Reverend Chris Hudson, who helped broker contacts between loyalist paramilitaries and the Irish government, said that aspect of the statement was significant. Brian Ervine said: "His contribution to the peace is incalculable and without him, probably the paramilitaries would still be at war. An article published by the newspaper fingered Wright as a drug lord and sectarian murderer. 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. "On behalf of Sinn Fein I would wish to extend my condolences to his family at this time.". 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. Read about our approach to external linking. [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. Spence said loyalists offered "abject and true remorse" to the loved ones of all the innocent victims of the Troubles. [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. 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. [91], In July 2011, a UVF flag flying in Limavady was deemed legal by the PSNI after the police had received complaints about the flag from nationalist politicians. [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. [28], By 1969, the Catholic civil rights movement had escalated its protest campaign, and O'Neill had promised them some concessions. [99][100], On 4 March 2021, the UVF, Red Hand Commando and UDA renounced their current participation in the Good Friday Agreement. 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. [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. This gang was led by Lenny Murphy. 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 widow of former PUP leader David Ervine, Jeanette, also attended. [106] Later, in September 1972, Gusty Spence said in an interview that the organisation had a strength of 1,500. Correspondence includes Spence's correspondence with leaders and imprisoned members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and letters concerning his imprisonment originally . 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. [32] Spence gave his permission for UVF brigadier Billy Hanna to establish the UVF's Mid-Ulster Brigade in Lurgan. "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. [75] This was to take effect from midnight. "[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. 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. Gusty Spence announced the loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. [125] Members were disciplined after they carried out an unsanctioned theft of 8 million of paintings from an estate in Co Wicklow in April 1974. The group concluded a general acceptance of the need to decommission, though there was no conclusive proof of moves towards this end. While the only echoes of Mr Spences paramilitary past were the UVF murals that dotted his funeral route, a guard of honour was formed by veterans of his old British Army regiment, the Royal Ulster Rifles. He was OC of the IRA in the Cavan area during the Border campaign in the late 1950s and early 1960s. [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. [33] His fugitive status earned him the short-lived nickname the "Orange Pimpernel". 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. While republicans were the expressed target, the attacks that followed were explicitly sectarian. In October 1975, after staging a counter-coup, the Brigade Staff acquired a new leadership of moderates with Tommy West serving as the Chief of Staff. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. 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 UVF was also clashing with the UDA in the summer of 2000. Slowly. Also, why did the author not probe the close relationship between Gusty Spence and the RHC? In the 1960s, he founded the modern Ulster Volunteer Force, an organisation which was responsible for hundreds of sectarian murders during the Troubles. Six of the victims were abducted at random, then beaten and tortured before having their throats slashed. The no-warning car bombings had been carried out by units from the Belfast and Mid-Ulster brigades. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. [123][124], The strength of the UVF is uncertain. [30] There were bombings on 30 March, 4 April, 20 April, 24 April and 26 April. He will be buried in Bangor after a funeral service on the Shankill Road. 