"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. [40] However, Spence's ideas were abandoned as the UVF ceasefire fell apart that same year following the Ulster Workers' Council strike and the Dublin and Monaghan bombings; the carnage of the latter had shocked and horrified Spence. Read about our approach to external linking. [51] The couple had three daughters, Elizabeth (born 1954), Sandra (1956) and Catherine (1960). 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 . [104] The Brigade Staff's former headquarters were situated in rooms above "The Eagle" chip shop located on the Shankill Road at its junction with Spier's Place. Known IRA men will be executed mercilessly and without hesitation. 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". 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. "He was really a role model for many young men who would follow.". [47] Spence went on to become a leading advocate for the Good Friday Agreement. Read about our approach to external linking. [64] Republicans responded to the attacks by assassinating senior UVF members John Bingham, William "Frenchie" Marchant and Trevor King[65] as well as Leslie Dallas, whose purported UVF membership was disputed both by his family and the UVF. [29], On 12 August 1969, the "Battle of the Bogside" began in Derry. DeSantis won't say he's running. 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. During the service, mourners were told there is a campaign to have overturned the conviction for which Gusty Spence served a jail sentence, the killing of 18-year-old Belfast Catholic Peter Ward in 1966. The weapons were Palestine Liberation Organisation arms captured by the Israelis and sold to Armscor, the South African state-owned company which, in defiance of a 1977 United Nations arms embargo, set about making South Africa self-sufficient in military hardware. [7] His family had a long tradition of Orange Order membership. The UVF's leadership is based in Belfast and known as the Brigade Staff. [127] A British Army report released in 2006 estimated a peak membership of 1,000. [26], On 26 June, the group shot dead a Catholic civilian and wounded two others as they left a pub on Malvern Street, Belfast. 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. for a proxy bomb attack targeting a "peace-building" event in Belfast where Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney was speaking. Gusty Spence was a significant figure in loyalist Belfast for most of . [3] Spence Snr was a member of the Ulster Volunteers and had fought in the First World War. Almost 10 years later in October 1994, he was chosen to announce to the world that the main loyalist paramilitary groups, the UVF and the UDA, were declaring ceasefires in response to an IRA cessation. [5] He was educated at the Riddel School on Malvern Street and the Hemsworth Square school, finishing his education aged fourteen. When Spence was 'abducted' in July 1972 it was the RHC who were at the forefront of this operation. The loyalist leader always denied responsibility and his family are now challenging the conviction. [121][122] The UVF did not return to regular bombings until the early 1990s when it obtained a quantity of the mining explosive Powergel. Gusty Spence reading the 2007 UVF 'weapons beyond use' statement in Belfast. Mr Lynch died following a brief illness. [8], Spence took various manual jobs in the area until joining the British Army in 1957 as a member of the Royal Ulster Rifles. [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. The no-warning car bombings had been carried out by units from the Belfast and Mid-Ulster brigades. A controlled explosion was carried out and the bomb was later declared a hoax. [89][90] A dissident Republican was arrested for "the attempted murder of police officers in east Belfast" after shots were fired upon the police. 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. [140][141], In contrast to the IRA, overseas support for loyalist paramilitaries including the UVF has been limited. [116], Like the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), the UVF's modus operandi involved assassinations, mass shootings, bombings and kidnappings. The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group. [84] The Progressive Unionist Party's condemnation, and Dawn Purvis and other leaders' resignations as a response to the Moffett shooting, were also noted. Spence now argued that UVF members were soldiers and soldiers should not kill civilians, as had been the case at McGurk's Bar. Brian Ervine said: "His contribution to the peace is incalculable and without him, probably the paramilitaries would still be at war. [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. It was responsible for more than 500 deaths. It set up a paramilitary-style wing called the Ulster Protestant Volunteers (UPV). VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. [29] The loyalists "intended to force a crisis which would so undermine confidence in O'Neill's ability to maintain law and order that he would be obliged to resign". But despite the statement, the UVF was subsequently involved in sporadic violence, including several murders. "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.". 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). These attacks were stepped up in the late 1980s and early 1990s, particularly in the east Tyrone and north Armagh areas. [84] Eleven months later, a man was arrested and charged with the attempted murder of the UVF's alleged second-in-command Harry Stockman, described by the Belfast Telegraph as a "senior Loyalist figure". [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. Two UVF men were accidentally blown up in this attack. [67] According to Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN), the UVF killed 17 active and four former republican paramilitaries. The 78-year-old died in hospital at the weekend after a long illness. 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. Fire engulfed the house next door, badly burning the elderly Protestant widow who lived there. [42] Both the UVF and the British Government have denied the claims. [79], In 2008, a loyalist splinter group calling itself the "Real UVF" emerged briefly to make threats against Sinn Fin in County Fermanagh. Augustus Andrew 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. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. This was a large, three-day riot between Irish nationalists and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). [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. 2023 BBC. It was not in his later life. 