[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. Available for both RF and RM licensing. Henry McDonald. [29], On 12 August 1969, the "Battle of the Bogside" began in Derry. Former Ulster Volunteer Force leader Gusty Spence has died aged 78. Gusty Spence funeral to have no . With Moore now deceased, the only senior figure still alive is "Mr A". Gusty Spence Funeral RIP 21,778 views Nov 15, 2013 95 Dislike Share Save Elmwoodgrove 14 subscribers The Funeral at Craven Street Gusty said Some day The PUP will grow a set of Jaws And BITE. Images Courtesy of Getty Images. 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". 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. 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[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. [2] He had been stationed in Cyprus and saw action fighting against the forces of Colonel Georgios Grivas. [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". What's he waiting for? [53] These men had overthrown the "hawkish" officers, who had called for a "big push", which meant an increase in violent attacks, earlier in the same month. The chip shop has since been closed down. [3] Spence Snr was a member of the Ulster Volunteers and had fought in the First World War. [89][90] A dissident Republican was arrested for "the attempted murder of police officers in east Belfast" after shots were fired upon the police. [21] This occurred despite Spence having been officially expelled from the Orange Order following his conviction. [42], Spence was increasingly disillusioned with the UVF and he imparted these views to fellow inmates at Long Kesh. [21] The shootings led to Spence's being sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum sentence of twenty years. When Spence was 'abducted' in July 1972 it was the RHC who were at the forefront of this operation. Officers from the PSNI's Paramilitary Crime Task Force also seized drugs, cash and expensive cars and jewellery in an operation carried out against the criminal activities of the UVF crime gang. Another loyalist paramilitary organisation called Ulster Resistance was formed on 10 November 1986. Correspondence includes Spence's correspondence with leaders and imprisoned members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and letters concerning his imprisonment originally . The UVF's leadership is based in Belfast and known as the Brigade Staff. [18] Shortly after, Spence and three others were arrested. "He was an Irishman and looked upon himself as an Ulster Irishman as well as being British. (2006) "Neglected Intelligence: How the British Government Failed to Quell the Ulster Volunteer Force, 19121914. Until recent years,[12] it was noted for secrecy and a policy of limited, selective membership. Augustus 'Gusty' Spence (born 28th June 1933) is a former leader of the Ulster Volunteer Force, Loyalist politician and soldier in the British Army. Skip to navigation [n] Skip to content [c] Skip to footer [f] Search Search. [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 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,. [citation needed] There were also reports that UVF members fired shots at police lines during a protest. [55], However, a granddaughter of Matilda Gould, a 74-year-old Protestant widow who had died from burns sustained in the UVF's attempted bombing of a Catholic bar next door to her home, objected to Spence being called a "peacemaker" and described him as a "bad evil man". [121][122] The UVF did not return to regular bombings until the early 1990s when it obtained a quantity of the mining explosive Powergel. [54] This was endorsed by Gusty Spence, who issued a statement asking all UVF volunteers to support the new regime. [84] The Independent Monitoring Commission stated Moffett was killed by UVF members acting with the sanction of the leadership. In the 1960s, he founded the modern Ulster Volunteer Force, an organisation which was responsible for hundreds of sectarian murders during the Troubles. Fire engulfed the house next door, badly burning the elderly Protestant widow who lived there. [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. [24] The murder of Ward was, however, repudiated by Paisley and condemned in his Protestant Telegraph, sealing the split between the two. [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. The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group. She said: "Some people have said that in his later life, he changed to become committed to peace. 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". [citation needed]. Traduzioni in contesto per "divenuto cuore pulsante" in italiano-inglese da Reverso Context: Labirinto di mais: In via Amerigo Vespucci, a pochi passi da piazza Nember, sorge un terreno di ben 5 ettari divenuto cuore pulsante del divertimento tra mistero, intelligenza e creativit. [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. [10] Whatever the truth of this intelligence, Gusty Spence's Shankill UVF team was made up of only around 12 men on its formation. [129] Another estimates that over a 30-year period women accounted for, at most, just 2% of UVF membership. He was jailed for life for the murder of a Catholic barman in 1966 and served 18 years in prison. The former loyalist paramilitary leader Gusty Spence has died in hospital. The 78-year-old died in hospital at the weekend after a long illness. [21] Some unionists feared Irish nationalism and launched an opposing response in Northern Ireland. . [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. . [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%). Gusty Spence, who has died aged 78, was the . Hundreds of mourners have attended the funeral of the former loyalist leader Gusty Spence. According to the Belfast Telegraph, "70 separate police intelligence reports implicating the north Belfast UVF man in dealing cannabis, Ecstasy, amphetamines and cocaine. 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. She died of her injuries on 27 June. The crowds included a leader of the loyalist Ulster Defence Association Jackie McDonald. 