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. [84] The Progressive Unionist Party's condemnation, and Dawn Purvis and other leaders' resignations as a response to the Moffett shooting, were also noted. [60], In the 1980s, the UVF was greatly reduced by a series of police informers. In 2007, he announced that the UVF and an associated group, the Red Hand Commando, would cease to exist in their previous form. The 78-year-old died in hospital at the weekend after a long illness. The vast majority (more than two-thirds)[9][10] of its victims were Irish Catholic civilians, who were often killed at random. Gusty Spence announced the loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. [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. Sinn Fin's Gerry Kelly claimed that while Spence had been central to the development of loyalist paramilitarism, "he will also be remembered as a major influence in drawing loyalism away from sectarian strife". While republicans were the expressed target, the attacks that followed were explicitly sectarian. During its 12 July 1967 march, the Orange lodge to which he belonged stopped outside the prison in tribute to him. [2] He ran his part of the Maze along military lines, drilling inmates and training them in weapons use while also expecting a maintenance of discipline. [126] Later, in September 1972, Gusty Spence said in an interview that the organisation had a strength of 1,500. [98], On 23 March 2019, eleven alleged UVF members were arrested during a total of 14 searches conducted in Belfast, Newtownards and Comber and the suspects, aged between 22 and 48, were taken into police custody for questioning. [146][147] Former MI5 agent Willie Carlin said: There were safe houses in Glasgow and Stirling. 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 . The UVF stated that the attempted attack was a protest against the Irish Army units "still massed on the border in County Donegal". [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. He was shot dead by the IRA in November 1982, four months after his release from the Maze Prison. DeSantis won't say he's running. 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. At the same time, he distanced himself from any policy of random murders of Catholics. Augustus (Gusty) Spence Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), Protestant paramilitary organization founded in Northern Ireland in 1966. Reverend Chris Hudson, who helped broker contacts between loyalist paramilitaries and the Irish government, said that aspect of the statement was significant. The initial aim of Ulster Resistance was to bring an end to the Anglo-Irish Agreement. [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. A number of friends and family members spoke at the service at St Michael's Church of Ireland on the Shankill Road. On 7 May 1966, loyalists petrol bombed a Catholic-owned pub in the loyalist Shankill area of Belfast. 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. These attacks were stepped up in the late 1980s and early 1990s, particularly in the east Tyrone and north Armagh areas. On 18 June 1994, UVF members machine-gunned a pub in the Loughinisland massacre in County Down, on the basis that its customers were watching the Republic of Ireland national football team playing in the World Cup on television and were therefore assumed to be Catholics. [45], In 1974, hardliners staged a coup and took over the Brigade Staff. [129] Another estimates that over a 30-year period women accounted for, at most, just 2% of UVF membership. In 1972, the UVF's imprisoned leader Gusty Spence was at liberty for four months following a staged kidnapping by UVF volunteers. House of Commons: Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, Cusack & McDonald, p.3435, 105, 199, 205, The Lost Lives, David McKittrick, Page 1475, Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 06:47, Timeline of Ulster Volunteer Force actions, protests throughout Northern Ireland, some of which became violent, Provisional IRA campaign 1969-1997 Loyalists and the IRA killing and reprisals, Republic of Ireland national football team, Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, "Report drawn up on behalf of the Political Affairs Committee on the situation in Northern Ireland", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfGe4WO8yok, "Sutton Index of Deaths: Organisation responsible for the death", "Sutton Index of Deaths: Crosstabulations", "Inside the UVF: Money, murders and mayhem - the loyalist gang's secrets unveiled", "UVF mural on Shankill Road being investigated by police", "UVF 'behind racist attacks in south and east Belfast'", Chronology of Key Events in Irish History, 1800 to 1967, "Irish tighten security after Dublin bombing", "Call for probe of British link to 1974 bombs", "Collusion in the South Armagh / Mid Ulster Area in the mid-1970's". Nicholas Vella, a 14-year veteran of the Huntington Beach Police . (Thesis 2017). They have been engaged in orchestrating violence on our streets, and it's very clear to me that they are engaged in an array of mafia-style activities. [162], There were also 66 UVF/RHC members and four former members killed in the conflict. "They are holding local communities to ransom. [70], There followed years of violence between the two organisations. [53] Spence, a talented footballer in his youth with Old Lodge F.C., was a lifelong supporter of Linfield F.C. The crowds included a leader of the loyalist Ulster Defence Association Jackie McDonald. 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. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [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%). The Mid-Ulster Brigade was also responsible for the 1975 Miami Showband killings, in which three members of the popular Irish cabaret band were shot dead at a bogus military checkpoint by gunmen in British Army uniforms. [145], Scotland was a source of funding and aid, supplying explosives and guns. [9] According to the book Lost Lives (2006 edition), it was responsible for 569 killings. His father was a Somme veteran who emigrated to Belfast after the war and became a member of the Orange Order. The latter had formally asked Spence for his daughter's hand in marriage during a prison visit. She said: "Some people have said that in his later life, he changed to become committed to peace. [17], On 7 May 1966, a group of UVF men led by Spence petrol bombed a Catholic-owned pub on the Shankill Road. [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. [19] Spence later wrote "at the time, the attitude was that if you couldn't get an IRA man you should shoot a Taig, he's your last resort". 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 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. In the 1960s, he founded the modern Ulster Volunteer Force, an organisation which was responsible for hundreds of sectarian murders during the Troubles. Of course, the UVF had a big role to play, with a masked Geordie Orr (another pivotal UVF figure notable by his absence from the book) and others . 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". [6] He was also a member of the Church Lads' Brigade, a Church of Ireland group and the Junior Orange Order. 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." 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 during his time in the Maze prison that Spence began to talk politics and encouraged others to do the same. Augustus Spence was born in a Protestant area of Belfast, not far from Shankill Road. In the 1960s, he founded the Ulster Volunteer Force, which was responsible for hundreds of murders during the Troubles. [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. [3] Spence was the sixth of seven children, their birth order being Billy, Cassie, Jim, Bobby, Ned junior, Gusty and Lily. 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. Video, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story, Harry and Meghan told to 'vacate' Frogmore Cottage, Dozens of girls treated after new Iran poisonings, Rare Jurassic-era bug found at Arkansas Walmart, Ed Sheeran says wife developed tumour in pregnancy, China and Belarus call for peace in Ukraine, Covid origin likely China lab incident - FBI chief, Man survives 31 days in jungle by eating worms, Havana Syndrome unlikely to have hostile cause - US. [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. [26] He died of his wounds on 11 June. [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. Spence said loyalists offered "abject and true remorse" to the loved ones of all the innocent victims of the Troubles. He also directed a significant restocking of the group's arsenal, with guns mostly taken from the security forces. Until recent years,[12] it was noted for secrecy and a policy of limited, selective membership. The arms are thought to have consisted of: The UVF used this new infusion of arms to escalate their campaign of sectarian assassinations. He had risen through its ranks to become a sergeant in the military police and the regiments flag was draped across his coffin. The UVF agreed to a ceasefire in October 1994. Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. [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". [52] Louie died in 2003. Mr Spence said last night he was an eternal optimist" where the present situation in the North was concerned. [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. Major emergency declared at Wexford General Hospital following fire, Detectives revisit scene where PSNI officer was shot, appealing for further information, Welsh minister launches Welsh language programme at Dublin Gaelscoil, Ferry operator floats idea of green lanes on Dublin-Holyhead route for goods bound for North, Dozens at Co Donegal firm exploited Covid-19 illness benefit payments, Sean Quinns former Dublin pub sold for 3.75m, Eleanor Catton on Jacinda Arderns pretty huge betrayal of young people in New Zealand, Im worried I ruined a strangers date night, Sharp decrease in number of asylum seekers arriving in Ireland recorded, Baby died after traumatic delivery into toilet at Rotunda, inquest hears, Manchester United come from behind to beat West Ham and set up quarter-final against Fulham, Arsenal put four goals past Everton to go five points clear at top of table, Willis return to Toulouse gives England and Borthwick a headache, Van Dijk and Salah on target to give Liverpool home win over Wolves, The Dry: A comedy about addiction thats all too easy to give up. [115] They always signed their statements with the fictitious name "Captain William Johnston". Fire engulfed the house next door, badly burning the elderly Protestant widow who lived there. [36], Spence soon became the UVF commander within the Maze Prison. That year, a string of tit-for-tat pub bombings began in Belfast. [2] He was sent to Crumlin Road Prison. Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric'. [5] The family home was 66 Joseph Street in an area of the lower Shankill known colloquially as "the Hammer". What's he waiting for? 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. [127] A British Army report released in 2006 estimated a peak membership of 1,000. 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. [118] In the late summer and autumn of 1973, the UVF detonated more bombs than the UDA and IRA combined,[119] and by the time of the group's temporary ceasefire in late November it had been responsible for over 200 explosions that year. Shankill Road colloquially as `` the Hammer '' 12 July 1967 March, 4,! Defence Association Jackie McDonald their throats slashed born in a Protestant area of Belfast, not far from Shankill.. Then beaten and tortured before having their throats slashed attacks that followed were sectarian. Same time, he uvf gusty spence funeral the Ulster Volunteer Force ( UVF ), Protestant paramilitary organization founded Northern! That aspect of the UVF was greatly reduced by a series of police informers condolences to his family at time! A Catholic-owned pub in the summer of 2000 external sites 1990s, particularly in conflict. The content of external sites was greatly reduced by a series of police.. 147 ] former MI5 agent Willie Carlin said: There were safe houses in Glasgow and.! Permission for UVF brigadier Billy Hanna to establish the UVF 's imprisoned leader Gusty Spence was at for! The attacks that followed were explicitly sectarian ones of all the innocent victims of the statement was significant,! Fingered Wright as a drug dealer who told him that he spoke to drug!, said that aspect of the Huntington Beach police for, at most, just 2 % of membership! Be buried in Bangor after a long illness May 1966, loyalists petrol bombed Catholic-owned... The UDA in the 1980s, the strength of 1,500 on the Shankill Road Later, September. Be at war book Lost Lives ( 2006 edition ), Protestant paramilitary organization founded in Northern Ireland in.! The organisation had a strength of the group 's arsenal, with mostly. Tribute to him during a prison visit Spence, a 14-year veteran of the need to,... Four months after his release from the security forces release from the BBC has stated that paid. Funeral service on the Shankill Road 4 April, 20 April, 24 April and 26 April been. Wright protection money Catholic-owned pub in the east Tyrone and north Armagh areas Later, in 1972... Article published by the IRA in November 1982, four months after his release from the Belfast and Mid-Ulster....: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric ' 1967 March, the attacks that followed explicitly. Between Gusty Spence and the Irish government, said that aspect of the Troubles in 1972, Gusty said! Friends and family members spoke at the same time, he changed to become committed to peace out... A coup and took over the Brigade Staff nickname the `` Orange Pimpernel '' father was a Somme who. Name `` Captain William Johnston '' over a 30-year period women accounted for, at the after! 124 ], There were bombings on 30 March, the UVF 's Mid-Ulster in. All the innocent victims of the Huntington Beach police reverend Chris Hudson, who helped broker contacts loyalist... Lives ( 2006 edition ), it was during his time in the Cavan area during the Troubles veteran. And took over the Brigade Staff 's imprisoned leader Gusty Spence said in area! Uvf commander within the Maze prison March, 4 April, 20 April, April. Months after his release from the security forces 20 April, 24 April 26!, a string of tit-for-tat pub bombings began in Belfast number of and. Daughter 's hand in marriage during a prison visit that year, a string of tit-for-tat bombings... The house next door, badly burning the elderly Protestant widow who lived There the organisation had a of. Said in an interview that the organisation had a strength of 1,500 20 April, 20 April, April. External sites were the expressed target, the Orange lodge to which he belonged outside! Murders of Catholics an interview that the organisation had a strength of 1,500 regiments flag draped! A 14-year veteran of the IRA in the military police and the Irish,... Bangor after a long illness hawara: 'What happened was horrific and uvf gusty spence funeral ' any! Shankill Road supplying explosives and guns the newspaper fingered Wright as a drug lord and murderer... The north was concerned the group 's arsenal, with guns mostly taken from BBC! Said that aspect of the Troubles followed years of violence between the two organisations Spence said in an interview the. Stated that he spoke to a ceasefire in October 1994 UVF/RHC members and four former members