by Ken Wharton
Later on that day, an Army team arrived to arrest a suspected IRA member on the Turf Lodge estate in Belfast and quickly attracted a very hostile crowd. A crowd of around 100 people, some armed with meat cleavers, hammers and chisels attacked the small patrol of soldiers. CS gas and baton rounds were fired and locals tried to wrest an SLR from one soldier’s grasp. On the following day, a soldier was hit in the head in a brief firefight with the IRA at Granville near Dungannon; he survived the wound. Later on, the IRA planted bombs in commercial premises in Amelia Street, Belfast and in a supermarket in Monaghan Street, Newry. Finally a bomb was thrown at Andersonstown RUC station. In all three instances, although there were no casualties, extensive damage was caused.
STA, STA, STAYING ALIVE
Erich Modrowics, Queen’s Own Hussars
It was around internment anniversary time of year where you get the intense riots and shootings. I was driving the company’s covert car, a Brown Hillman Hunter. When I look back, I realise that it was probably known to all the Fianna boys. I was wearing civilian clothes and had a 9mm Browning for ‘protection.’ It was madness to be on duty and unarmed, just as it was equally insane to be in unsafe areas whilst unarmed even when off duty. [The author has, passim, identified at least a dozen regular soldiers who were killed whilst off-duty over the course of the Troubles.] I had been to Lisburn, in order to drop someone off and then return later to pick him up; very probably the Colonel. I was driving back along the Andersonstown Road in West Belfast, in order to get back to Fort Monagh, and as I got near to the roundabout, I saw an odd sight! There was a Military Police Land Rover driving quickly towards me. It was on its own, which I thought was strange as we were instructed to always drive in pairs.
Suddenly, I could see bricks and other debris in the road between our two vehicles, and as they neared me, a load of youths appeared from nowhere and began picking up the bricks in the road to throw at the RMP Land Rover. The guys saw this and proceeded to do an immediate ‘U’ turn which wasn’t particularly good for me as I was coming towards the brick-carrying youths from the rear and I thought if they see the car they will know it’s an Army vehicle. I had my 9mm cocked with one up the spout and ready to use, and I would have used it, mark my words. I wanted to keep Mrs Modrowics’ little boy alive and I also wished my mates to stay in one piece. I dropped the car into third and gunned it, and I actually closed my eyes as I came upon the youths as I thought I was bound to hit one or more. To this day I don’t know if I did or not but I made it through and got back to the camp safely. I was scared shitless by the whole incident!
On Friday 3rd, nine members of the UVF from the Coleraine area in Co Derry were jailed for a total of 108 years. The day after an RUC patrol in the North Belfast area spotted two known Provisionals in a car on the Shankill Road and gave chase. Shots were fired by the men in the car at the pursuing officers. The car was abandoned and the police gave chase on foot. More shots were exchanged, resulting in one of the men aged 18 being wounded and arrested. On Monday 6th, as the world was commemorating the 33rd anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, a joint Army/RUC patrol came under fire from what is thought to have been an INLA attack at Forkhill, South Armagh. The battle raged for around five minutes and several hundred rounds were exchanged; there were no casualties on either side.
On the 7th, James McClurg (25) the UFF member who was badly injured in an ‘own goal’ fire on 10 May, died of his injuries [see previous chapter]. The day after McClurg’s death, Roy Mason announced that the strength of the RUC would be increased by 1,200 and that of the UDR increased to 2,500 full-time members. He also announced that there would be more undercover activity by troops, and that the spearhead battalion would be withdrawn. An RUC detective was shot in the back and badly wounded as he drove through the security gates at Andersonstown RUC station; the PIRA sniper had taken over a house near Divis Drive and Glen Road (not to be confused with Divis Street in the Lower Falls area). In Norglen Gardens on the Turf Lodge, a PIRA booby-trap injured a soldier and as more troops poured in for a follow-up, a mob began attacking them. One soldier was very badly injured when a hurled brick caught him square in the face and he was rushed to hospital.
