uvf gusty spence funeral

Eleven years ago he was forced out of his home on the Shankill Road by Johnny Adair's gang during one of the many loyalist paramilitary feuds. In June, nine UVF members were convicted of the attacks. [130], Prior to and after the onset of the Troubles the UVF carried out armed robberies. [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. Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. They shot John Scullion, a Catholic civilian, as he walked home. "[18], In November 2013, after a series of shootings and acts of intimidation by the UVF, Police Federation Chairman Terry Spence declared that the UVF ceasefire was no longer active. "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. [103], On 25 March 2022, the UVF was blamed[by whom?] [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. Assistant chief constable Drew Harris in a statement said "The UVF are subject to an organised crime investigation as an organised crime group. This development came soon after the UVF's Brigade Staff in Belfast had stood down Wright and the Portadown unit of the Mid-Ulster Brigade, on 2 August 1996, for the killing of a Catholic taxi driver near Lurgan during Drumcree disturbances. 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. When Spence was 'abducted' in July 1972 it was the RHC who were at the forefront of this operation. 2023 BBC. Read about our approach to external linking. [40] These were all subordinate to the Brigade Staff. In 1971, these ramped up their activity against the British Army and RUC. Brian Ervine said: "His contribution to the peace is incalculable and without him, probably the paramilitaries would still be at war. [81], In June 2009 the UVF formally decommissioned their weapons in front of independent witnesses as a formal statement of decommissioning was read by Dawn Purvis and Billy Hutchinson. 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. In the 1960s, he founded the Ulster Volunteer Force, which was responsible for hundreds of murders during the Troubles. He read the loyalist ceasefire statement in 1994 and was asked to read the UVF weapons decommissioning statement, at the age of 74, in 2007. The latter had formally asked Spence for his daughter's hand in marriage during a prison visit. [76][77][78], In January 2008, the UVF was accused of involvement in vigilante action against alleged criminals in Belfast. 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. [85][86], On 2526 October 2010, the UVF was involved in rioting and disturbances in the Rathcoole area of Newtownabbey with UVF gunmen seen on the streets at the time. [54] The UVF was behind the deaths of seven civilians in a series of attacks on 2 October. The Reverend Martin Smyth was influential in Spence' being thrown out the Orange Order. Spence was praised by, among others, PUP leader Brian Ervine, who stated that "his contribution to the peace is incalculable". Captain Robert Nairac of 14 Intelligence Company was alleged to have been involved in many acts of UVF violence. The funeral of 78-year-old Gusty Spence, the former leader of the UVF paramilitary organisation, has taken place in Belfast. Gusty Spence, who has died aged 78, was the . [citation needed]. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. "[23] It was led by Gusty Spence, formerly a soldier in the British Army. [11] He was also a member of the Royal Black Institution and the Apprentice Boys of Derry. 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. Anderson, Malcolm & Bort, Eberhard (1999). There were no paramilitary trappings as mourners carried the coffin of the loyalist leader. [67] According to Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN), the UVF killed 17 active and four former republican paramilitaries. [18][19] Some members have also been found responsible for orchestrating a series of racist attacks. [146][147] Former MI5 agent Willie Carlin said: There were safe houses in Glasgow and Stirling. However, the UVF spurned the government efforts and continued killing. Tributes were paid to former leading loyalist paramilitary turned peacemaker Gusty Spence at his funeral in Belfast today. Afterwards a plot was concocted where his nephew Frankie Curry, also a UVF member, would drive Spence back to jail but the car would be stopped and Spence "kidnapped". [151][152] These shipments were considered enough for the UVF/UDA to wage its campaign, most of which were used to kill its victims. 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. . [16] Because of his military experience, Spence was chosen as the military commander and public face of the UVF when the group was established. [32] Spence gave his permission for UVF brigadier Billy Hanna to establish the UVF's Mid-Ulster Brigade in Lurgan. He would go on to hold private talks with the then Taoiseach Albert Reynolds. In October, UVF and UPV member Thomas McDowell was killed by the bomb he was planting at Ballyshannon power station. Twenty tons of ammonium nitrate was also stolen from the Belfast docks.[40]. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former British Army soldier from Northern Ireland. [42], Spence was increasingly disillusioned with the UVF and he imparted these views to fellow inmates at Long Kesh. It was during his time in the Maze prison that Spence began to talk politics and encouraged others to do the same. Scores of houses and businesses were burnt out, most of them owned by Catholics. What's he waiting for? The 78-year-old died in hospital at the weekend after a long illness. The 78-year-old died in hospital at the weekend after a long illness. They managed to procure a large cache of weapons and ammunition including L1A1 Self-Loading Rifles, Browning pistols, and Sterling submachine guns. In February, it began to target critics of militant loyalism the homes of MPs Austin Currie, Sheelagh Murnaghan, Richard Ferguson and Anne Dickson were attacked with improvised bombs. "He was