In Belfast, loyalists responded by attacking nationalist districts. LocationLa Habra, CA 90631 EmailGet a free estimate Call(562) 579-5980. 28 September 2011 Gusty Spence announced the loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994 Hundreds of mourners have attended the funeral of the former loyalist leader Gusty Spence. [93] Much of the UVF's orchestration was carried out by its senior members in East Belfast, where many attacks on the PSNI and on residents of the Short Strand enclave took place. [74], On 3 May 2007, following recent negotiations between the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) and Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and with Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde, the UVF made a statement that they would transform to a "non-military, civilianised" organisation. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former British Army soldier from Northern Ireland. He added: "He formed a relationship with Cardinal O'Fiach and that was in some of our ways of thinking in those days a big step because the Catholic church in particular were the enemy. 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. [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. Nicholas Vella, a 14-year veteran of the Huntington Beach Police . Spence was initially held over the murder of the first victim of the Troubles, John Scullion, who was shot by the UVF in the Falls Road area of Belfast. [13][14][15][16][17] The other main loyalist paramilitary group during the conflict was the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), which had a much larger membership. [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. [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. Some of them left much of Belfast without power and water. Then, use free funeral planning tools to plan out the best funeral for your loved one. So when her husband had first made contact with Mr Spence "it was like talking to someone we had always known". Mr Spence, who died in hospital at the weekend after a long illness, inspired loyalists to enter politics during the peace process and helped form the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP). 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. 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. In the 1960s, he founded the Ulster Volunteer Force, which was responsible for hundreds of murders during the Troubles. [46] A few days after the announcement, Spence made a trip to the United States along with the PUP's David Ervine and Billy Hutchinson and the UDP's McMichael, Adams and Joe English. 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 78-year-old died in hospital at the weekend after a long illness. [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. Mr Lynch died following a brief illness. 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. [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. 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. The damage from security service informers started in 1983 with "supergrass" Joseph Bennett's information, which led to the arrest of fourteen senior figures. The biggest of these was the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings, which killed 34 civilians, making it the deadliest terrorist attack of the conflict. In October, UVF and UPV member Thomas McDowell was killed by the bomb he was planting at Ballyshannon power station. "On behalf of Sinn Fein I would wish to extend my condolences to his family at this time.". The largest death toll in a single attack was in the 3 March 1991 Cappagh killings, when the UVF killed IRA members John Quinn, Dwayne O'Donnell and Malcolm Nugent, and civilian Thomas Armstrong in the small village of Cappagh. [151][152] These shipments were considered enough for the UVF/UDA to wage its campaign, most of which were used to kill its victims. Thirty-three people were killed and almost 300 injured. [42] Both the UVF and the British Government have denied the claims. However, RUC Special Branch believed that his brother Billy, who kept a much lower public profile, was the real leader of the group. It was the deadliest attack of the Troubles. It comprises high-ranking officers under a Chief of Staff or Brigadier-General. 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. Brian Ervine said: "His contribution to the peace is incalculable and without him, probably the paramilitaries would still be at war. . Available for both RF and RM licensing. 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. 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. [43] Jackson was allegedly the hitman who shot Hanna dead outside his home in Lurgan. [38] This came to a climax on 4 December, when the UVF bombed McGurk's Bar, a Catholic-owned pub in Belfast. 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". Augustus Gusty Spence (78), was convicted for a sectarian murder in 1966 and was a figurehead of the paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) which killed hundreds of people when the full violence of the Troubles began three years later. The 78-year-old died in hospital at the weekend after a long illness. [158] Loyalists in Portadown such as Bobby Jameson have stated that the LVF (the Mid-Ulster Brigade that broke away from the main UVF - and led by Billy Wright) was not a 'loyalist organisation but a drugs organisation causing misery in Portadown. [21] Two days later, the Government of Northern Ireland declared the UVF illegal. The Shankill loyalists supported Kilfedder and following his election as MP sent a letter to Paisley accusing him of treachery during the entire affair. During this time he restructured the organisation into brigades, battalions, companies, platoons and sections. The group concluded a general acceptance of the need to decommission, though there was no conclusive proof of moves towards this end. 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[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. In keeping with his wishes, there will be no UVF trappings and his coffin will be draped in the regimental flag of the Royal Ulster Rifles in which he served. He also directed a significant restocking of the group's arsenal, with guns mostly taken from the security forces. Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. But despite the statement, the UVF was subsequently involved in sporadic violence, including several murders. It was during his time in the Maze prison that Spence began to talk politics and encouraged others to do the same. The latter had formally asked Spence for his daughter's hand in marriage during a prison visit. In keeping with his wishes,. [44] In 1977, he publicly condemned the use of violence for political gain, on the grounds that it was counter-productive. However, following significant political pressure, the UVF claimed in 2007 that it was decommissioning its weapons. In 1972, five Toronto businessmen shipped weapons in grain container ships out of Halifax, bound for ports in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland which were destined for loyalist militants. Henry McDonald. F". After his release December 1984, Spence was a key figure in developing UVF thinking and indirectly its political wing, the Progressive Unionist Party. RT 2023. This was a large, three-day riot between Irish nationalists and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). In the 1960s, he founded the Ulster Volunteer Force, which was responsible for hundreds of murders during the Troubles. 