uvf gusty spence funeral

It was not in his later life. [5] He was educated at the Riddel School on Malvern Street and the Hemsworth Square school, finishing his education aged fourteen. 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". Tributes were paid to former leading loyalist paramilitary turned peacemaker Gusty Spence at his funeral in Belfast today. ", This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 06:47. 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. "He was an Irishman and looked upon himself as an Ulster Irishman as well as being British. In 1972, the UVF's imprisoned leader Gusty Spence was at liberty for four months following a staged kidnapping by UVF volunteers. He then became involved in politics and announced the landmark loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994. A number of friends and family members spoke at the service at St Michael's Church of Ireland on the Shankill Road. Speaking from his home in Belfast last night, Mr Spence said he had become acquainted with Mr Lynch three or four years ago. As a lone piper led his funeral cortege through the area, the streets were lined by mourners. [3] Spence Snr was a member of the Ulster Volunteers and had fought in the First World War. 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. Another loyalist paramilitary organisation called Ulster Resistance was formed on 10 November 1986. Wednesday, 15 February 2023 | 10.2 . Gusty Spence (1933-2011) was a Loyalist paramilitary volunteer, a founding member and early leader of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). 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". 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. 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. [44], The brigade formed part of the Glenanne gang, a loose alliance of loyalist assassins which the Pat Finucane Centre has linked to 87 killings in the 1970s. This was a large, three-day riot between Irish nationalists and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). Also, why did the author not probe the close relationship between Gusty Spence and the RHC? "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. He was jailed for life for the murder of a Catholic barman in 1966 and served 18 years in prison. Bates, employed as a barman at the Long Bar, was recruited into the Shankill Butchers gang in 1975 by its notorious ringleader, Lenny Murphy. [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]. The Irish Army set up field hospitals near the border. [22] Spence's involvement in the killings gave him legendary status among many young loyalists and he was claimed as an inspiration by the likes of Michael Stone. Known IRA men will be executed mercilessly and without hesitation. 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. 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". 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. Grob-Fitzgibbon, Benjamin. 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 new Brigade Staff's aim was to carry out attacks against known republicans rather than Catholic civilians. [10] Spence then found employment at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, where he worked as a stager (builder of the scaffolding in which the ships are constructed), a skilled job that commanded respect amongst working class Protestants and ensured for Spence a higher status within the Shankill. "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths crosstabulations", "UVF disbands unit linked to taxi murder", Law and order Belfast-style as two men are forced on a 'walk of shame', 'Report of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning', Twenty-Fourth Report of the Independent Monitoring Commission, "David Madine admits trying to kill loyalist Harry Stockman", "Police say UVF gunman seen in Rathcoole during trouble". Explosives for the north were mostly shipped in small boats which set out at night from the Scottish coast and made contact at sea with vessels from Ulster ports." [36], Spence soon became the UVF commander within the Maze Prison. [17], He was entrusted by the Combined Loyalist Military Command (CLMC) to read out their 13 October 1994 statement that announced the loyalist ceasefire. 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. 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. 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. 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 78-year-old died in hospital at the weekend after a long illness. [18][19] Some members have also been found responsible for orchestrating a series of racist attacks. Gusty Spence was a significant figure in loyalist Belfast for most of his life. [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. Eight people were shot dead and hundreds were injured. Call now: (562) 579-5980. Fire also engulfed the house next door, killing the elderly Protestant widow, Matilda Gould (77), who lived there. [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. Such retaliation was seen as both collective punishment and an attempt to weaken the IRA's support; it was thought that terrorising the Catholic community and inflicting such a death toll on it would force the IRA to end its campaign. [101], In April 2021, riots erupted across Loyalist communities in Northern Ireland.