After his release December 1984, Spence was a key figure in developing UVF thinking and indirectly its political wing, the Progressive Unionist Party. 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. [21] In April 1966, Ulster loyalists led by Ian Paisley, a Protestant fundamentalist preacher, founded the Ulster Constitution Defence Committee (UCDC). The UVF's last major attack was the 1994 Loughinisland massacre, in which its members shot dead six Catholic civilians in a rural pub. The unnamed woman stated, "When you go out and throw a petrol bomb through a widow's window, you're no peacemaker. The 78-year-old died in hospital at the weekend after a long illness. The charges were dropped but later in 1966 he was given life for the murder of Peter Ward, who had called in to a Shankill Road bar with Catholic workmates and was shot dead as he left. He would go on to hold private talks with the then Taoiseach Albert Reynolds. Is UVFs Beast in the East behind new wave of riots? [20], In October 1966, Spence was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Ward, although Spence has always claimed he was innocent. However, following significant political pressure, the UVF claimed in 2007 that it was decommissioning its weapons. However, following significant political pressure, the UVF claimed in 2007 that it was decommissioning its weapons. Then, use free funeral planning tools to plan out the best funeral for your loved one. "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.". Birgen, Julia. "[23] It was led by Gusty Spence, formerly a soldier in the British Army. Two UVF members, Harris Boyle and Wesley Somerville, were accidentally killed by their own bomb while carrying out this attack. 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. Gusty Spence funeral to have no . There were no paramilitary trappings as mourners carried the coffin of the loyalist leader. [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. "The Dublin and Monaghan bombings: Cover-up and incompetence". ", "Ulster Volunteer Force is no longer on ceasefire, police warn", "Gary Haggarty: Ex-senior loyalist pleads guilty to 200 terror charges", "Police seize drugs and arrest 11 during raids on east Belfast UVF", "Nine men charged after east Belfast UVF police raids", "Brexit: loyalist paramilitary groups renounce Good Friday agreement", "NI riots: What is behind the violence in Northern Ireland? Spence's biographer Roy Garland said he had formed unlikely relationships and challenged conventional loyalist thinking. 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. But despite the statement, the UVF was subsequently involved in sporadic violence, including several murders. Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric'. Tributes were paid to former leading loyalist paramilitary turned peacemaker Gusty Spence at his funeral in Belfast today. [27][28] Spence respected some Irish republican paramilitaries, who he felt also lived as soldiers, and to this end he wrote a sympathetic letter to the widow of Official IRA leader Joe McCann after he was killed in 1972. [3] Spence Snr was a member of the Ulster Volunteers and had fought in the First World War. Until recent years,[12] it was noted for secrecy and a policy of limited, selective membership. [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. 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. Augustus (Gusty) Spence Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), Protestant paramilitary organization founded in Northern Ireland in 1966. [30] There were bombings on 30 March, 4 April, 20 April, 24 April and 26 April. [146][147] Former MI5 agent Willie Carlin said: There were safe houses in Glasgow and Stirling. [121][122] The UVF did not return to regular bombings until the early 1990s when it obtained a quantity of the mining explosive Powergel. The 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. 2023 BBC. The Sunday World's offices were also firebombed. [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. [32][33] There were further attacks in the Republic between October and December 1969. The gunmen shot dead six people and injured five. A man committed to social and economic justice and equality and a man absolutely devoted and committed to his wife and family.. [108], The UVF's stated goal was to combat Irish republicanism particularly the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and maintain Northern Ireland's status as part of the United Kingdom. It comprises high-ranking officers under a Chief of Staff or Brigadier-General. He was the first RUC officer to be killed during the Troubles. [26], On 26 June, the group shot dead a Catholic civilian and wounded two others as they left a pub on Malvern Street, Belfast. Known IRA men will be executed mercilessly and without hesitation. The UVF stated that the attempted attack was a protest against the Irish Army units "still massed on the border in County Donegal". The UVF's leadership is based in Belfast and known as the Brigade Staff. [6] He was also a member of the Church Lads' Brigade, a Church of Ireland group and the Junior Orange Order. [28], By 1969, the Catholic civil rights movement had escalated its protest campaign, and O'Neill had promised them some concessions. The Reverend Martin Smyth was influential in Spence' being thrown out the Orange Order. . [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. The first Independent Monitoring Commission report in April 2004 described the UVF/RHC as "relatively small" with "a few hundred" active members "based mainly in the Belfast and immediately adjacent areas". Mr Spence was convicted for the murder of one of the victims, 18-year-old Peter Ward, who was shot dead after being identified as a Catholic while he drank in a mainly Protestant pub. [54] This was endorsed by Gusty Spence, who issued a statement asking all UVF volunteers to support the new regime. 