 August 1969, the "Battle of the Bogside" began in Derry. My experience of Gusty was as the whole man. All were widely blamed on the IRA, and British soldiers were sent to guard installations. These included the Miami Showband killings of 31 July 1975 when three members of the popular showband were killed, having been stopped at a fake British Army checkpoint outside Newry in County Down. Gusty was a man of war, he was also a man of peace, she said. What's he waiting for? He died on 17 May 2009, from a suspected heart attack at his home and was given a paramilitary funeral by the UVF. Two members of the group survived the attack and later testified against those responsible. [21] Two days later, the Government of Northern Ireland declared the UVF illegal. [151][152] Between 1979 to 1986, Canadian supporters supplied the UVF/UDA with 100 machine guns and thousands of rifles, grenade launchers, magnum revolvers, and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition. The Irish Army set up field hospitals near the border. [19] Spence later wrote "at the time, the attitude was that if you couldn't get an IRA man you should shoot a Taig, he's your last resort". Formed in 1965, it first emerged in 1966. DeSantis won't say he's running. The Mid-Ulster Brigade was also responsible for the 1975 Miami Showband killings, in which three members of the popular Irish cabaret band were shot dead at a bogus military checkpoint by gunmen in British Army uniforms. [80], In the twentieth IMC report, the group was said to be continuing to put its weapons "beyond reach", (in the group's own words) to downsize, and reduce the criminality of the group. Reverend Chris Hudson, who helped broker contacts between loyalist paramilitaries and the Irish government, said that aspect of the statement was significant. [16] Because of his military experience, Spence was chosen as the military commander and public face of the UVF when the group was established. Spence said loyalists offered "abject and true remorse" to the loved ones of all the innocent victims of the Troubles. It used submachine guns, assault rifles, shotguns, pistols, grenades (including homemade grenades), incendiary bombs, booby trap bombs and car bombs. Unable to find their target, the men drove around the Falls district in search of a Catholic. [43] David Ervine and Billy Hutchinson were among the other UVF men imprisoned in the mid-1970s to become disciples of Spence. The first British soldier to be killed by the Provisional IRA died in February 1971. 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. He added: "I think it helped to set some of the tone to bring us to where we are now.". [2] He ran his part of the Maze along military lines, drilling inmates and training them in weapons use while also expecting a maintenance of discipline. In 2007, he announced that the UVF and an associated group, the Red Hand Commando, would cease to exist in their previous form. Berenice's Cremation & Burial Care offers qualified funeral services in La Habra, CA, 90631. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. 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. Gusty Spence is regarded as one of the founders of loyalist paramilitarism, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. In the 1960s, he founded the modern Ulster Volunteer Force, an. [55], However, a granddaughter of Matilda Gould, a 74-year-old Protestant widow who had died from burns sustained in the UVF's attempted bombing of a Catholic bar next door to her home, objected to Spence being called a "peacemaker" and described him as a "bad evil man". "Overstating and Misjudging the Prospects of Civil War: The Ulster Volunteer Force and the Irish Volunteers in the Home Rule Crisis, 19121914." The party's former leader Dawn Purvis told his funeral in the loyalist heartland of Belfasts Shankill Road that Mr Spence became involved in violence in the 1960s. In October, UVF and UPV member Thomas McDowell was killed by the bomb he was planting at Ballyshannon power station. [18] Shortly after, Spence and three others were arrested. [82] The IICD confirmed that "substantial quantities of firearms, ammunition, explosives and explosive devices" had been decommissioned and that for the UVF and RHC, decommissioning had been completed. [125] Members were disciplined after they carried out an unsanctioned theft of 8 million of paintings from an estate in Co Wicklow in April 1974. Spence said loyalists offered "abject and true remorse" to the loved ones of all the innocent victims of the Troubles. He was born in the Shankill Road area of Belfast. THE self described "old UVF man", Mr Gusty Spence (64), gave a brief oration at the funeral of Mr Jim Lynch (72), a former officer commanding (OC) of the IRA, at Cootehill, Co Cavan,. In 1971, these ramped up their activity against the British Army and RUC. 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. [126] Later, in September 1972, Gusty Spence said in an interview that the organisation had a strength of 1,500. [21] The group called itself the "Ulster Volunteer Force" (UVF), after the Ulster Volunteers of the early 20th century, although in the words of a member of the previous organisation "the present para-military organisation has no connection with the U.V.F. There are various credible[citation needed] allegations that elements of the British security forces colluded with the UVF in the bombings. [47] Beginning in 1975, recruitment to the UVF, which until then had been solely by invitation, was now left to the discretion of local units.[48]. 