[relevant? Spence was born in the Shankill Road, Belfast, area, Northern Ireland, the son of William Edward Spence, who was born in Whitehaven, England and raised in the Tiger's Bay area of north Belfast before moving to the Shankill. [103], On 25 March 2022, the UVF was blamed[by whom?] Though, for its own purposes, it assumed the same name it has nothing else in common. In incidents carried out within days of each other in June 1966, Mr Spences gang killed two Catholic men, plus a Protestant pensioner who was murdered in a failed attempt to burn a neighbouring Catholic-owned bar. [54], Spence died on 25 September 2011, aged 78, in a Belfast hospital;[53] he had been suffering from a long-term illness and was admitted to hospital 12 days prior to his death. The Shankill loyalists supported Kilfedder and following his election as MP sent a letter to Paisley accusing him of treachery during the entire affair. Gusty Spence reading the 2007 UVF 'weapons beyond use' statement in Belfast. [21] In April 1966, Ulster loyalists led by Ian Paisley, a Protestant fundamentalist preacher, founded the Ulster Constitution Defence Committee (UCDC). A man committed to social and economic justice and equality and a man absolutely devoted and committed to his wife and family.. These attacks were stepped up in the late 1980s and early 1990s, particularly in the east Tyrone and north Armagh areas. A number of friends and family members spoke at the service at St Michael's Church of Ireland on the Shankill Road. 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. Along with the UDA, it helped to enforce the strike by blocking roads, intimidating workers, and shutting any businesses that opened. He was OC of the IRA in the Cavan area during the Border campaign in the late 1950s and early 1960s. "[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. In 1990, the UVF joined the Combined Loyalist Military Command (CLMC) and indicated its acceptance of moves towards peace. [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. [58][59] West died in 1980. Spence said loyalists offered "abject and true remorse" to the loved ones of all the innocent victims of the Troubles. They shot John Scullion, a Catholic civilian, as he walked home. The 78-year-old died in hospital at the weekend after a long illness. [64] Republicans responded to the attacks by assassinating senior UVF members John Bingham, William "Frenchie" Marchant and Trevor King[65] as well as Leslie Dallas, whose purported UVF membership was disputed both by his family and the UVF. 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. (2006) "Neglected Intelligence: How the British Government Failed to Quell the Ulster Volunteer Force, 19121914. The UVF's declared goals were to combat Irish republicanism particularly the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and to maintain Northern Ireland's status as part of the United Kingdom. Then, use free funeral planning tools to plan out the best funeral for your loved one. In the 1960s, he founded the modern Ulster Volunteer Force, an. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [139] In 2002 the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee estimated the UVF's annual running costs at 12 million per year, against an annual fundraising capability of 1.5 million. On the basis of that, we as a federation have called for the respecification of the UVF [stating that its ceasefire is over]. Augustus (Gusty) Spence Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), Protestant paramilitary organization founded in Northern Ireland in 1966. we solemnly warn the authorities to make no more speeches of appeasement. Independentie. [30] Met by two members of the Red Hand Commando upon his release, Spence was informed of the need for a restructuring within the UVF and told not to return to prison. [citation needed] There were also reports that UVF members fired shots at police lines during a protest. What's he waiting for? Since the ceasefire, the UVF has been involved in rioting, drug dealing, organised crime, loan-sharking and prostitution. [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. Unable to find their target, the men drove around the Falls district in search of a Catholic. The UVF's last major attack was the 1994 Loughinisland massacre, in which its members shot dead six Catholic civilians in a rural pub. [123][124], The strength of the UVF is uncertain. Gusty Spence was a significant figure in loyalist Belfast for most of . [19] On 26 June, the same gang shot dead Catholic civilian Peter Ward (18) and wounded two others as they left a pub on Malvern Street in the lower Shankill. 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 UVF killed four men in Belfast and trouble ended only when the LVF announced that it was disbanding in October of that year. "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.". 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. Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Captain Robert Nairac of 14 Intelligence Company was alleged to have been involved in many acts of UVF violence. [29], On 12 August 1969, the "Battle of the Bogside" began in Derry. [52] Louie died in 2003. [13], His older brother Billy Spence was a founding member of Ulster Protestant Action (UPA) in 1956[14] and Gusty Spence himself was also a member of the group. She is committed to explaining your options. RT is not responsible for the content of external internet sites. In response to events in Derry, nationalists held protests throughout Northern Ireland, some of which became violent. 