The 8th saw yet another off-duty soldier killed, as the Provisionals targeted a part-time UDR member who also worked as a porter at the RVH in Belfast. Lance Corporal Gerald Tucker (37) worked in the hospital morgue and had just finished work for the day. As he drove towards the car park exit, two masked gunmen from the Provisionals opened fire and he was mortally wounded by a shot to the head; he died very quickly afterwards. He was living with his widowed mother in Ainsworth Street, Shankill and was the son of a Second World War hero. His late father had been a member of the Black Watch who had been killed and had posthumously been mentioned in dispatches. The UDR man also received a posthumous award.
On the 16th, the Fianna Fáil party won the general election in the Republic of Ireland. The party had a majority of 20 seats; Jack Lynch became the new Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister). It was then announced that Robert Muldoon, then New Zealand Prime Minister, had held talks with representatives of the Peace People in Belfast. One of the items discussed was the possibility of ex-paramilitaries being allowed to emigrate to New Zealand.
RATS, THE DOG
Ken Shand
‘Rats’ was a little brown and white mongrel, and was known as ‘the soldier dog of Ulster’; his active service days were spent in Crossmaglen. He spent his duty time in the front line and was injured more than once, being blown up, run over and shot at many times. ‘Rats’ was welcome company when the troops had to go out on a mission and became a trusted ‘nose’ for potential danger. He went with them on day and night manoeuvres, flew in helicopter missions and was no stranger to front line action.
His injuries included a broken leg, gunshot injuries and shrapnel in his spine. On top of that, ‘Rats’ made enemies amongst IRA supporters as he was the troops’ mascot and helped boost morale when it was most needed. This made him a potential IRA target. He became well known amongst the serving soldiers, and there were many times when he warned a patrol that something was amiss and as a result saved a few lives.
The BBC did a documentary on him and told of his devotion to the troops. A book written by Max Halstock tells of the courage and bravery of this little dog. It also points out that he went through many difficult times in his life when the regiments changed over once their tour of duty was over. This meant that ‘Rats’ lost the men he had become attached to more than once; something the little dog could never understand. There must have been times when he was very sad and confused. The dog was held in such high esteem by the troops that he was given an Army number. This was put on a medal made from a dog disc, which had the Queen’s head on one side and ‘Rats: Delta 777’ on the other. He received the medal during a ceremony when the whole Company was on parade and a piper played ‘Scotland the Brave’, in his honour.
‘Rats’ had developed a close relationship with Corporal O’Neil of the Queen’s Own Highlanders. He looked after him but the tour of duty came to an end and the Corporal had to leave Crossmaglen. The regiment which replaced the QOH was the Welsh Guards. All the comrades who Rats had grown close to were going to leave, and as Corporal O’Neil was not allowed to take the dog home with him, it was a sad parting for them both. ‘Rats’ had to find new friends amongst the new soldiers. In time he became close to Corporal Lewis of the Welsh Guards. The dog continued his tour of duty, being a mascot and a great morale booster for the troops. Later he was retired to a secret location in the UK. Secret because the army wanted to be sure that the IRA did not target him in an attempt to demoralise the men. He had meant so much to them and had been a welcome diversion and help through such difficult times. ‘Rats’ had a happy retirement and still holds a special place in the soldier’s memories of duty in Northern Ireland.
On the 19th, Robert Whitten (73) a magistrate who had been fatally wounded in an INLA shooting on 1 March, died of h
is wounds. Three days later, the IRA turned their attention back to prison officers (PO) and having watched John Milliken for a number of weeks, struck as he walked home from work. The officer who worked at the Crumlin Road Jail was walking along Cliftonpark Avenue en-route for the Antrim Road. A car pulled up slightly ahead of him and a gunman got out, walked over to him and then shot him in the head and chest at almost point-blank range. Principal Officer Milliken joined the Northern Ireland Prison Service in July 1960 and served for almost 17 years until his murder. He last served in Belfast prison as a Principal Officer. At his funeral service, he was described as ‘… a devoted member of the church and an exemplary prison officer …’ On the 26th, Corporal Alexander McDonald Cruickshank (34) of the Gordons was drowned in a tragic accident. It is thought that his drowning was connected with his military activities.
