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. 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. This was a large, three-day riot between Irish nationalists and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). One of the first UVF members to be convicted of murder, Spence was a senior figure in the organisation for over a decade. 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. [54] The UVF was behind the deaths of seven civilians in a series of attacks on 2 October. In May 1966, the UVF issued a statement, announcing that it was declaring war on the IRA. 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. 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. But despite the statement, the UVF was subsequently involved in sporadic violence, including several murders. [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. [30] As arranged, the car in which Spence was a passenger was stopped in Springmartin and Spence was taken away by UVF members. 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 . "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.". The incumbent Chief of Staff, is alleged to be John "Bunter" Graham, referred to by Martin Dillon as "Mr. [13][14][15][16][17] The other main loyalist paramilitary group during the conflict was the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), which had a much larger membership. A controlled explosion was carried out and the bomb was later declared a hoax. 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. Spence now argued that UVF members were soldiers and soldiers should not kill civilians, as had been the case at McGurk's Bar. Home; About; Testimonials; Contact; Select Page. In keeping with his wishes,. [115] They always signed their statements with the fictitious name "Captain William Johnston". In keeping with his wishes,. [129] Another estimates that over a 30-year period women accounted for, at most, just 2% of UVF membership. Sociologist Steven Bruce described the support networks in Canada as "the main source of support for loyalism outside the United Kingdom . 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. Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric'. of which I have been speaking. 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). The Reverend Martin Smyth was influential in Spence' being thrown out the Orange Order. Scores of houses and businesses were burnt out, most of them owned by Catholics. [25], On 27 May, Spence sent four UVF members to kill IRA volunteer Leo Martin, who lived in Belfast. "He was really a role model for many young men who would follow.". 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. Eight people were shot dead and hundreds were injured. [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. [citation needed] The feud between the UVF and the LVF erupted again in the summer of 2005. 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. [157] It was around this time that Sunday World journalists Martin O'Hagan and Jim Campbell coined the term "rat pack" for the UVF's murderous mid-Ulster unit and, unable to identify Wright by name for legal reasons, they christened him "King Rat." [146][147] Former MI5 agent Willie Carlin said: There were safe houses in Glasgow and Stirling. The vast majority (more than two-thirds)[9][10] of its victims were Irish Catholic civilians, who were often killed at random. 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. Skip to navigation [n] Skip to content [c] Skip to footer [f] Search Search. [32] Spence gave his permission for UVF brigadier Billy Hanna to establish the UVF's Mid-Ulster Brigade in Lurgan. The UVF's Mid-Ulster Brigade carried out further attacks during this same period. Wednesday, 15 February 2023 | 10.2 . [47] Spence went on to become a leading advocate for the Good Friday Agreement. After his release December 1984, Spence was a key figure in developing UVF thinking and indirectly its political wing, the Progressive Unionist Party. The group is a proscribed organisation and is on the terrorist organisation list of the United Kingdom.[8]. "[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. 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 UVF very clearly have involvement in drug dealing, all forms of gangsterism, serious assaults, intimidation of the community. [20], In October 1966, Spence was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Ward, although Spence has always claimed he was innocent. Among their engagements was one as guests of honour of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy. After his release December 1984, Spence was a key figure in developing UVF thinking and indirectly its political wing, the Progressive Unionist Party. Their weapons stock-piles are to be retained under the watch of the UVF leadership. [citation needed] The arms were divided between the UVF, the UDA (the largest loyalist group) and Ulster Resistance.[61]. 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. His father was a Somme veteran who emigrated to Belfast after the war and became a member of the Orange Order. "He was an Irishman and looked upon himself as an Ulster Irishman as well as being British. The Sunday World's offices were also firebombed. As a lone piper led his funeral cortege through the area, the streets were lined by mourners. Nicholas Vella, a 14-year veteran of the Huntington Beach Police . There was to be much overlap in membership between the UCDC/UPV and the UVF.[22]. [106][107] This uniform, based on those of the original UVF, was introduced in the early 1970s. During the riot, UVF members shot dead RUC officer Victor Arbuckle. [125] Historically, the number of active UVF members in July 1971 was stated by one source to be no more than 20. 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. 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". 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. "[154], According to Alan McQuillan, the assistant director of the Assets Recovery Agency in 2005, "In the loyalist community, drug dealing is run by the paramilitaries and it is generally run for personal gain by a large number of people." Slowly. The UVF stated that the attempted attack was a protest against the Irish Army units "still massed on the border in County Donegal". Fire also engulfed the house next door, killing the elderly Protestant widow, Matilda Gould (77), who lived there. [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 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. [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. Sun 25 Sep 2011 13.46 EDT. View discounts Available for editorial and personal use only. "FIFTH REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT MONITORING COMMISSION", Select Committee on Northern Ireland Affairs - Part One: The continuing threat from paramilitary organisations, "Inside story: Why the IRA never attacked Scotland", "Revealed: how Scots loyalists sent gelignite to paramilitaries. [16] Because of his military experience, Spence was chosen as the military commander and public face of the UVF when the group was established. Malcolm Sutton's Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland, part of the Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN), states that the UVF and RHC was responsible for at least 485 killings during the Troubles, and lists a further 256 loyalist killings that have not yet been attributed to a particular group. [18] On 27 May, Spence ordered four UVF men to kill an Irish Republican Army (IRA) member, Leo Martin, who lived on the Falls Road. [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. The UVF was also clashing with the UDA in the summer of 2000. [6] He was also a member of the Church Lads' Brigade, a Church of Ireland group and the Junior Orange Order. "On behalf of Sinn Fein I would wish to extend my condolences to his family at this time.". Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. [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. "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". 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". Fifteen Catholic civilians were killed and seventeen wounded. . [101], In April 2021, riots erupted across Loyalist communities in Northern Ireland.[relevant? [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. 2023 BBC. 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. Loyalists were successful in importing arms into Northern Ireland. [44] In 1977, he publicly condemned the use of violence for political gain, on the grounds that it was counter-productive. [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. Mr Spence said last night he was an eternal optimist" where the present situation in the North was concerned. The new Brigade Staff's aim was to carry out attacks against known republicans rather than Catholic civilians. [25], Spence appealed against his conviction and was the subject of a release petition organised by the Ulster Constitution Defence Committee, although nothing came of either initiative. The British Army were deployed on the streets of Northern Ireland. A piper leads a procession for Huntington Beach Police Officer Nicholas Vella in La Habra, CA on Tuesday, February 22, 2022. Formed in 1965,[7] it first emerged in 1966. An article published by the newspaper fingered Wright as a drug lord and sectarian murderer. 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. "Overstating and Misjudging the Prospects of Civil War: The Ulster Volunteer Force and the Irish Volunteers in the Home Rule Crisis, 19121914." 2023 BBC. 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." Bistir na Seanchille. 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. [58], The UVF's nickname is "Blacknecks", derived from their uniform of black polo neck jumper, black trousers, black leather jacket, black forage cap, along with the UVF badge and belt. Home ; About ; Testimonials ; Contact ; Select Page over a decade Brigade Staff 's aim was to retained! Emigrated to Belfast after the war and became a member of the Orange Order organisation and is on the organisation... 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