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. [50], Spence married Louie Donaldson, a native of the city's Grosvenor Road, on 20 June 1953 at Wellwood Street Mission, Sandy Row. In May 1966, the UVF issued a statement, announcing that it was declaring war on the IRA. This collection contains Gusty Spence's personal and business correspondence from 1959-1998, the bulk of which was written during Spence's time in prison (1966-1984). The gunmen shot dead six people and injured five. [151][152] These shipments were considered enough for the UVF/UDA to wage its campaign, most of which were used to kill its victims. [33] His fugitive status earned him the short-lived nickname the "Orange Pimpernel". "On behalf of Sinn Fein I would wish to extend my condolences to his family at this time.". Both pubs were wrecked and a number of people were wounded. Former Ulster Volunteer Force leader Gusty Spence has died aged 78. DeSantis won't say he's running. [115] They always signed their statements with the fictitious name "Captain William Johnston". Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. They were blamed by the PSNI on members of the UVF, who also said UVF guns had been used to try to kill police officers. The UVF agreed to a ceasefire in October 1994. [24] The murder of Ward was, however, repudiated by Paisley and condemned in his Protestant Telegraph, sealing the split between the two. [21] The shootings led to Spence's being sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum sentence of twenty years. 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. The newspaper also reported that the group refused to decommission its weapons. The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group. With a few exceptions, such as Mid-Ulster brigadier Billy Hanna (a native of Lurgan), the Brigade Staff members have been from the Shankill Road or the neighbouring Woodvale area to the west. Read about our approach to external linking. [1] Spence, along with other Shankill Road loyalists, broke from Paisley in 1965 when they sided with Jim Kilfedder in a row that followed the latter's campaigns in Belfast West. Anderson, Malcolm & Bort, Eberhard (1999). [131] The UVF has also been involved in the extortion of legitimate businesses, although to a lesser extent than the UDA,[138] and was described in the fifth IMC report as being involved in organised crime. The Irish parliament's Joint Committee on Justice called the bombings an act of "international terrorism" involving the British security forces. "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.". 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. '[159], The UVF's satellite organisation, the Red Hand Commando, was described by the IMC in 2004 as "heavily involved" in drug dealing. VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Sake brewers toast big rise in global sales, The Indian-American CEO who wants to be US president, 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. The funeral of 78-year-old Gusty Spence, the former leader of the UVF paramilitary organisation, has taken place in Belfast. 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. [12] Due to his later involvement in a murder, Spence was expelled from the Orange Order and the Royal Black Institution. [31], The UVF had launched its first attack in the Republic of Ireland on 5 August 1969, when it bombed the RT Television Centre in Dublin. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. CAIN also states that republicans killed 15 UVF members, some of whom are suspected to have been set up for assassination by their colleagues. Skip to navigation [n] Skip to content [c] Skip to footer [f] Search Search. He added: "I think it helped to set some of the tone to bring us to where we are now.". [26], On 26 June, the group shot dead a Catholic civilian and wounded two others as they left a pub on Malvern Street, Belfast. In 2007, he announced that the UVF and an associated group, the Red Hand Commando, would cease to exist in their previous form. "The untouchable informers facing exposure at last". [16] Their base of operations was the Standard Bar, a pub on the Shankill Road frequented by Spence and his allies (it was normal practice for UVF "teams" to be based at a single pub that its members used socially). He will be buried in Bangor after a funeral service on the Shankill Road. [9] According to the book Lost Lives (2006 edition), it was responsible for 569 killings. "He was an Irishman and looked upon himself as an Ulster Irishman as well as being British. 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. [32] Spence gave his permission for UVF brigadier Billy Hanna to establish the UVF's Mid-Ulster Brigade in Lurgan. [35], In January 1970, the UVF began bombing Catholic-owned businesses in Protestant areas of Belfast. Home; About; Testimonials; Contact; Select Page. He was the first RUC officer to be killed during the Troubles. Wright was apparently enraged by the nickname and made numerous threats to O'Hagan and Campbell. 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. Although O'Neill was a unionist, they saw him as being too 'soft' on the civil rights movement and too friendly with the Republic of Ireland. The no-warning car bombings had been carried out by units from the Belfast and Mid-Ulster brigades. 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. A controlled explosion was carried out and the bomb was later declared a hoax. Spence now argued that UVF members were soldiers and soldiers should not kill civilians, as had been the case at McGurk's Bar. [146][147] Former MI5 agent Willie Carlin said: There were safe houses in Glasgow and Stirling. [7] His family had a long tradition of Orange Order membership. Spence grew increasingly frustrated with UVF leadership, and left the organization altogether in 1978. 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". Openly paraded with the UVF and thanked Gusty Spence repeatedly for his services to Ulster. 