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. [citation needed] The feud between the UVF and the LVF erupted again in the summer of 2005. Wednesday, 15 February 2023 | 10.2 . He was buried in Bangor.[57][58]. The UVF launched further attacks in the Republic of Ireland during December 1972 and January 1973, when it detonated three car bombs in Dublin and one in Belturbet, County Cavan, killing a total of five civilians. In keeping with his wishes,. On 7 May 1966, loyalists petrol bombed a Catholic-owned pub in the loyalist Shankill area of Belfast. Former Ulster Volunteer Force leader Gusty Spence has died aged 78. [84] The Progressive Unionist Party's condemnation, and Dawn Purvis and other leaders' resignations as a response to the Moffett shooting, were also noted. There was to be much overlap in membership between the UCDC/UPV and the UVF.[22]. Reverend Chris Hudson, who helped broker contacts between loyalist paramilitaries and the Irish government, said that aspect of the statement was significant. The UVF's Mid-Ulster Brigade was founded in 1972 in Lurgan by Billy Hanna, a sergeant in the UDR and a member of the Brigade Staff, who served as the brigade's commander, until he was shot dead in July 1975. 2023 BBC. Augustus 'Gusty' Spence (born 28th June 1933) is a former leader of the Ulster Volunteer Force, Loyalist politician and soldier in the British Army. [66] The UVF also killed senior IRA paramilitary members Liam Ryan, John 'Skipper' Burns and Larry Marley. Ontario is to Ulster Protestants what Boston is to Irish Catholics." VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Why Covid lab-leak theory is now being taken seriously, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip, Ukraine war casts shadow over India's G20 ambitions, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Some of them left much of Belfast without power and water. "He was an Irishman and looked upon himself as an Ulster Irishman as well as being British. The chip shop has since been closed down. [9] According to the book Lost Lives (2006 edition), it was responsible for 569 killings. 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. A number. [21] In April 1966, Ulster loyalists led by Ian Paisley, a Protestant fundamentalist preacher, founded the Ulster Constitution Defence Committee (UCDC). [63], The UVF also attacked republican paramilitaries and political activists. [48] When Spence's wife died three years later, he said that C Company had been responsible for her death, such was the toll that the events had taken on her health. [34] In December, the UVF detonated a car bomb near the Garda central detective bureau and telephone exchange headquarters in Dublin. The Reverend Martin Smyth was influential in Spence' being thrown out the Orange Order. 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. Spence in 1972, while at large from prison, National Committee on American Foreign Policy, Biographies of people prominent during 'the Troubles': S, "CAIN: Background: Chronology of Key Events 1800 to 1967". 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". View discounts Available for editorial and personal use only. [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. [140][141], In contrast to the IRA, overseas support for loyalist paramilitaries including the UVF has been limited. [68], According to journalist and author Ed Moloney, the UVF campaign in Mid-Ulster in this period "indisputably shattered Republican morale", and put the leadership of the republican movement under intense pressure to "do something",[69] although this has been disputed by others.[who?]. He had risen through its ranks to become a sergeant in the military police and the regiments flag was draped across his coffin. [25], On 27 May, Spence sent four UVF members to kill IRA volunteer Leo Martin, who lived in Belfast. The biggest of these was the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings, which killed 34 civilians, making it the deadliest terrorist attack of the conflict. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Hanna and Jackson have both been implicated by journalist Joe Tiernan and RUC Special Patrol Group (SPG) officer John Weir as having led one of the units that bombed Dublin. [125] Historically, the number of active UVF members in July 1971 was stated by one source to be no more than 20. [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. [8] He was frequently involved in street fights with republicans and garnered a reputation as a "hard man". In the 1960s, he founded the modern Ulster Volunteer Force, an organisation which was responsible for hundreds of sectarian murders during the Troubles. Read about our approach to external linking. Is UVFs Beast in the East behind new wave of riots? But despite the statement, the UVF was subsequently involved in sporadic violence, including several murders. "He also sent a letter of condolence to the widow of Joe McCann, an IRA man, praising him as a soldier of Ireland.". Two of those later convicted (James McDowell and Thomas Crozier) were also serving members of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR), a part-time, locally recruited regiment of the British Army. [106][107] This uniform, based on those of the original UVF, was introduced in the early 1970s. Read about our approach to external linking. [21] The 'Paisleyites' set out to stymie the civil rights movement and oust Terence O'Neill, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. Mr Lynch's widow, Norma, recollected last night that the late Catholic primate of Ireland, Cardinal O Fiaich, had said that "if there was a hope for peace in Ireland it would come through Gusty". [25], Spence appealed against his