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. Until recent years,[12] it was noted for secrecy and a policy of limited, selective membership. [153], The UVF have been implicated in drug dealing in areas from where they draw their support. [103], On 25 March 2022, the UVF was blamed[by whom?] Spence told Radio Ulster that the UVF had been "engaged in murder, attempted murder of civilians, attempted murder of police officers. Eight people were shot dead and hundreds were injured. [164], For the original Ulster Volunteer Force, see, Aaron Edwards - UVF: Behind the Mask pp. In keeping with his wishes,. The gunmen shot dead six people and injured five. He did not specify what activities or what was being resisted. His hearse bore a floral tribute that spelt out the word Granda, while relatives who spoke at the funeral recalled personal memories of a family man. In the 1960s, he founded the modern Ulster Volunteer Force, an organisation which was responsible for hundreds of sectarian murders during the Troubles. . In May 1966, the UVF issued a statement, announcing that it was declaring war on the IRA. Tributes were paid to former leading loyalist paramilitary turned peacemaker Gusty Spence at his funeral in Belfast today. [10] Whatever the truth of this intelligence, Gusty Spence's Shankill UVF team was made up of only around 12 men on its formation. 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. [13], His older brother Billy Spence was a founding member of Ulster Protestant Action (UPA) in 1956[14] and Gusty Spence himself was also a member of the group. He would go on to hold private talks with the then Taoiseach Albert Reynolds. [6] He was also a member of the Church Lads' Brigade, a Church of Ireland group and the Junior Orange Order. [38] This came to a climax on 4 December, when the UVF bombed McGurk's Bar, a Catholic-owned pub in Belfast. Mein Nisinta Seirbhse Poibl na hireann, Originally Published / Wednesday, 28 Sep 2011. [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. The Irish parliament's Joint Committee on Justice called the bombings an act of "international terrorism" involving the British security forces. Also, why did the author not probe the close relationship between Gusty Spence and the RHC? [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. [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. [citation needed] The arms were divided between the UVF, the UDA (the largest loyalist group) and Ulster Resistance.[61]. 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. "Overstating and Misjudging the Prospects of Civil War: The Ulster Volunteer Force and the Irish Volunteers in the Home Rule Crisis, 19121914." "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". What's he waiting for? 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". The 78-year-old died in hospital at the weekend after a long illness. In 1990, the UVF joined the Combined Loyalist Military Command (CLMC) and indicated its acceptance of moves towards peace. Spence said loyalists offered "abject and true remorse" to the loved ones of all the innocent victims of the Troubles. "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. The first British soldier to be killed by the Provisional IRA died in February 1971. It declared a ceasefire in 1994 and officially ended its campaign in 2007, although some of its members have continued to engage in violence and criminal activities. [9] According to the book Lost Lives (2006 edition), it was responsible for 569 killings. Tributes were paid to former leading loyalist paramilitary turned peacemaker Gusty Spence at his funeral in Belfast today. [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%). [130], Prior to and after the onset of the Troubles the UVF carried out armed robberies. His funeral service is taking place at Saint Michael's church off the Shankill Road. [16] Because of his military experience, Spence was chosen as the military commander and public face of the UVF when the group was established. The Sunday World's offices were also firebombed. page 1. "BBC News Man held over East Belfast police murder bid", "Surge in Belfast violence blamed on resurgent UVF", "The Beast from East Belfast could put an end to flags violence right now but he won't", "East Belfast UVF: Mission Accomplished? [9] Spence served until 1961 when ill-health forced him to leave. Wednesday, 15 February 2023 | 10.2 . One of the first UVF members to be convicted of murder, Spence was a senior figure in the organisation for over a decade. Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Cludach leabhair do "The Shankill Butchers" le Martin Dillon. But despite the statement, the UVF was subsequently involved in sporadic violence, including several murders. Ms Purvis encouraged young loyalists at the funeral to read the political doctrines encouraged by Mr Spence. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. He will be buried in Bangor after a funeral service on the Shankill Road. (2006) "Neglected Intelligence: How the British Government Failed to Quell the Ulster Volunteer Force, 19121914. Read about our approach to external linking. Images Courtesy of Getty Images. While republicans were the expressed target, the attacks that followed were explicitly sectarian. 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. He was jailed for life for the murder of a Catholic barman in 1966 and served 18 years in prison. We are heavily armed Protestants dedicated to this cause. Henry McDonald. There was to be much overlap in membership between the UCDC/UPV and the UVF.[22]. Thirty-three people were killed and almost 300 injured. Spence is regarded as the first terrorist godfather in Northern Ireland but also the man who took the first steps towards ending UVF violence. [46] Some of the new Brigade Staff members bore nicknames such as "Big Dog" and "Smudger". [93] Much of the UVF's orchestration was carried out by its senior members in East Belfast, where many attacks on the PSNI and on residents of the Short Strand enclave took place. "He was really a role model for many young men who would follow.". [63], The UVF also attacked republican paramilitaries and political activists. Instead his coffin was adorned with the beret and regimental flag of the Royal Ulster Rifles, his former regiment. The men were tried, and in March 1977 were sentenced to an average of twenty-five years each.[51][52]. Gusty Spence funeral to have no . The widow of former PUP leader David Ervine, Jeanette, also attended. [145], Scotland was a source of funding and aid, supplying explosives and guns. 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. Gusty Spence is regarded as one of the founders of loyalist paramilitarism, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. [8], From an early age Spence was a member of the Prince Albert Temperance Loyal Orange Lodge, where fellow members included John McQuade. Home; About; Testimonials; Contact; Select Page. Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [25], On 27 May, Spence sent four UVF members to kill IRA volunteer Leo Martin, who lived in Belfast. Six of the victims were abducted at random, then beaten and tortured before having their throats slashed. Gusty Spence (1933-2011) was a Loyalist paramilitary volunteer, a founding member and early leader of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). [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. [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. The Reverend Martin Smyth was influential in Spence' being thrown out the Orange Order. Openly paraded with the UVF and thanked Gusty Spence repeatedly for his services to Ulster. [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. As a PUP representative he took a principal role in delivering the loyalist ceasefires of 1994. [27] Spence appointed Samuel McClelland as UVF Chief of Staff in his stead. 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