[16] Because of his military experience, Spence was chosen as the military commander and public face of the UVF when the group was established. Fire also engulfed the house next door, killing the elderly Protestant widow, Matilda Gould (77), who lived there. Tributes were paid to former leading loyalist paramilitary turned peacemaker Gusty Spence at his funeral in Belfast today. [37], The IRA had split into the Provisional IRA and Official IRA in December 1969. On 23 October 1972, the UVF carried out an armed raid against King's Park camp, a UDR/Territorial Army depot in Lurgan. [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. Sun 25 Sep 2011 13.46 EDT. The community centre hosting the event and 25 nearby homes were evacuated and a funeral was disrupted. "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". All were widely blamed on the IRA, and British soldiers were sent to guard installations. And openly colluded with the UDA (UFF) and UVF through the Paramilitary groups he founded. "He also sent a letter of condolence to the widow of Joe McCann, an IRA man, praising him as a soldier of Ireland.". '[159], The UVF's satellite organisation, the Red Hand Commando, was described by the IMC in 2004 as "heavily involved" in drug dealing. His funeral service is taking place at Saint Michael's church off the Shankill Road. Gusty Spence reading the 2007 UVF 'weapons beyond use' statement in Belfast. "[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and acts of intimidation by the UVF, Police Federation Chairman Terry Spence declared that the UVF ceasefire was no longer active. [46] Some of the new Brigade Staff members bore nicknames such as "Big Dog" and "Smudger". Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. The damage from security service informers started in 1983 with "supergrass" Joseph Bennett's information, which led to the arrest of fourteen senior figures. In accordance with Spence's wishes, there were no paramilitary trappings at the funeral or reference to his time in the UVF. Though, for its own purposes, it assumed the same name it has nothing else in common. [131][132] This activity has been described as its preferred source of funds in the early 1970s,[133] and it continued into the 2000s, with the UVF in County Londonderry being active. 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". 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. Wright was apparently enraged by the nickname and made numerous threats to O'Hagan and Campbell. [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. Anderson, Malcolm & Bort, Eberhard (1999). Reverend Chris Hudson, who helped broker contacts between loyalist paramilitaries and the Irish government, said that aspect of the statement was significant. 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". My experience of Gusty was as the whole man. THE self described "old UVF man", Mr Gusty Spence (64), gave a brief oration at the funeral of Mr Jim Lynch (72), a former officer commanding (OC) of the IRA, at Cootehill, Co Cavan, yesterday. of which I have been speaking. The first British soldier to be killed by the Provisional IRA died in February 1971. [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. Known IRA men will be executed mercilessly and without hesitation. 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. A number of friends and family members spoke at the service at St Michael's Church of Ireland on the Shankill Road. It would continue these tactics for the rest of its campaign. A controlled explosion was carried out and the bomb was later declared a hoax. He added: "I think it helped to set some of the tone to bring us to where we are now.". [54] This was endorsed by Gusty Spence, who issued a statement asking all UVF volunteers to support the new regime. [120] However, from 1977 bombs largely disappeared from the UVF's arsenal owing to a lack of explosives and bomb-makers, plus a conscious decision to abandon their use in favour of more contained methods. [41] Furthermore, the VPP suffered a heavy defeat in West Belfast in the October 1974 general election, when the DUP candidate John McQuade captured six times as many votes as the VPP's Ken Gibson. These attacks were stepped up in the late 1980s and early 1990s, particularly in the east Tyrone and north Armagh areas. The British Army were deployed on the streets of Northern Ireland. One of the first UVF members to be convicted of murder, Spence was a senior figure in the organisation for over a decade. He was jailed for life for the murder of a Catholic barman in 1966 and served 18 years in prison. Is UVFs Beast in the East behind new wave of riots? Brian Ervine said: "His contribution to the peace is incalculable and without him, probably the paramilitaries would still be at war. [72], On 12 February 2006, The Observer reported that the UVF was to disband by the end of 2006. Both of them shared "a deep sense of history", and he spoke of Mr Lynch's "lasting ambition" to see peace in Ireland. 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). After several years away from the spotlight, Spence was again asked to read the statement, a role which senior loyalists said was indicative of his significance within Northern Ireland loyalism. [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. The crowds included a leader of the loyalist Ulster Defence Association Jackie McDonald. [142] Its main benefactors have been in central Scotland,[143] Liverpool,[144] Preston[144] and the Toronto area of Canada. Read about our approach to external linking. 