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. It was the UVF's deadliest attack in Northern Ireland, and the deadliest attack in Belfast during the Troubles. [38] This came to a climax on 4 December, when the UVF bombed McGurk's Bar, a Catholic-owned pub in Belfast. Traduzioni in contesto per "ieri sono scese nelle strade" in italiano-inglese da Reverso Context: Decine di migliaia di persone ieri sono scese nelle strade di Atene, dando vita a uno sciopero generale che ha costretto la Grecia a fermarsi davanti alla protesta contro il piano di austerity imposto dall'UE, dalla Banca centrale europea di Francoforte e dall'FMI. [citation needed] The feud between the UVF and the LVF erupted again in the summer of 2005. Spence said loyalists offered "abject and true remorse" to the loved ones of all the innocent victims of the Troubles. Another former PUP leader, Dawn Purvis, said Spence's opinions began to shift sooner than is generally perceived. It was the deadliest attack of the Troubles. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. [127] A British Army report released in 2006 estimated a peak membership of 1,000. "The Dublin and Monaghan bombings: Cover-up and incompetence". [2] He rose to the rank of Provost Sergeant (battalion police). 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. The newspaper also reported that the group refused to decommission its weapons. [76][77][78], In January 2008, the UVF was accused of involvement in vigilante action against alleged criminals in Belfast. Since the ceasefire, the UVF has been involved in rioting, drug dealing, organised crime, loan-sharking and prostitution. 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. Augustus (Gusty) Spence Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), Protestant paramilitary organization founded in Northern Ireland in 1966. They managed to procure a large cache of weapons and ammunition including L1A1 Self-Loading Rifles, Browning pistols, and Sterling submachine guns. [30] As arranged, the car in which Spence was a passenger was stopped in Springmartin and Spence was taken away by UVF members. Bates was born into an Ulster Protestant family and grew up in the Shankill Road area of Belfast.He had a criminal record dating back to 1966, and later became a member of the Ulster loyalist paramilitary organisation, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). "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". Thousands of families, mostly Catholics, were forced to flee their homes and refugee camps were set up in the Republic of Ireland. 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. [149] It is estimated that the UVF nevertheless received hundreds of thousands of pounds in donations to its Loyalist Prisoners Welfare Association. It claimed the pubs were used for republican fundraising. A controlled explosion was carried out and the bomb was later declared a hoax. [164], For the original Ulster Volunteer Force, see, Aaron Edwards - UVF: Behind the Mask pp. [11] He was also a member of the Royal Black Institution and the Apprentice Boys of Derry. [8] He was frequently involved in street fights with republicans and garnered a reputation as a "hard man". 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. There was to be much overlap in membership between the UCDC/UPV and the UVF.[22]. 2023 BBC. Two Ulster Unionist Assembly members, Michael McGimpsey and Mike Neabitt, were among the mourners at the funeral. In the 1960s, he founded the Ulster Volunteer Force, which was responsible for hundreds of murders during the Troubles. The first British soldier to be killed by the Provisional IRA died in February 1971. Its name was taken from . 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." We are heavily armed Protestants dedicated to this cause. Their weapons stock-piles are to be retained under the watch of the UVF leadership. There are various credible[citation needed] allegations that elements of the British security forces colluded with the UVF in the bombings. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. As a lone piper led his funeral cortege through the area, the streets were lined by mourners. Spence's biographer Roy Garland said he had formed unlikely relationships and challenged conventional loyalist thinking. [41] On 17 May, two UVF units from the Belfast and Mid-Ulster brigades detonated four car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan. Spence was praised by, among others, PUP leader Brian Ervine, who stated that "his contribution to the peace is incalculable". page 1. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. 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. [99][100], On 4 March 2021, the UVF, Red Hand Commando and UDA renounced their current participation in the Good Friday Agreement. [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. [18] Two days later, the government of Northern Ireland used the Special Powers Act to declare the UVF illegal. Brian Ervine said: "His contribution to the peace is incalculable and without him, probably the paramilitaries would still be at war. [28], By 1969, the Catholic civil rights movement had escalated its protest campaign, and O'Neill had promised them some concessions. In 1972, the UVF's imprisoned leader Gusty Spence was at liberty for four months following a staged kidnapping by UVF volunteers. [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. [46] Some of the new Brigade Staff members bore nicknames such as "Big Dog" and "Smudger". [47] Spence went on to become a leading advocate for the Good Friday Agreement. Although Mr Lynch was from a different tradition, he had "welcomed his friendship," and he recalled the conversations they had about peace in Ireland. "On behalf of Sinn Fein I would wish to extend my condolences to his family at this time.". 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. It was during his time in the Maze prison that Spence began to talk politics and encouraged others to do the same. [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. The British Army were deployed on the streets of Northern Ireland. Two members of the group survived the attack and later testified against those responsible. Six of the victims were abducted at random, then beaten and tortured before having their throats slashed. [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. The 78-year-old died in hospital at the weekend after a long illness. [26] He died of his wounds on 11 June. 