On or around the 28th, Gerald McCullough (25) was abducted from somewhere in the centre of Antrim and then murdered. Mr McCullough had been drinking and was seen walking in the direction of his home in Moss Park. From there, no-one saw him alive again. On 14 July, his partly decomposed body was found in a field in Cemetery Road, Antrim where he had been dumped by a Loyalist gang. He had been brutally assaulted and death was due to several savage kicks to the head. He was a Catholic and the reason for the vicious attack can only have been sectarian. It was the only sectarian death that month.
BLOODY DOGS
Erich Modrowics, Queen’s Own Hussars
We were on foot patrol in one of the Catholic estates, and as always when patrolling in these areas we were extra cautious. Anyway the brick comes to a street corner which is on my side of the street; I knelt down to take a look around the corner and just as I’m about to peek, I look over to my buddy across the road (Chris Bales). There was a look of terror on his face and he was pointing to the rear of my position, mouthing something. I mouthed in return: ‘What? What?’ and it was at this point that I could feel hot breath on the back of my neck and I slowly looked behind me from my kneeling position. There standing proud and steadfast is an Irish wolfhound the size of a small horse! I just thought: ‘Shit!’ and I thought that my days were numbered; eaten to death by a dog the size of a horse! Fortunately for me, the dog was docile and thank God it didn’t do a thing.
I’m sure all the squaddies who served remember the dogs that would chase us around the streets and there were those trained by their owners just to attack soldiers. Well, there was one particular Alsatian which would chase us whilst we were on mobile patrol in one of the estates. Although it looked vicious and it would be barking like mad, no noise would come from its mouth! Apparently a Para from an earlier tour was being attacked by this dog, and stuck his SLR barrel down its throat, which took away its voice, hence the silent bark.
There was an incredibly narrow escape for three RUC officers who were driving down the M1 when they came under machine gun fire from PIRA men hiding on a bridge. At least 20 rounds were fired, but only one hit their patrol car. They had been dispatched to investigate a broken down car but this was clearly a ‘come on’ and the death toll for June could have so easily doubled from three to six.
On the following day, there was a double tragedy for the Light Infantry. Private Richard Turnbull (18) from Yorkshire and his comrade Michael Harrison (19) from Dinnington, Sheffield, were returning to their base at North Howard Street Mill when they were ambushed. The Mill had been derelict for some years and had been transformed into a fortified base; indeed the author was based there in the early 1970s. Its location was one of the most strategic in the entire Province, straddling the ‘peace line’ between the Republican Falls and Divis to the east, Springfield Road to the south and the Loyalist Shankill to its north. It was also close to the Loyalist ‘romper rooms’ of the Lawnbrook Social Club. It was the scene of several military deaths during the bloody course of the Troubles. The two LI men were in a vehicle containing two other soldiers and were returning from a routine patrol consisting of a Bedford lorry and a Land Rover.
Whether or not dickers alerted PIRA or if it was a planned attack, gunmen were waiting close by and their presence was not detected. As the Army vehicle turned into North Howard Street, several concealed PIRA gunmen opened fire and both men, who had only been in Northern Ireland for less than two days, were mortally wounded, and died at the scene. Both men were hit in the head and chest. Two other soldiers including the CO, John Hemsley were both injured but recovered in hospital.
Having already killed one PO in June, PIRA attempted to murder another at his home in the Oldpark area. The PO who worked at Crumlin Road jail was relaxing at home when two men pulled up on a motorbike and immediately drew a pistol on the officer. What the would-be assailants didn’t know – or perhaps had forgotten – was that all POs were issued with a personal protection weapon and their target was ever cautious. He also pulled out a weapon and fired several shots at the PIRA men. He succeeded in hitting one, possibly both of them, and they ran off, dropping their pistol and abandoning the motorbike. Later on, RUC officers found a trail of blood leading to the Nationalist Ardoyne. The fate of the two gunmen is unknown.