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. [36] Catholic churches were also attacked. [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. "[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. [84] The Progressive Unionist Party's condemnation, and Dawn Purvis and other leaders' resignations as a response to the Moffett shooting, were also noted. [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. This move came as the organisation held high-level discussions about its future. [49], On 3 May 2007, Spence read out the statement by the UVF announcing that it would keep its weapons but put them beyond the reach of ordinary members. 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. It was not in his later life. Spence now argued that UVF members were soldiers and soldiers should not kill civilians, as had been the case at McGurk's Bar. A controlled explosion was carried out and the bomb was later declared a hoax. View discounts Available for editorial and personal use only. [2] In 1978, Spence left the UVF altogether. [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. [30] There were bombings on 30 March, 4 April, 20 April, 24 April and 26 April. Assistant chief constable Drew Harris in a statement said "The UVF are subject to an organised crime investigation as an organised crime group. Mr Lynch had many unionist friends, "some even politicians". The UVF carried out dozens of sectarian murderers and it was while he was serving a sentence in Long Kesh prison for his role in the murder of a Catholic that Mr Spence began to change his views about the use of violence. The new Brigade Staff's aim was to carry out attacks against known republicans rather than Catholic civilians. One of the first UVF members to be convicted of murder, Spence was a senior figure in the organisation for over a decade. Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric'. Their weapons stock-piles are to be retained under the watch of the UVF leadership. [51] The couple had three daughters, Elizabeth (born 1954), Sandra (1956) and Catherine (1960). [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. Browse funeral homes near La Habra Heights, California. It was alleged that Colin Armstrong had links to both drugs and loyalist terrorists. "He was really a role model for many young men who would follow.". we solemnly warn the authorities to make no more speeches of appeasement. Slowly. "The untouchable informers facing exposure at last". [citation needed] The feud between the UVF and the LVF erupted again in the summer of 2005. [72], On 12 February 2006, The Observer reported that the UVF was to disband by the end of 2006. Read about our approach to external linking. Paisley had intimated that Kilfedder, a rival for the leadership of dissident unionism, was close to Fine Gael after learning that he had attended party meetings while a student at Trinity College Dublin. Another former PUP leader, Dawn Purvis, said Spence's opinions began to shift sooner than is generally perceived. 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. Spence is regarded as the first terrorist godfather in Northern Ireland but also the man who took the first steps towards ending UVF violence. In the 1960s, he founded the modern Ulster Volunteer Force, an organisation which was responsible for hundreds of sectarian murders during the Troubles. What's he waiting for? The community centre hosting the event and 25 nearby homes were evacuated and a funeral was disrupted. '[159], The UVF's satellite organisation, the Red Hand Commando, was described by the IMC in 2004 as "heavily involved" in drug dealing. 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". After his release December 1984, Spence was a key figure in developing UVF thinking and indirectly its political wing, the Progressive Unionist Party. He later became involved in politics and announced the landmark loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994. "BBC News Man held over East Belfast police murder bid", "Surge in Belfast violence blamed on resurgent UVF", "The Beast from East Belfast could put an end to flags violence right now but he won't", "East Belfast UVF: Mission Accomplished? ][102] On 11 April, the UVF reportedly ordered the removal of Catholic families from a housing estate in Carrickfergus. [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. This was a general strike in protest against the Sunningdale Agreement, which meant sharing political power with Irish nationalists and the Republic having more involvement in Northern Ireland. It was the UVF's deadliest attack in Northern Ireland, and the deadliest attack in Belfast during the Troubles. "We have to get in there, and stay in there," he continued, remembering that "it took several hundred years to bring about this situation, so we must have a little bit of patience. Gusty Spence, who has died aged 78, was the . Spence said loyalists offered "abject and true remorse" to the loved ones of all the innocent victims of the Troubles. Sociologist Steven Bruce described the support networks in Canada as "the main source of support for loyalism outside the United Kingdom . The arms are thought to have consisted of: The UVF used this new infusion of arms to escalate their campaign of sectarian assassinations. Photograph: Peter Morrison/AP. Two UVF men were accidentally blown up in this attack. "[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." [30] As arranged, the car in which Spence was a passenger was stopped in Springmartin and Spence was taken away by UVF members. Reverend Chris Hudson, who helped broker contacts between loyalist paramilitaries and the Irish government, said that aspect of the statement was significant. Mark Davenport from the BBC has stated that he spoke to a drug dealer who told him that he paid Billy Wright protection money. [117] Members were trained in bomb-making, and the organisation developed home-made explosives. [53] These men had overthrown the "hawkish" officers, who had called for a "big push", which meant an increase in violent attacks, earlier in the same month. [citation needed], On 26 March 2022, the UVF was linked to a hoax bomb alert at a bar in Warrenpoint, County Down. Blood and rage: a cultural history of terrorism, "Granddaughter of victim says Gusty Spence was not a peacemaker", "Shankill shuts to pay its respects to UVF chief Gusty Spence", BBC News, Thursday, 3 May 2007, "Loyalist veteran's path to peace", Murders of Andrew Robb and David McIlwaine, Ulster Loyalist Central Co-ordinating Committee, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gusty_Spence&oldid=1136743955, Loyalists imprisoned during the Northern Ireland conflict, People convicted of murder by Northern Ireland, People from Northern Ireland convicted of murder, Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Northern Ireland, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in Hiberno-English, Pages using infobox person with multiple parents, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 31 January 2023, at 22:44. From late 1975 to mid-1977, a unit of the UVF dubbed the Shankill Butchers (a group of UVF men based on Belfast's Shankill Road) carried out a series of sectarian murders of Catholic civilians. [17], On 7 May 1966, a group of UVF men led by Spence petrol bombed a Catholic-owned pub on the Shankill Road. DeSantis won't say he's running. It was responsible for more than 500 deaths. Two Ulster Unionist Assembly members, Michael McGimpsey and Mike Neabitt, were among the mourners at the funeral. "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.". Images Courtesy of Getty Images. [127] A British Army report released in 2006 estimated a peak membership of 1,000. Formed in 1965, it first emerged in 1966. On 23 October 1972, the UVF carried out an armed raid against King's Park camp, a UDR/Territorial Army depot in Lurgan. 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