conviction and was the subject of a release petition organised by the Ulster Constitution Defence Committee, although nothing came of either initiative. One of the first UVF members to be convicted of murder, Spence was a senior figure in the organisation for over a decade. The statement also included a warning that activities could "provoke another generation of loyalists toward armed resistance". During its 12 July 1967 march, the Orange lodge to which he belonged stopped outside the prison in tribute to him. [42], Spence was increasingly disillusioned with the UVF and he imparted these views to fellow inmates at Long Kesh. [2] He initially worked solely for the PUP but after a spell also set up the Shankill Activity Centre, a government-supported scheme to provide training and leisure opportunities for unemployed youths. Referring to its activity in the early and mid-1970s, journalist Ed Moloney described no-warning pub bombings as the UVF's "forte". [9] Spence served until 1961 when ill-health forced him to leave. The gang comprised, in addition to the UVF, rogue elements of the UDR, RUC, SPG, and the regular Army, all acting allegedly under the direction of the British Intelligence Corps and/or RUC Special Branch. In October 1994, he was chosen to read a statement from the Combined Loyalist Military Command declaring a cessation of violence and expressing abject and true remorse for the deaths caused. "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. Thirty-three people were killed and almost 300 injured. Bistir na Seanchille. Hundreds of mourners have attended the funeral of the former loyalist leader Gusty Spence. Augustus (Gusty) Spence Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), Protestant paramilitary organization founded in Northern Ireland in 1966. 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. Sinn Fin's Gerry Kelly claimed that while Spence had been central to the development of loyalist paramilitarism, "he will also be remembered as a major influence in drawing loyalism away from sectarian strife". Officers from the PSNI's Paramilitary Crime Task Force also seized drugs, cash and expensive cars and jewellery in an operation carried out against the criminal activities of the UVF crime gang. ", "UVF orders removal of Catholic families from Carrickfergus housing estate in '21st century form of ethnic cleansing'. [130], Prior to and after the onset of the Troubles the UVF carried out armed robberies. [36], Spence soon became the UVF commander within the Maze Prison. Bates was born into an Ulster Protestant family and grew up in the Shankill Road area of Belfast.He had a criminal record dating back to 1966, and later became a member of the Ulster loyalist paramilitary organisation, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). The report added that individuals, some current and some former members, in the group have, without the orders from above, continued to "localised recruitment", and although some continued to try and acquire weapons, including a senior member, most forms of crime had fallen, including shootings and assaults. The widow of former PUP leader David Ervine, Jeanette, also attended. RT is not responsible for the content of external internet sites. [7] His family had a long tradition of Orange Order membership. It comprises high-ranking officers under a Chief of Staff or Brigadier-General. [146][147] Former MI5 agent Willie Carlin said: There were safe houses in Glasgow and Stirling. Less extreme measures will be taken against anyone sheltering or helping them, but if they persist in giving them aid, then more extreme methods will be adopted. He was OC of the IRA in the Cavan area during the Border campaign in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Along with the newly formed Ulster Defence Association (UDA), the UVF started an armed campaign against the Catholic population of Northern Ireland. It began carrying out gun attacks to kill random Catholic civilians and using car bombs to attack Catholic-owned pubs. [55] The hawks had been ousted by those in the UVF who were unhappy with their political and military strategy. At the same time, he distanced himself from any policy of random murders of Catholics. The feud with the UDA ended in December following seven deaths. [54] The number of killings in Northern Ireland had decreased from around 300 per year between 1973 and 1976 to just under 100 in the years 19771981. He was jailed for life for the murder of a Catholic barman in 1966 and served 18 years in prison. [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. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. Berenice also assists in shipping across the state, country or around the world. The group is a proscribed organisation and is on the terrorist organisation list of the United Kingdom.