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". Until recent years,[12] it was noted for secrecy and a policy of limited, selective membership. On 17 February 1979, the UVF carried out its only major attack in Scotland, when its members bombed two pubs in Glasgow frequented by Irish-Scots Catholics. [134] Like the IRA, the UVF also operated black taxi services,[135][136][137] a scheme believed to have generated 100,000 annually for the organisation. 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. "While the talks may be slow, they are the only glint on the horizon, he said. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric'. "He was an Irishman and looked upon himself as an Ulster Irishman as well as being British. [106][107] This uniform, based on those of the original UVF, was introduced in the early 1970s. [128] Information regarding the role of women in the UVF is limited. 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. [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. [29], On 12 August 1969, the "Battle of the Bogside" began in Derry. Mark Davenport from the BBC has stated that he spoke to a drug dealer who told him that he paid Billy Wright protection money. The Reverend Martin Smyth was influential in Spence' being thrown out the Orange Order. [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. 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. [39], The following year, 1972, was the most violent of the Troubles. He will be buried in Bangor after a funeral service on the Shankill Road. Colin Wallace, part of the intelligence apparatus of the British Army, asserted in an internal memo in 1975 that MI6 and RUC Special Branch formed a pseudo-gang within the UVF, designed to engage in violence and to subvert the tentative moves of some in the UVF towards the political process. He later became involved in politics and announced the landmark loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994. The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group. [29], On 12 October, a loyalist protest in the Shankill became violent. Spence's biographer Roy Garland said he had formed unlikely relationships and challenged conventional loyalist thinking. The UVF very clearly have involvement in drug dealing, all forms of gangsterism, serious assaults, intimidation of the community. 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. The incumbent Chief of Staff, is alleged to be John "Bunter" Graham, referred to by Martin Dillon as "Mr. Available for both RF and RM licensing. Mharaigh na Bistir thart ar 23 Caitliceach agus 8 Protastnach, dream dlseoir sceapatacha a d'fhuadaigh, a chiapaigh agus . The newspaper also reported that the group refused to decommission its weapons. 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". RT is not responsible for the content of external internet sites. The group had been proscribed in July 1966, but this ban was lifted on 4 April 1974 by Merlyn Rees, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, in an effort to bring the UVF into the democratic process. "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. [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. It began carrying out gun attacks to kill random Catholic civilians and using car bombs to attack Catholic-owned pubs. 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. [40] Following Merlyn Rees' decision to legalise the UVF in 1974, Spence encouraged them to enter politics and supported the establishment of the Volunteer Political Party. Also, why did the author not probe the close relationship between Gusty Spence and the RHC? Leading public figures were among the mourners, including former senior civil servant Maurice Hayes, former head of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Monica McWilliams, and trade unionist Peter Bunting. 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. He added: "I think it helped to set some of the tone to bring us to where we are now.". But despite the statement, the UVF was subsequently involved in sporadic violence, including several murders. [9] According to the book Lost Lives (2006 edition), it was responsible for 569 killings. In October, UVF and UPV member Thomas McDowell was killed by the bomb he was planting at Ballyshannon power station. [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. "On behalf of Sinn Fein I would wish to extend my condolences to his family at this time.". Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos Brian Ervine said: "His contribution to the peace is incalculable and without him, probably the paramilitaries would still be at war. It was during his time in the Maze prison that Spence began to talk politics and encouraged others to do the same. Wright is believed to have dealt mainly in Ecstasy tablets in the early 90s. The widow of former PUP leader David Ervine, Jeanette, also attended. 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. [43] Jackson was allegedly the hitman who shot Hanna dead outside his home in Lurgan. Augustus Andrew "Gusty" 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. Hundreds of mourners have attended the funeral of the former loyalist leader Gusty Spence. Biographer Roy Garland said he had formed unlikely relationships and challenged conventional loyalist thinking [ 46 ] some of tone. Newspaper also reported that the UVF was to disband by the Provisional IRA died in February 1971 referred to Martin. 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