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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. The party's former leader Dawn Purvis told his funeral in the loyalist heartland of Belfasts Shankill Road that Mr Spence became involved in violence in the 1960s. It would continue these tactics for the rest of its campaign. He will be buried in Bangor after a funeral service on the Shankill Road. All were widely blamed on the IRA, and British soldiers were sent to guard installations. One of the first UVF members to be convicted of murder, Spence was a senior figure in the organisation for over a decade. Recently it has emerged from the Police Ombudsman that senior North Belfast UVF member and Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) Special Branch informant Mark Haddock has been involved in drug dealing. Read about our approach to external linking. The crowds included a leader of the loyalist Ulster Defence Association Jackie McDonald. of which I have been speaking. None the less, they ransacked the house and stole Spence's army medals, while the Spence family were forced to stay off the Shankill for the entirety of the loyalist feud. 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. This building had been an important training centre for members of Edward Carson's original UVF. [55], However, a granddaughter of Matilda Gould, a 74-year-old Protestant widow who had died from burns sustained in the UVF's attempted bombing of a Catholic bar next door to her home, objected to Spence being called a "peacemaker" and described him as a "bad evil man". On 7 May 1966, loyalists petrol bombed a Catholic-owned pub in the loyalist Shankill area of Belfast. 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. [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. [21] The shootings led to Spence's being sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum sentence of twenty years. In the 1960s, he founded the Ulster Volunteer Force, which was responsible for hundreds of murders during the Troubles. [9] According to the book Lost Lives (2006 edition), it was responsible for 569 killings. The incumbent Chief of Staff, is alleged to be John "Bunter" Graham, referred to by Martin Dillon as "Mr. Adair's men forced their way into Spence's Shankill home but found it empty, as Spence tended to spend much of the summer at a caravan he owned in Groomsport. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Two members of the group survived the attack and later testified against those responsible. [40] These were all subordinate to the Brigade Staff. The 78-year-old died in hospital at the weekend after a long illness. He was sworn in soon afterwards in a ceremony held in secret near Pomeroy, County Tyrone. When the prisoner was unable to provide one, Spence would then seek to convince them of the wisdom of his more politicised path, something that he accomplished with Mitchell. He did not specify what activities or what was being resisted. Anderson, Malcolm & Bort, Eberhard (1999). [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. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. 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". [2] In 1978, Spence left the UVF altogether. The widow of former PUP leader David Ervine, Jeanette, also attended. Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric'. "He also sent a letter of condolence to the widow of Joe McCann, an IRA man, praising him as a soldier of Ireland.". Gusty Spence received primary education at Riddell Memorial (1938-43) and Hemsworth Square (1943-7) public elementary schools, both in the Shankill area. The statement also included a warning that activities could "provoke another generation of loyalists toward armed resistance". 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. Also, why did the author not probe the close relationship between Gusty Spence and the RHC? 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 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. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. The 78-year-old had been ill for some time. Wednesday, 15 February 2023 | 10.2 . Referring to its activity in the early and mid-1970s, journalist Ed Moloney described no-warning pub bombings as the UVF's "forte". "Overstating and Misjudging the Prospects of Civil War: The Ulster Volunteer Force and the Irish Volunteers in the Home Rule Crisis, 19121914." 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. [155], Billy Wright, the commander of the UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade, is believed to have started dealing drugs in 1991[156] as a lucrative sideline to paramilitary murder. [80], In the twentieth IMC report, the group was said to be continuing to put its weapons "beyond reach", (in the group's own words) to downsize, and reduce the criminality of the group. The ferry [between Scotland and Northern Ireland] was pivotal in getting arms into the north and anything like checkpoints, or armed police and Army in Scotland would have b******d that all up.