really a role model for many young men who would follow.". The incumbent Chief of Staff, is alleged to be John "Bunter" Graham, referred to by Martin Dillon as "Mr. ][102] On 11 April, the UVF reportedly ordered the removal of Catholic families from a housing estate in Carrickfergus. Spence said loyalists offered "abject and true remorse" to the loved ones of all the innocent victims of the Troubles. Spence now argued that UVF members were soldiers and soldiers should not kill civilians, as had been the case at McGurk's Bar. [29], On 12 August 1969, the "Battle of the Bogside" began in Derry. It comprises high-ranking officers under a Chief of Staff or Brigadier-General. In the 1960s, he founded the modern Ulster Volunteer Force, an organisation which was responsible for hundreds of sectarian murders during the Troubles. On 17 February 1979, the UVF carried out its only major attack in Scotland, when its members bombed two pubs in Glasgow frequented by Irish-Scots Catholics. More militant members of the UVF who disagreed with the ceasefire, broke away to form the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF), led by Billy Wright. Fifteen Catholic civilians were killed and seventeen wounded. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. The widow of former PUP leader David Ervine, Jeanette, also attended. Some of them left much of Belfast without power and water. 206, 207, Ed Moloney, Secret History of the IRA, p.321, "Voices From the Grave:Two Men's War in Ireland" Ed Moloney, Faber & Faber, 2010 pp 417. 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. He later became involved in politics and announced the landmark loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994. This building had been an important training centre for members of Edward Carson's original UVF. At the same time, he distanced himself from any policy of random murders of Catholics. 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. A man who worked tirelessly for peace. [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. Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Fire also engulfed the house next door, killing the elderly Protestant widow, Matilda Gould (77), who lived there. 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. Sociologist Steven Bruce described the support networks in Canada as "the main source of support for loyalism outside the United Kingdom . [84] The Independent Monitoring Commission stated Moffett was killed by UVF members acting with the sanction of the leadership. ", This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 06:47. Another former PUP leader, Dawn Purvis, said Spence's opinions began to shift sooner than is generally perceived. [24] The murder of Ward was, however, repudiated by Paisley and condemned in his Protestant Telegraph, sealing the split between the two. [131][132] This activity has been described as its preferred source of funds in the early 1970s,[133] and it continued into the 2000s, with the UVF in County Londonderry being active. [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". [11] Whenever it claimed responsibility for its attacks, the UVF usually claimed that those targeted were IRA members or were giving help to the IRA. What's he waiting for? The UVF's leadership is based in Belfast and known as the Brigade Staff. During his time in prison Spence renounced violence and helped to convince a number of fellow inmates that the future of the UVF lay in a more political approach. [34] In December, the UVF detonated a car bomb near the Garda central detective bureau and telephone exchange headquarters in Dublin. Ms Purvis encouraged young loyalists at the funeral to read the political doctrines encouraged by Mr Spence. 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. [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. [140][141], In contrast to the IRA, overseas support for loyalist paramilitaries including the UVF has been limited. [18] Shortly after, Spence and three others were arrested. The initial aim of Ulster Resistance was to bring an end to the Anglo-Irish Agreement. Then, use free funeral planning tools to plan out the best funeral for your loved one. Whether you need additional information, document your wishes without paying or to arrange and pre-fund your funeral, Berenice is ready to listen and provide assistance. [45], In 1974, hardliners staged a coup and took over the Brigade Staff. From that time until the early 1990s the Mid-Ulster Brigade was led by Robin "the Jackal" Jackson, who then passed the leadership to Billy Wright. [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. Augustus Andrew "Gusty" 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. One of the first UVF members to be convicted of murder, Spence was a senior figure in the organisation for over a decade. Mark Davenport from the BBC has stated that he spoke to a drug dealer who told him that he paid Billy Wright protection money. [134] Like the IRA, the UVF also operated black taxi services,[135][136][137] a scheme believed to have generated 100,000 annually for the organisation. [39], The following year, 1972, was the most violent of the Troubles. [101], In April 2021, riots erupted across Loyalist communities in Northern Ireland.[relevant? 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". Drong de dhnmharfir srathacha ab ea Bistir na Seanchille a bh gnomhach i m Bal Feirste sna 1970id. [51] The couple had three daughters, Elizabeth (born 1954), Sandra (1956) and Catherine (1960). But despite the statement, the UVF was subsequently involved in sporadic violence, including several murders. [58][59] West died in 1980. Flanked by his PUP colleagues Jim McDonald and William Plum Smith, as well as Ulster Democratic Party members Gary McMichael, John White and Davy Adams, Spence read out the statement from Fernhill a former Cunningham family home on their former Glencairn estate in Belfast's Glencairn area. Augustus (Gusty) Spence Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), Protestant paramilitary organization founded in Northern Ireland in 1966. [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. This gang was led by Lenny Murphy. While republicans were the expressed target, the attacks that followed were explicitly sectarian. 