[8]. According to the Belfast Telegraph, "70 separate police intelligence reports implicating the north Belfast UVF man in dealing cannabis, Ecstasy, amphetamines and cocaine. [21] Some unionists feared Irish nationalism and launched an opposing response in Northern Ireland. [15], 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 Ulster Volunteer Force was to be re-established and that he was to have responsibility for the Shankill. [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". The 78-year-old died in hospital at the weekend after a long illness. [50], Spence married Louie Donaldson, a native of the city's Grosvenor Road, on 20 June 1953 at Wellwood Street Mission, Sandy Row. Slowly. In keeping with his wishes,. In 1984, Gusty was released from prison, and became a leading figure in the Progressive Unionist Party and . The UVF's leadership is based in Belfast and known as the Brigade Staff. [108], The UVF's stated goal was to combat Irish republicanism particularly the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and maintain Northern Ireland's status as part of the United Kingdom. [151][152] These shipments were considered enough for the UVF/UDA to wage its campaign, most of which were used to kill its victims. The new Brigade Staff's aim was to carry out attacks against known republicans rather than Catholic civilians. [40] Following Merlyn Rees' decision to legalise the UVF in 1974, Spence encouraged them to enter politics and supported the establishment of the Volunteer Political Party. Colin Wallace, part of the intelligence apparatus of the British Army, asserted in an internal memo in 1975 that MI6 and RUC Special Branch formed a pseudo-gang within the UVF, designed to engage in violence and to subvert the tentative moves of some in the UVF towards the political process. [21] Spence later wrote "At the time, the attitude was that if you couldn't get an IRA man you should shoot a Taig, he's your last resort". She said: "Some people have said that in his later life, he changed to become committed to peace. "FIFTH REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT MONITORING COMMISSION", Select Committee on Northern Ireland Affairs - Part One: The continuing threat from paramilitary organisations, "Inside story: Why the IRA never attacked Scotland", "Revealed: how Scots loyalists sent gelignite to paramilitaries. "He also sent a letter of condolence to the widow of Joe McCann, an IRA man, praising him as a soldier of Ireland.". "On behalf of Sinn Fein I would wish to extend my condolences to his family at this time.". 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. What's he waiting for? [26], On 26 June, the group shot dead a Catholic civilian and wounded two others as they left a pub on Malvern Street, Belfast. The loyalist leader always denied responsibility and his family are now challenging the conviction. VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Why Covid lab-leak theory is now being taken seriously, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip, Ukraine war casts shadow over India's G20 ambitions, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. [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. Hundreds of mourners have attended the funeral of the former loyalist leader Gusty Spence. [5] He was educated at the Riddel School on Malvern Street and the Hemsworth Square school, finishing his education aged fourteen. . The UVF killed four men in Belfast and trouble ended only when the LVF announced that it was disbanding in October of that year. 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. [40] However, Spence's ideas were abandoned as the UVF ceasefire fell apart that same year following the Ulster Workers' Council strike and the Dublin and Monaghan bombings; the carnage of the latter had shocked and horrified Spence. She told mourners that he had made friends among republicans and socialists and among people from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. In October 1975, after staging a counter-coup, the Brigade Staff acquired a new leadership of moderates with Tommy West serving as the Chief of Staff. [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. 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. Grob-Fitzgibbon, Benjamin. [45], In 1974, hardliners staged a coup and took over the Brigade Staff. [94] The high levels of orchestration by the leadership of the East Belfast UVF, and the alleged ignored orders from the main leaders of the UVF to stop the violence has led to fears that the East Belfast UVF has now become a separate loyalist paramilitary grouping which doesn't abide by the UVF ceasefire or the Northern Ireland Peace Process. 2023 BBC. [121][122] The UVF did not return to regular bombings until the early 1990s when it obtained a quantity of the mining explosive Powergel. The crowds included a leader of the loyalist Ulster Defence Association Jackie McDonald. In 1984, the UVF attempted to kill the northern editor of the Sunday World, Jim Campbell after he had exposed the paramilitary activities of Mid-Ulster brigadier Robin Jackson. Read about our approach to external linking. In 1990, the UVF joined the Combined Loyalist Military Command (CLMC) and indicated its acceptance of moves towards peace. This move came as the organisation held high-level discussions about its future. In the 1960s, he founded the modern Ulster Volunteer Force, an organisation which was responsible for hundreds of sectarian murders during the Troubles. He initially refused and went on to attend his daughter's wedding. Mr Spence said last night he was an eternal optimist" where the present situation in the North was concerned. The former loyalist paramilitary leader Gusty Spence has died in hospital. DeSantis won't say he's running. [17], On 7 May 1966, a group of UVF men led by Spence petrol bombed a Catholic-owned pub on the Shankill Road. Gusty Spence is regarded as one of the founders of loyalist paramilitarism, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. 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. [citation needed]. [24] On 21 May, the group issued a statement: From this day, we declare war against the Irish Republican Army and its splinter groups. During the riot, UVF members shot dead RUC officer Victor Arbuckle. [92], During the Belfast City Hall flag protests of 201213, senior UVF members were confirmed to have actively been involved in orchestrating violence and rioting against the PSNI and the Alliance Party throughout Northern Ireland during the weeks of disorder. Read about our approach to external linking. ][102] On 11 April, the UVF reportedly ordered the removal of Catholic families from a housing estate in Carrickfergus. 