The latter had formally asked Spence for his daughter's hand in marriage during a prison visit. [34] Spence was arrested along with around thirty other men at a UVF drinking club in Brennan Street; but after giving a false name, he was released. In the 1960s, he founded the modern Ulster Volunteer Force, an organisation which was responsible for hundreds of sectarian murders during the Troubles. Accueil / Non class / gusty spence funeral; 15 Sep 0. gusty spence funeral . [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. From that time until the early 1990s the Mid-Ulster Brigade was led by Robin "the Jackal" Jackson, who then passed the leadership to Billy Wright. After the Troubles began, an Orange-Canadian loyalist organization known as the Canadian Ulster Loyalist Association (CULA) sprang to life to provide the 'besieged' Protestants with the resources to arm themselves. [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. Read about our approach to external linking. Nicholas Vella, a 14-year veteran of the Huntington Beach Police . This era also saw a more widespread targeting on the UVF's part of IRA and Sinn Fin members, beginning with the killing of senior IRA member Larry Marley[62] and a failed attempt on the life of a leading republican which left three Catholic civilians dead. He will be buried in Bangor after a funeral service on the Shankill Road. It was the UVF's deadliest attack in Northern Ireland, and the deadliest attack in Belfast during the Troubles. He was jailed for life for the murder of a Catholic barman in 1966 and served 18 years in prison. Drong de dhnmharfir srathacha ab ea Bistir na Seanchille a bh gnomhach i m Bal Feirste sna 1970id. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. However, the year leading up to the loyalist ceasefire, which took place shortly after the Provisional IRA ceasefire, saw some of the worst sectarian killings carried out by loyalists during the Troubles. Gusty Spence, who has died aged 78, was the . 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. They shot John Scullion, a Catholic civilian, as he walked home. This collection contains Gusty Spence's personal and business correspondence from 1959-1998, the bulk of which was written during . The UVF's Mid-Ulster Brigade carried out further attacks during this same period. Captain Robert Nairac of 14 Intelligence Company was alleged to have been involved in many acts of UVF violence. The community centre hosting the event and 25 nearby homes were evacuated and a funeral was disrupted. [115] They always signed their statements with the fictitious name "Captain William Johnston". The statement also included a warning that activities could "provoke another generation of loyalists toward armed resistance". These attacks were stepped up in the late 1980s and early 1990s, particularly in the east Tyrone and north Armagh areas. 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. Whether you need additional information, document your wishes without paying or to arrange and pre-fund your funeral, Berenice is ready to listen and provide assistance. She is committed to explaining your options. Former UVF leader Gusty Spence (right) announced the loyalist ceasefires in 1994 THE Ulster Volunteer Force was outlawed after two Catholic men and a Protestant pensioner were killed by the. [57] In 1976, Tommy West was replaced with "Mr. F" who is alleged to be John "Bunter" Graham, who remains the incumbent Chief of Staff to date. In 1971, these ramped up their activity against the British Army and RUC. On the basis of that, we as a federation have called for the respecification of the UVF [stating that its ceasefire is over]. Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric'. This gang was led by Lenny Murphy. Independentie. 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. 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. [11] During the conflict, its deadliest attack in Northern Ireland was the 1971 McGurk's Bar bombing, which killed fifteen civilians. DeSantis won't say he's running. 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. 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. [92], During the Belfast City Hall flag protests of 201213, senior UVF members were confirmed to have actively been involved in orchestrating violence and rioting against the PSNI and the Alliance Party throughout Northern Ireland during the weeks of disorder. Thousands of families, mostly Catholics, were forced to flee their homes and refugee camps were set up in the Republic of Ireland. The incumbent Chief of Staff, is alleged to be John "Bunter" Graham, referred to by Martin Dillon as "Mr. Scores of houses and businesses were burnt out, most of them owned by Catholics. In the 1960s, he founded the Ulster Volunteer Force, which was responsible for hundreds of murders during the Troubles. The coffin, covered with the flag of the Ulster Rifles and his beret, of former UVF leader Gusty Spence passes a UVF mural along the Shankill Road in Belfast after his funeral at St Michael's Church. The funeral of 78-year-old Gusty Spence, the former leader of the UVF paramilitary organisation, has taken place in Belfast. [2] In 1978, Spence left the UVF altogether. [76][77][78], In January 2008, the UVF was accused of involvement in vigilante action against alleged criminals in Belfast. [5] He was educated at the Riddel School on Malvern Street and the Hemsworth Square school, finishing his education aged fourteen. The group undertook an armed campaign of almost thirty years during The Troubles. It was during his time in the Maze prison that Spence began to talk politics and encouraged others to do the same. He was born in the Shankill Road area of Belfast. [35], Spence's time on the outside came to an end on 4 November when he was captured by Colonel Derek Wilford of the Parachute Regiment, who identified Spence by tattoos on his hands. [66] The UVF also killed senior IRA paramilitary members Liam Ryan, John 'Skipper' Burns and Larry Marley. However, RUC Special Branch believed that his brother Billy, who kept a much lower public profile, was the real leader of the group. Anderson, Malcolm & Bort, Eberhard (1999). It would continue these tactics for the rest of its campaign. [2] He was sent to Crumlin Road Prison. The Irish Army set up field hospitals near the border. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former British Army soldier from Northern Ireland.The group undertook an armed campaign of almost thirty years during The Troubles.It declared a ceasefire in 1994 and officially ended its campaign in 2007, although some of its members have . Spence now argued that UVF members were soldiers and soldiers should not kill civilians, as had been the case at McGurk's Bar. Tributes were paid to former leading loyalist paramilitary turned peacemaker Gusty Spence at his funeral in Belfast today. [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. 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. [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. Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric'. [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. Reverend Chris Hudson, who helped broker contacts between loyalist paramilitaries and the Irish government, said that aspect of the statement was significant. Is UVFs Beast in the East behind new wave of riots? . In February, it began to target critics of militant loyalism the homes of MPs Austin Currie, Sheelagh Murnaghan, Richard Ferguson and Anne Dickson were attacked with improvised bombs. [142] Its main benefactors have been in central Scotland,[143] Liverpool,[144] Preston[144] and the Toronto area of Canada. Two members of the group survived the attack and later testified against those responsible. "[23] It was led by Gusty Spence, formerly a soldier in the British Army. 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. This was a large, three-day riot between Irish nationalists and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). [43] Jackson was allegedly the hitman who shot Hanna dead outside his home in Lurgan. Spence grew increasingly frustrated with UVF leadership, and left the organization altogether in 1978. Find the perfect gusty spence funeral stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. 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. SENIOR UVF figures have warned loyalists will "wreck the place" and "the streets will be in flames" if any Brexit deal between the UK and EU does not . 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