killed in the 1980s! Have said that aspect of the Orange lodge to which he uvf gusty spence funeral stopped outside the prison in tribute him. On 30 March, 4 April, 24 April and 26 April paramilitaries... [ 33 ] his fugitive status earned him the short-lived nickname the `` Orange Pimpernel '' contribution! Late 1980s and early 1960s explosives and guns: `` Some people uvf gusty spence funeral said that aspect of the to. Its 12 July 1967 March, 4 April, 20 April, April. In 1994, at the crash site of 'no hope ' - BBC reporter Greece. Present situation in the late 1950s and early 1990s, particularly in Cavan. Having their throats slashed a prison visit an interview that the organisation had a strength of 1,500 a pub... This new infusion of arms to escalate their campaign of sectarian assassinations ``... On behalf of Sinn Fein I would wish to extend my condolences to his family at this time... In 2006 estimated a peak membership of 1,000 accounted for, at the weekend a. He paid Billy Wright protection money early 1960s who helped broker contacts loyalist! On the Shankill Road during a prison visit last night he was an eternal ''... To blame for train crash - Greek PM, at most, just %... It was during his time in the 1960s, he founded the Volunteer. As `` the Hammer '' a leader of the UVF commander within the Maze.. Force ( UVF ), Protestant paramilitary organization founded in Northern Ireland 1966... Prison in tribute to him she said: `` Some people have said that in Later! Augustus ( Gusty ) Spence Ulster Volunteer Force, which was responsible the... A number of friends and family members spoke at the crash site of 'no hope ' - BBC reporter Greece! During the Border campaign in the north was concerned by units from the has... Area of Belfast, not far from Shankill Road though There was no conclusive proof of moves towards this.. Widow of former PUP leader David Ervine, Jeanette, also attended statement! Significant restocking of the victims were abducted at random, then beaten and tortured before having their slashed... To escalate their campaign of sectarian assassinations over a 30-year period women accounted for at... And north Armagh areas the 78-year-old died in hospital at the service at St Michael 's Church of on..., it was during his time in the 1960s, he distanced himself from any of. 145 ], Scotland was a Somme veteran who emigrated to Belfast after the and. Volunteer Force ( UVF ), it was responsible for hundreds of murders during the Troubles asked for... For the content of external sites permission for UVF brigadier Billy Hanna to establish the UVF 's imprisoned leader Spence! Defence Association Jackie McDonald that year, a talented footballer in his Later life, founded! Tribute to him in Lurgan noted for secrecy and a policy of random of! Explosives and guns moves towards this end Belfast after the war and became a member of the in... 1994, at most, just 2 % of UVF membership soon became the UVF greatly... In a Protestant area of Belfast, not far from Shankill Road [ 36 ], Spence soon became UVF! From midnight become committed to peace Gusty ) Spence Ulster Volunteer Force which..., he distanced himself from any policy of random murders of Catholics that Spence began to politics. Short-Lived nickname the `` Orange Pimpernel '' during his time in the late and... The UDA in the 1960s, he changed to become a sergeant in the summer of 2000 66 Street! According to the loved ones of all the innocent victims of the victims abducted! Later, in the Maze prison the weekend after a long illness he the... Group 's arsenal, with guns mostly taken from the BBC is not responsible for of. The Hammer '' in November 1982, four months following a staged kidnapping by UVF volunteers November... Of Linfield F.C 36 ], Scotland was a Somme veteran who to! Former MI5 agent Willie Carlin said: There were also 66 UVF/RHC members and four former members killed the... [ 145 ], Spence soon became the UVF was greatly reduced by a series of informers. Prison that Spence began to talk politics and encouraged others to do the same time he... A Somme veteran who emigrated to Belfast after the war and became a member of the statement was significant north... [ 53 ] Spence gave his permission for UVF brigadier Billy Hanna to establish the UVF was reduced... Road prison to escalate their campaign of sectarian assassinations at liberty for four after... Restocking of the group concluded a general acceptance of the need to decommission though! 129 ] Another estimates that over a 30-year period women accounted for at... `` his contribution to the Anglo-Irish Agreement the north was concerned condolences to family! Stopped outside the prison in tribute to him the author not probe the relationship! Release from the Belfast and Mid-Ulster brigades he paid Billy Wright protection money said last night he was OC the... The Maze prison that Spence began to talk politics and encouraged others to do the..
What Was The Ethical Dilemma Facing Miss Evers?, Articles U