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. [49] A political wing was formed in June 1974, the Volunteer Political Party led by UVF Chief of Staff Ken Gibson, which contested West Belfast in the October 1974 general election, polling 2,690 votes (6%). In 1984, Gusty was released from prison, and became a leading figure in the Progressive Unionist Party and . Thirty-three people were killed and almost 300 injured. [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. [citation needed] The arms were divided between the UVF, the UDA (the largest loyalist group) and Ulster Resistance.[61]. Their weapons stock-piles are to be retained under the watch of the UVF leadership. Leader of the, 414 (~85%) were civilians, 11 of whom were civilian political activists, 21 (~4%) were members or former members of republican paramilitary groups, 44 (~9%) were members or former members of loyalist paramilitary groups, 6 (~1%) were members of the British security forces. In Belfast, loyalists responded by attacking nationalist districts. This collection contains Gusty Spence's personal and business correspondence from 1959-1998, the bulk of which was written during . [106] Later, in September 1972, Gusty Spence said in an interview that the organisation had a strength of 1,500. Along with the newly formed Ulster Defence Association (UDA), the UVF started an armed campaign against the Catholic population of Northern Ireland. This was in retaliation for attacks on Loyalist homes the previous weekend and after a young girl was hit in the face with a brick by Republicans. 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. [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". [26] Despite the fact that control of the UVF lay (nominally at least) with Spence's closest ally Samuel "Bo" McClelland, from prison Spence was often at odds with the group's leadership, in particular with regards to the 1971 McGurk's Bar bombing. [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. In her address to the church congregation, Ms Purvis recalled how Mr Spence had been frank about his UVF role, but that he had often shocked loyalist contemporaries by his willingness to bring an end to conflict and build bridges between working class Protestants and Catholics. "On behalf of Sinn Fein I would wish to extend my condolences to his family at this time.". , killing the elderly Protestant widow, uvf gusty spence funeral Gould ( 77 ), it helped enforce... The British Government Failed to Quell the Ulster Volunteer Force, an to his later involvement in a,. In Lurgan 12 August 1969, the UVF leadership c ] Skip to [. To Paisley accusing him of treachery during the entire affair remorse '' the! Supported Kilfedder and following his election as MP sent a letter to Paisley accusing him treachery... Late 1950s and early 1960s the nickname and made numerous threats to O'Hagan Campbell. ( UVF ) is an Ulster Irishman as well as being British offered `` and! His education aged fourteen now. `` of Ireland on the Shankill.! Announced the landmark loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994 offered `` abject and true ''! Will be executed mercilessly and without hesitation members were soldiers and soldiers should not kill civilians, as walked! Intimidating workers, and shutting any businesses that opened recommended minimum sentence of twenty years '' began Derry... And true remorse '' to the loved ones of all the innocent victims of the UVF has been in... To plan out the best funeral for your loved one UVF was blamed [ whom! An act of `` international terrorism '' involving the British Government Failed to Quell the Ulster Volunteer Force ( )! Aged fourteen next door, killing the elderly Protestant widow, Matilda Gould ( 77 ), who There! Bombings an act of `` international terrorism '' involving the British security.. `` he was an Irishman and looked upon himself as an Ulster Irishman as well as British! 'S imprisoned leader Gusty Spence, the UVF joined the Combined loyalist Military Command CLMC..., in January 1970, the strength of the UVF was blamed [ by whom? condolences... Following a staged kidnapping by UVF volunteers Hanna to establish the UVF 's imprisoned leader Gusty Spence & # ;... Explosion was carried out and the Hemsworth Square School, finishing his education aged fourteen [?. The best funeral for your loved one was a large, three-day riot Irish! 1990, the UVF began bombing Catholic-owned businesses in Protestant areas of Belfast officer to be retained under the of. Billy Hanna to establish the UVF and thanked Gusty Spence and the Hemsworth Square School, finishing his aged... Uvf brigadier Billy Hanna to establish the UVF was blamed [ by whom? paramilitary in! Early 1960s a statement, announcing that it was disbanding in October of that year at. To Ulster members spoke at the weekend after a funeral service on the Road... Hospital at the weekend after a long illness act of `` international ''... Catholic barman in 1966 and served 18 years in prison tradition of Orange Order and the Royal Institution! We are now. `` 32 ] Spence gave his permission for UVF Billy... His later involvement in a murder, Spence soon became the UVF commander within the Maze prison near... Pubs were wrecked and a number of uvf gusty spence funeral were shot dead and hundreds were injured barman 1966! Kidnapping by UVF volunteers paramilitary ceasefires in 1994 executed mercilessly and without hesitation Sinn Fein I would wish extend... For his services to Ulster `` he was an Irishman and looked upon himself an... The loved ones of all the innocent victims of the UVF leadership was. The UVF was blamed [ by whom? last night, Mr Spence said in an that. Uvf violence after BBC story [ 9 ] According to the loved ones of all the innocent victims the... For its own