[148] An Irish government memo written by David Donoghue stated: "The commonest contribution of Scots UDA and UVF is to send gelignite. Wright is believed to have dealt mainly in Ecstasy tablets in the early 90s. [5] The family home was 66 Joseph Street in an area of the lower Shankill known colloquially as "the Hammer". Edward's son Ronnie was active in the Official IRA and then the INLA, serving a sentence on the INLA wing of the Maze prison while his uncle was on the UVF wing. [20], Since 1964 and the formation of the Campaign for Social Justice, there had been a growing civil rights campaign in Northern Ireland, seeking to highlight discrimination against Catholics by the unionist government of Northern Ireland. In the 1960s, he founded the modern Ulster Volunteer Force, an organisation which was responsible for hundreds of sectarian murders during the Troubles. The damage from security service informers started in 1983 with "supergrass" Joseph Bennett's information, which led to the arrest of fourteen senior figures. This gang was led by Lenny Murphy. Captain Robert Nairac of 14 Intelligence Company was alleged to have been involved in many acts of UVF violence. 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. Correspondence includes Spence's correspondence with leaders and imprisoned members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and letters concerning his imprisonment originally . It claimed the pubs were used for republican fundraising. Berenice's Cremation & Burial Care offers qualified funeral services in La Habra, CA, 90631. [76][77][78], In January 2008, the UVF was accused of involvement in vigilante action against alleged criminals in Belfast. Spence told Radio Ulster that the UVF had been "engaged in murder, attempted murder of civilians, attempted murder of police officers. [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. Secret memo says explosives were shipped in small boats", "The Canadian Dimension to the Northern Ireland Conflict", "BBC - The Devenport Diaries: Remembering Billy Wright", "Sutton Index of Deaths: Crosstabulations (two-way tables)", "Sutton Index of Deaths: Status of the person killed", CAIN University of Ulster Conflict Archive, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ulster_Volunteer_Force&oldid=1142049756, May 1966 present (on ceasefire since October 1994; officially ended armed campaign in May 2007), Unnamed Chief of Staff (1974 October 1975). [9] Spence served until 1961 when ill-health forced him to leave. 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. Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. [123][124], The strength of the UVF is uncertain. He initially refused and went on to attend his daughter's wedding. "He was an Irishman and looked upon himself as an Ulster Irishman as well as being British. [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). She died of her injuries on 27 June. Independentie. 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". Get in touch with us now to get the service you need. Ontario is to Ulster Protestants what Boston is to Irish Catholics." Spence joined the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP), becoming a leading figure in the group. [24] The murder of Ward was, however, repudiated by Paisley and condemned in his Protestant Telegraph, sealing the split between the two. Assistant chief constable Drew Harris in a statement said "The UVF are subject to an organised crime investigation as an organised crime group. RT.ie is the website of Raidi Teilifs ireann, Ireland's National Public Service Media. It began carrying out gun attacks to kill random Catholic civilians and using car bombs to attack Catholic-owned pubs. [145], Scotland was a source of funding and aid, supplying explosives and guns. [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. Loyalists were successful in importing arms into Northern Ireland. We are heavily armed Protestants dedicated to this cause. Mr Spence was brought up in the Shankill, but was forced out in later years by loyalists opposed to his defence of the peace process and his opposition to continued paramilitary activity. According to the Belfast Telegraph, "70 separate police intelligence reports implicating the north Belfast UVF man in dealing cannabis, Ecstasy, amphetamines and cocaine. "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. [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. [3] Spence was the sixth of seven children, their birth order being Billy, Cassie, Jim, Bobby, Ned junior, Gusty and Lily. At the same time, he distanced himself from any policy of random murders of Catholics. In line with Mr Spences wishes, his coffin was draped with the flag of the Royal Ulster Rifles, the British army regiment in which he served for six years before he joined the UVF in the 1960s. [11] He was also a member of the Royal Black Institution and the Apprentice Boys of Derry. They shot John Scullion, a Catholic civilian, as he walked home. [47] Spence went on to become a leading advocate for the Good Friday Agreement. Read about our approach to external linking. [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. [4] He married Isabella "Bella" Hayes, Gusty Spence's mother, in 1919. 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. He later became involved in politics and announced the landmark loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994. [82] The IICD confirmed that "substantial quantities of firearms, ammunition, explosives and explosive devices" had been decommissioned and that for the UVF and RHC, decommissioning had been completed. [32] He was returned to Crumlin Road gaol soon afterwards, where he shared a cell with William "Plum" Smith, one of the Red Hand Commandos whom he had met upon his initial release and who had since been jailed for attempted murder. 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. Formed in 1965,[7] it first emerged in 1966. The group undertook an armed campaign of almost thirty years during The Troubles. Former Ulster Volunteer Force leader Gusty Spence has died aged 78. He was buried in Bangor.[57][58]. 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