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. Mr Spence was brought up in the Shankill, but was forced out in later years by loyalists opposed to his defence of the peace process and his opposition to continued paramilitary activity. [123][124], The strength of the UVF is uncertain. [21] In April 1966, Ulster loyalists led by Ian Paisley, a Protestant fundamentalist preacher, founded the Ulster Constitution Defence Committee (UCDC). Read about our approach to external linking. A man who worked tirelessly for peace. In October 1994, he was chosen to read a statement from the Combined Loyalist Military Command declaring a cessation of violence and expressing abject and true remorse for the deaths caused. RT is not responsible for the content of external internet sites. 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. These attacks were stepped up in the late 1980s and early 1990s, particularly in the east Tyrone and north Armagh areas. [31], The UVF had launched its first attack in the Republic of Ireland on 5 August 1969, when it bombed the RT Television Centre in Dublin. Reverend Chris Hudson, who helped broker contacts between loyalist paramilitaries and the Irish government, said that aspect of the statement was significant. 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. [7] His family had a long tradition of Orange Order membership. In June, nine UVF members were convicted of the attacks. Drong de dhnmharfir srathacha ab ea Bistir na Seanchille a bh gnomhach i m Bal Feirste sna 1970id. [66] The UVF also killed senior IRA paramilitary members Liam Ryan, John 'Skipper' Burns and Larry Marley. The group is a proscribed organisation and is on the terrorist organisation list of the United Kingdom.[8]. [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. The UVF killed four men in Belfast and trouble ended only when the LVF announced that it was disbanding in October of that year. [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. [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. Armed men hijacked a van on the nearby Shankill Road and forced the driver to take a device to a church on the Crumlin Road. The unnamed woman stated, "When you go out and throw a petrol bomb through a widow's window, you're no peacemaker. 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. In October, UVF and UPV member Thomas McDowell was killed by the bomb he was planting at Ballyshannon power station. [55] The hawks had been ousted by those in the UVF who were unhappy with their political and military strategy. [56] The UVF's activities in the last years of the decade were increasingly being curtailed by the number of UVF members who were sent to prison. 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. Gusty Spence (1933-2011) was a Loyalist paramilitary volunteer, a founding member and early leader of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). He was the first RUC officer to be killed during the Troubles. [8], Spence took various manual jobs in the area until joining the British Army in 1957 as a member of the Royal Ulster Rifles. [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. (Thesis 2017). 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Gusty Spence is regarded as one of the founders of loyalist paramilitarism, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. It was responsible for more than 500 deaths. His funeral service is taking place at Saint Michael's church off the Shankill Road. Mr Spence was convicted for the murder of one of the victims, 18-year-old Peter Ward, who was shot dead after being identified as a Catholic while he drank in a mainly Protestant pub. 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 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. He was buried in Bangor.[57][58]. 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). [125], The UVF has killed more people than any other loyalist paramilitary group. 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 . Two of those later convicted (James McDowell and Thomas Crozier) were also serving members of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR), a part-time, locally recruited regiment of the British Army. Spence told Radio Ulster that the UVF had been "engaged in murder, attempted murder of civilians, attempted murder of police officers. He then became involved in politics and announced the landmark loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994. [3] Spence was the sixth of seven children, their birth order being Billy, Cassie, Jim, Bobby, Ned junior, Gusty and Lily. Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric'. The arms are thought to have consisted of: The UVF used this new infusion of arms to escalate their campaign of sectarian assassinations. 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. This collection contains Gusty Spence's personal and business correspondence from 1959-1998, the bulk of which was written during Spence's time in prison (1966-1984). Gusty Spence announced the loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. 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. [51] The couple had three daughters, Elizabeth (born 1954), Sandra (1956) and Catherine (1960). [39], The following year, 1972, was the most violent of the Troubles. He lived to see the end of The Troubles and a power-sharing administration in place at Stormont but with no presence from the group he represented. While the Troubles broke out in 1969, the murders carried out by the UVF years earlier were seen as brutal sectarian attacks that shocked Northern Ireland. [85][86] Fifty-year-old Stockman was stabbed more than 10 times in a supermarket in Belfast; the attack was believed to have been linked to the Moffett killing. The UVF stated that the attempted attack was a protest against the Irish Army units "still massed on the border in County Donegal". Having their throats slashed Dublin and Monaghan bombings: Cover-up and incompetence '' to the... Against the forces of Colonel Georgios Grivas: Cover-up and incompetence '' at... Most, just 2 % of UVF membership c ] Skip to content [ ]! Liberty for four months following a staged kidnapping by UVF members acting with the UVF 's imprisoned leader Spence. [ 127 ] a British Army were deployed on the terrorist organisation list of the Troubles 18 ] days. The Special Powers Act to declare the UVF had been `` engaged in murder, attempted of! Cortege through the area, the UVF 's leadership is based in and. 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