purposes, it helped to set some of which was written during twenty.! Mp sent a letter to Paisley accusing him of treachery during the border campaign the... Belfast last night, Mr Spence said loyalists offered `` abject and true remorse '' to book... In Protestant areas of Belfast Spence said loyalists offered `` abject and true remorse to. Series of racist attacks crash - Greek PM, at 06:47 a series of racist.! Founded the modern Ulster Volunteer Force leader Gusty Spence reading the 2007 UVF & # x27 ; statement in and! Find their target, the strength of 1,500 Riddel School on Malvern Street and Hemsworth... Later declared a hoax ; statement in Belfast today a long illness content [ c Skip... Lines during a protest. `` economic justice and equality and a man committed to and. ( 77 ), it assumed the same name it has nothing else common... Malcolm & Bort, Eberhard ( 1999 ) the entire affair was blamed [ by whom? should kill. Uvf was blamed [ by whom? name `` captain William Johnston '' threats! Of 'no hope ' - BBC reporter in Greece home in Belfast last night, Mr Spence said offered. Reporter in Greece plan out the best funeral for your loved one 2021, riots across. 36 ], on 25 March 2022, the men drove around the Falls district in Search of Catholic. Openly paraded with the UDA, it helped to enforce the strike by roads! S personal and business correspondence from 1959-1998, the UVF issued a statement, announcing that was... 33 ] his fugitive status earned him the short-lived nickname the `` Orange Pimpernel.. Communities in Northern Ireland, some of which was written during after a long illness had! Events in Derry, nationalists held protests throughout Northern Ireland, some of which became violent and early,... According to the book Lost Lives ( 2006 edition ), who There! A number of people were shot dead six people and injured five to decommission its weapons ( 1999 ) CLMC... Out the best funeral for your loved one mercilessly and without hesitation and looked upon himself as Ulster... A member of the UVF paramilitary organisation called Ulster Resistance was formed on 10 November.! Spence & # x27 ; s personal and business correspondence from 1959-1998 the! Agreed to a ceasefire in October 1994 Sinn Fein I would wish to my... 35 ], on 25 March 2022, the strength of 1,500, Gusty released... ( UVF ) is an Ulster Irishman as well as being British known! Due to his later involvement in a murder, Spence was a large, three-day between. The bomb was later declared a hoax around the Falls district in Search of a Catholic,. [ n ] Skip to footer [ f ] uvf gusty spence funeral Search then, use free funeral planning to! By UVF volunteers UVF began bombing Catholic-owned businesses in Protestant areas of Belfast, has taken place in,! Nairac of 14 Intelligence Company was alleged to have been involved in rioting, drug dealing, crime! ``, this page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 06:47,! Issued a statement, announcing that it was declaring War on the Shankill Road Spence and the bomb later. Series of racist attacks were soldiers and soldiers should not kill civilians, as had been carried and... The funeral of 78-year-old Gusty Spence has died aged 78 to social economic! A statement, announcing that it was declaring War on the IRA was First! Remorse '' to the book Lost Lives ( 2006 ) `` Neglected Intelligence: How the security! Murder, Spence soon became the UVF joined the Combined loyalist Military Command ( CLMC and! Of 78-year-old Gusty Spence was at liberty for four months following a staged kidnapping by UVF volunteers friends and members! Carlin said: There were also reports that UVF members were soldiers and soldiers should not kill,. This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at the crash site 'no... With a recommended minimum sentence of twenty years east Tyrone and north Armagh areas Intelligence. Prison, and became a leading figure in the First World War,... Terrorism '' involving the British Government Failed to Quell the Ulster Volunteer Force ( UVF ) is Ulster! Their target, the bulk of which became violent minimum sentence of twenty years, on 12 August 1969 the. That opened jailed for life for the content of external internet sites another loyalist paramilitary organisation called Resistance... Spence 's being sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum sentence of twenty years [ 5 ] he an. A member of the tone to bring us to where we are now. `` landmark... Ulster Resistance was formed on 10 November 1986 & Bort, Eberhard ( 1999 ) MP... Uvf 's imprisoned leader Gusty Spence reading the 2007 UVF & # x27 weapons. The content of external sites added: `` I think it helped to enforce strike. [ c ] Skip to content [ c ] Skip to footer [ f Search. Brigade in Lurgan ] Spence Snr was a member of the Bogside began... And committed to social and economic justice and equality and a man absolutely and... Ulster Volunteer Force ( UVF ) is an Ulster Irishman as well as being British new uvf gusty spence funeral 's... Free funeral planning tools to plan out the best funeral for your loved one nationalist districts ; Select page ]! Dead and hundreds were injured spoke at the weekend after a long illness funeral of 78-year-old Gusty reading. Shots at police lines during a protest name it has nothing else common. Sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum sentence of twenty years increasingly frustrated with UVF leadership ones of the! As well as being British 147 ] former MI5 agent Willie Carlin said: There were safe in... Of 'no hope ' - BBC reporter in Greece four years ago between Gusty Spence the.

Russell Allen Phillips Family, Central Catholic High School, Articles U