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". [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". "[154], According to Alan McQuillan, the assistant director of the Assets Recovery Agency in 2005, "In the loyalist community, drug dealing is run by the paramilitaries and it is generally run for personal gain by a large number of people." [151] On 10 February 1976, following the sudden uptick of violence against Catholic civilians by loyalist militants, Irish cardinal William Conway and nine other Catholic bishops met with British Prime Minister Harold Wilson and his cabinet, asking them as to where the loyalist militants had acquired guns, to which Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Merlyn Rees replied "Canada". In May 1966, the UVF issued a statement, announcing that it was declaring war on the IRA. He later became involved in politics and announced the landmark loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994. [116], Like the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), the UVF's modus operandi involved assassinations, mass shootings, bombings and kidnappings. In 1984, Gusty was released from prison, and became a leading figure in the Progressive Unionist Party and . 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. Almost 10 years later in October 1994, he was chosen to announce to the world that the main loyalist paramilitary groups, the UVF and the UDA, were declaring ceasefires in response to an IRA cessation. [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. Skip to navigation [n] Skip to content [c] Skip to footer [f] Search Search. Mr Lynch had many unionist friends, "some even politicians". [83], The UVF was blamed for the shotgun killing of expelled RHC member Bobby Moffett on the Shankill Road on the afternoon of 28 May 2010, in front of passers-by including children. 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. [11] During the conflict, its deadliest attack in Northern Ireland was the 1971 McGurk's Bar bombing, which killed fifteen civilians. 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! VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. "While the talks may be slow, they are the only glint on the horizon, he said. "They are holding local communities to ransom. [44] In 1977, he publicly condemned the use of violence for political gain, on the grounds that it was counter-productive. [46] Some of the new Brigade Staff members bore nicknames such as "Big Dog" and "Smudger". [9] He was also associated loosely with prominent loyalists such as Ian Paisley and Desmond Boal and was advised by both men in 1959 when he launched a protest against Gerry Fitt at Belfast City Hall after Fitt had described Spence's regiment as "murderers" over allegations that they had killed civilians in Cyprus. The community centre hosting the event and 25 nearby homes were evacuated and a funeral was disrupted. Referring to its activity in the early and mid-1970s, journalist Ed Moloney described no-warning pub bombings as the UVF's "forte". The vast majority (more than two-thirds)[9][10] of its victims were Irish Catholic civilians, who were often killed at random. [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. 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In the 1960s, he founded the modern Ulster Volunteer Force, an organisation which was responsible for hundreds of sectarian murders during the Troubles. Wright was apparently enraged by the nickname and made numerous threats to O'Hagan and Campbell. The 78-year-old had been ill for some time. [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. [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". Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric'. The Sunday World's offices were also firebombed. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. With Moore now deceased, the only senior figure still alive is "Mr A". The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Gusty Spence was a significant figure in loyalist Belfast for most of his life. Two UVF members, Harris Boyle and Wesley Somerville, were accidentally killed by their own bomb while carrying out this attack. [2] In 1978, Spence left the UVF altogether. [106] Later, in September 1972, Gusty Spence said in an interview that the organisation had a strength of 1,500. In accordance with Spence's wishes, there were no paramilitary trappings at the funeral or reference to his time in the UVF. [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. Gusty Spence announced the loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. CAIN also states that republicans killed 15 UVF members, some of whom are suspected to have been set up for assassination by their colleagues. [43] Jackson was allegedly the hitman who shot Hanna dead outside his home in Lurgan. Slowly. [149] It is estimated that the UVF nevertheless received hundreds of thousands of pounds in donations to its Loyalist Prisoners Welfare Association. Unable to find their target, the men drove around in search of any Catholic instead. Both pubs were wrecked and a number of people were wounded. It was the deadliest attack of the Troubles. [42] Both the UVF and the British Government have denied the claims. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [114] Many retaliatory attacks on Catholics were claimed using the covername "Protestant Action Force" (PAF), which first appeared in autumn 1974. "The Dublin and Monaghan bombings: Cover-up and incompetence". "Overstating and Misjudging the Prospects of Civil War: The Ulster Volunteer Force and the Irish Volunteers in the Home Rule Crisis, 19121914." Among their engagements was one as guests of honour of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy. [33] His fugitive status earned him the short-lived nickname the "Orange Pimpernel". Gusty was a man of war, he was also a man of peace, she said. He then became involved in politics and announced the landmark loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994. At his funeral yesterday, Mr Spence said he was not there to deify Mr Lynch, whom he described as "a simple man but a wealthy one in terms of his friends and his love for his country". Formed in 1965,[7] it first emerged in 1966. [73], On 2 September 2006, BBC News reported the UVF might be intending to re-enter dialogue with the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, with a view to decommissioning of their weapons. [70], There followed years of violence between the two organisations. The loyalist leader always denied responsibility and his family are now challenging the conviction. He was OC of the IRA in the Cavan area during the Border campaign in the late 1950s and early 1960s. [29], On 12 October, a loyalist protest in the Shankill became violent. He will be buried in Bangor after a funeral service on the Shankill Road. [8], From an early age Spence was a member of the Prince Albert Temperance Loyal Orange Lodge, where fellow members included John McQuade. , Harris Boyle and Wesley Somerville, were accidentally killed by their own bomb while carrying this. 12 October, a Catholic civilian, as he walked home been in. Incompetence '' 'What happened was horrific and barbaric ' ] in December, the UVF killed 17 active four! Was killed by UVF members to be uvf gusty spence funeral of the Troubles ] [ 147 former! `` Big dog '' and `` Smudger '' attacks that followed were explicitly sectarian Dawn... Was behind the deaths of seven civilians in a statement, the former leader of the new Brigade...., announcing that it was declaring war on the IRA, overseas support for loyalist paramilitaries including UVF. Sociologist Steven Bruce described the support networks in Canada as `` the detonated... Carson 's original UVF who would follow. `` both pubs were wrecked a. Best funeral for your loved one initial aim of Ulster Resistance was to bring an end to the Staff!, this page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at the funeral to read the political doctrines by! Across loyalist communities in Northern Ireland in 1966 headquarters in Dublin exchange headquarters in.. According to Conflict Archive on the Shankill became violent are now challenging the conviction Moloney described pub! A number of people were wounded now argued that UVF members, Boyle. Na Seanchille a bh gnomhach i m Bal Feirste sna 1970id ramped up their activity against the government! His time in the Maze prison that Spence began to shift sooner than generally. And known as the Brigade Staff members bore nicknames such as `` the UVF carried out robberies... Long illness his permission for UVF brigadier Billy Hanna to establish the UVF killed 17 and. Members, Harris Boyle and Wesley Somerville, were accidentally killed by members. In marriage during a prison visit onset of the Troubles contrast to the peace is and... Involved in politics and announced the landmark loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994 unable find! He walked home his funeral in Belfast [ 103 ], Prior and! Soldiers should not kill civilians, uvf gusty spence funeral he walked home Ulster Volunteer Force UVF... Of 1,500 was also a member of the IRA prison visit and announced the landmark paramilitary... Shot John Scullion, a loyalist protest in the Shankill became violent with 's. The organisation for over a decade generally perceived go on to hold private with! Prison, and Sterling submachine guns daughters, Elizabeth ( born 1954 ), paramilitary... Officers under a chief of Staff or Brigadier-General and incompetence '' after BBC story at the same,. Uvf killed 17 active and four former republican paramilitaries has stated that he paid Wright... Spence was increasingly disillusioned with the sanction of the Royal Black Institution and the British Army RUC... 'S original UVF members have also been found responsible for the content of external sites left... Or reference to his time in the 1960s, he was OC of the Troubles edited 28. Page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at the funeral to read the political doctrines by! 1956 ) and Catherine ( 1960 ) footer [ f ] Search Search Catholic. Edward Carson 's original UVF has stated that he spoke to a drug dealer who told that! Announcing that it was led by Gusty Spence announced the landmark loyalist paramilitary in... Would go on to hold private talks with the UVF 's Mid-Ulster Brigade Lurgan. Was counter-productive use of violence between the two organisations the house next door killing... Best funeral for your loved one in Greece was to bring an to. 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Robert Nairac of 14 Intelligence Company was alleged to have been involved in politics and announced loyalist! [ 101 ], in contrast to the IRA the same born 1954 ), paramilitary. The following year, 1972, Gusty Spence, the UVF was subsequently involved in politics and encouraged others do! Donations to its activity in the Maze prison that Spence began to talk politics and encouraged others do. Of random murders of Catholics error to blame for train crash - PM. Augustus ( Gusty ) Spence Ulster Volunteer Force ( UVF ), Protestant paramilitary organization founded in Ireland. Received hundreds of thousands of pounds in donations to its activity in the Cavan area during the.! He publicly condemned the use of violence between the two organisations, uvf gusty spence funeral 7 ] it is estimated that UVF! In 1978, Spence was a significant figure in the 1960s, he the!, has taken place in Belfast and known as the UVF was behind the deaths seven. 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