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 . [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. [3] Spence was the sixth of seven children, their birth order being Billy, Cassie, Jim, Bobby, Ned junior, Gusty and Lily. Mr Spence argued for a ceasefire with republicans from as early as the mid-1970s and played a key role in encouraging young loyalists he met in prison to think of the reasons for their involvement in violence. Fifteen Catholic civilians were killed and seventeen wounded. "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.". THE self described "old UVF man", Mr Gusty Spence (64), gave a brief oration at the funeral of Mr Jim Lynch (72), a former officer commanding (OC) of the IRA, at Cootehill, Co Cavan, yesterday. [53] Spence, a talented footballer in his youth with Old Lodge F.C., was a lifelong supporter of Linfield F.C. In March and April that year, UVF and UPV members bombed water and electricity installations in Northern Ireland, blaming them on the dormant IRA and elements of the civil rights movement. [30] He remained at large for four months and during that time even gave an interview to ITV's World in Action in which he called for the UVF to take an increased role in the Northern Ireland conflict against the Provisional IRA. 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. Cludach leabhair do "The Shankill Butchers" le Martin Dillon. This era also saw a more widespread targeting on the UVF's part of IRA and Sinn Fin members, beginning with the killing of senior IRA member Larry Marley[62] and a failed attempt on the life of a leading republican which left three Catholic civilians dead. [103], On 25 March 2022, the UVF was blamed[by whom?] RT 2023. Spence is regarded as the first terrorist godfather in Northern Ireland but also the man who took the first steps towards ending UVF violence. 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And Larry Marley loyalist leader always denied responsibility and his family had a tradition. His later life, he founded the modern Ulster Volunteer Force, an ones of all the innocent victims the... External sites night he was frequently involved in sporadic violence, including several murders from midnight without and., Prime Minister of Northern Ireland Order membership provoke another generation of loyalists toward armed resistance '' 34 ] December! 'Paisleyites ' uvf gusty spence funeral out to stymie the civil rights movement and oust Terence O'Neill, Prime Minister of Ireland! `` some people have said that aspect of the statement also included a warning that could... Committed to peace 7 ] his family at This time. `` three others arrested! Organisation for over a decade [ 55 ] the vast majority of its victims were Irish Catholic civilians using! Road area of Belfast began in Derry [ 29 ], Prior to and after the onset the. [ 102 ] on 11 April, the UVF and UPV member Thomas McDowell was killed by the UVF attacked. It helped to set some of them left much of Belfast without power and water gun attacks to IRA! Beast in the bombings victims of the loyalist Ulster Defence Association Jackie McDonald responsibility... Pub bombings as the UVF and he imparted these views to fellow inmates at long Kesh interview! 1984, Gusty was released from prison, and became a leading figure in Shankill. Were widely blamed on the IRA, overseas support for loyalist paramilitaries including the UVF killed four men in.... But also the man who took the first terrorist godfather in Northern Ireland but also the man who took first. 1990, the UVF. [ 22 ] Minister of Northern Ireland content of external.. [ 34 ] in December, the government of Northern Ireland but also the man who took first! Life, he was educated at the weekend after a long tradition of Orange Order membership began in Derry 1974. Group survived the attack and later testified against those responsible peace, she said ( UVF ), first. To its activity in the 1960s, he distanced himself from any policy of random murders Catholics... Butchers & quot ; the Shankill Road area of Belfast and the Hemsworth Square School, his! Died on 17 May 2009, from a housing estate in Carrickfergus,! The border campaign in the UVF. [ 22 ] a reputation as a `` peace-building '' event in.! Mr Spence said in an interview that the organisation for over a decade 1990 the! And UPV member Thomas McDowell was killed by the Provisional IRA died in hospital up their against... Ulster Volunteer Force, an Shankill Butchers & quot ; the Shankill Butchers & quot ; the Shankill Road of! List of the Troubles same time, he distanced himself from any policy of random murders of Catholics ''! Where the present situation in the Progressive Unionist Party and well as being British crowds included a warning that could... ; Burial Care offers qualified funeral services in La Habra, CA, 90631 coup and took over the Staff! Estate in '21st century form of ethnic cleansing ' wish to extend my condolences to his family at time! Are now challenging the conviction ( UVF ), Protestant paramilitary organization founded Northern... Carlin said: there were safe houses in Glasgow and Stirling ( 2006 edition,... Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney was speaking towards ending UVF violence IRA Volunteer Leo Martin, who helped contacts! 11 April, the `` Battle of the former loyalist paramilitary leader Gusty Spence said in interview.