June had ended with one of the lowest number of monthly deaths since the Troubles had started back in August 1969. A total of 11 people had died; three soldiers and three policemen were killed by the Provisionals; a fourth soldier died accidentally. A prison officer and a member of the judiciary had also died, both at the hands of Republicans, including the INLA. There had been one sectarian death – a Catholic – and the Loyalists had lost one of their men in an ‘own goal’ incident.
31
July
During July – the start of the Loyalist marching season and traditional flashpoint – there were again ten deaths; still unacceptably high, but comparatively light. Two soldiers were killed and two more policemen fell in the line of duty. A prison officer was also killed, but sectarian deaths were less than earlier in the year. The ongoing feud between the Official IRA and the Provisionals continued and led to four deaths in a single day.
The month began with a massive blow for the UVF with the discovery of one of their large bomb-making factories on the Shankill. The RUC and Army in a successful joint operation made a massive haul of arms, ammunition and explosives from a house in Emerson Street after receiving information from an undercover agent. The find, described by the Army as a ‘… major discovery …’ led to most of Emerson Street being evacuated for safety reasons. The searchers found homemade grenades, explosives, fuse wire, timing devices, weapons and 1,000 rounds of ammunition. The very next day, an RUC raid on a lock-up garage in the Loyalist Duncairn area of North Belfast led to another large discovery and the arrest of a woman from Kingston Street. The RUC/Army then raided a house in the Nationalist New Lodge and found arms and explosives belonging to the Provisionals. More worryingly, a PO discovered 30 sticks of Gelignite hidden inside Crumlin Road Jail and an immediate investigation was launched into how this had managed to escape security. Wives and girlfriends, even female relatives of paramilitary prisoners, had used their vaginas and rectums to smuggle in illegal goods, including explosives, but the size of the gelignite leaves one somewhat astounded. A later investigation uncovered that the explosives were smuggled into the jail inside packs of butter!
On 4 July, as Americans celebrated Independence Day and OTR Provisionals enjoyed another day of freedom courtesy of the Irish-American influenced Supreme Court, a massive bomb destroyed Tunney’s Meat Plant in Clones, Co Monaghan and led to the evacuation of 250 workers. The location of the bomb – estimated at 100lbs – inside the Republic leads to the conclusion that it was a Loyalist attack.
On the 5th, an RUCR officer narrowly escaped death at the hands of the IRA, but on the following day they struck again and another policeman was killed. In the first incident, a 35-year old RUCR officer was driving up a lane close to his home in Drumquinn, Co Tyrone, when his car triggered off a landmine hidden in the grass verge. The explosion severely damaged his car and he was t
aken to hospital with blast injuries to his shoulder and thigh. Twenty-four hours later, RUCR Constable David Morrow (35) was killed and two colleagues seriously wounded in an IRA attack in Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone. The father of two very young children and two colleagues had driven to the market in order to place ‘No Parking’ signs in the centre of Aughnacloy. As they were about to exit the vehicle, two masked gunmen jumped out of a nearby van and opened fire, hitting all three officers, before racing out of the town towards the nearby border. Constable Morrow died almost immediately and one of the other officers received a serious head wound. Both of the wounded men survived their injuries.
Over the following two days, the Provisionals mounted several major bomb attacks and an equal number of hoaxes throughout Belfast which virtually brought the city to a standstill during the 48 hours of this campaign. EOD were sent to Academy Street, Waring Street and the Smithfield area, where stolen vans had been left in suspicious circumstances; all were painstakingly dealt with and all proved to be hoaxes. Another hoax device was left in a café in Donegal Street which led to a panicked evacuation by customers. Whilst this was happening, the Army made another major arms and explosives find in a house in the Republican Ardoyne area. The chaos continued on the next day and hoax device after hoax device created major traffic snarl-ups and more headaches for the SF. The city centre was chaotic and even the M1 motorway had to be closed because of suspect vehicles. This was further exacerbated by an actual explosion in the Springfield Road as the UVF detonated a no warning lorry bomb in the Nationalist area. Three people were treated for minor bruising and shock.