After several years away from the spotlight, Spence was again asked to read the statement, a role which senior loyalists said was indicative of his significance within Northern Ireland loyalism. [27] Spence appointed Samuel McClelland as UVF Chief of Staff in his stead. Read about our approach to external linking. He added: "I think it helped to set some of the tone to bring us to where we are now.". The UVF's last major attack was the 1994 Loughinisland massacre, in which its members shot dead six Catholic civilians in a rural pub. page 1. [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. [2] He was sent to Crumlin Road Prison. On the basis of that, we as a federation have called for the respecification of the UVF [stating that its ceasefire is over]. Gusty Spence is regarded as one of the founders of loyalist paramilitarism, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. 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. [84] The Independent Monitoring Commission stated Moffett was killed by UVF members acting with the sanction of the leadership. [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". Instead his coffin was adorned with the beret and regimental flag of the Royal Ulster Rifles, his former regiment. Augustus 'Gusty' Spence (born 28th June 1933) is a former leader of the Ulster Volunteer Force, Loyalist politician and soldier in the British Army. [2] In 1978, Spence left the UVF altogether. There was to be much overlap in membership between the UCDC/UPV and the UVF.[22]. [116], Like the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), the UVF's modus operandi involved assassinations, mass shootings, bombings and kidnappings. [76][77][78], In January 2008, the UVF was accused of involvement in vigilante action against alleged criminals in Belfast. 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. LocationLa Habra, CA 90631 EmailGet a free estimate Call(562) 579-5980. 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. Their weapons stock-piles are to be retained under the watch of the UVF leadership. Spence now argued that UVF members were soldiers and soldiers should not kill civilians, as had been the case at McGurk's Bar. Spence's biographer Roy Garland said he had formed unlikely relationships and challenged conventional loyalist thinking. [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". [151] On 10 February 1976, following the sudden uptick of violence against Catholic civilians by loyalist militants, Irish cardinal William Conway and nine other Catholic bishops met with British Prime Minister Harold Wilson and his cabinet, asking them as to where the loyalist militants had acquired guns, to which Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Merlyn Rees replied "Canada". "He also sent a letter of condolence to the widow of Joe McCann, an IRA man, praising him as a soldier of Ireland.". Then, use free funeral planning tools to plan out the best funeral for your loved one. 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". He then became involved in politics and announced the landmark loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994. Gusty Spence funeral to have no . The group also carried out attacks in the Republic of Ireland from 1969 onward. 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. In May 1966, the UVF issued a statement, announcing that it was declaring war on the IRA. The 78-year-old died in hospital at the weekend after a long illness. [40] These were all subordinate to the Brigade Staff. Slowly. One of the first UVF members to be convicted of murder, Spence was a senior figure in the organisation for over a decade. Augustus (Gusty) Spence Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), Protestant paramilitary organization founded in Northern Ireland in 1966. ", "Ulster Volunteer Force is no longer on ceasefire, police warn", "Gary Haggarty: Ex-senior loyalist pleads guilty to 200 terror charges", "Police seize drugs and arrest 11 during raids on east Belfast UVF", "Nine men charged after east Belfast UVF police raids", "Brexit: loyalist paramilitary groups renounce Good Friday agreement", "NI riots: What is behind the violence in Northern Ireland? [32][33] There were further attacks in the Republic between October and December 1969. [35], Spence's time on the outside came to an end on 4 November when he was captured by Colonel Derek Wilford of the Parachute Regiment, who identified Spence by tattoos on his hands. Spence is regarded as the first terrorist godfather in Northern Ireland but also the man who took the first steps towards ending UVF violence. 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. This collection contains Gusty Spence's personal and business correspondence from 1959-1998, the bulk of which was written during . Scores of houses and businesses were burnt out, most of them owned by Catholics. [106] Later, in September 1972, Gusty Spence said in an interview that the organisation had a strength of 1,500. Mr Lynch had many unionist friends, "some even politicians". His father was a Somme veteran who emigrated to Belfast after the war and became a member of the Orange Order. Entdecke Gareth Mulvenna - Mein Leben in Loyalitt - Neues Taschenbuch - C245A in groer Auswahl Vergleichen Angebote und Preise Online kaufen bei eBay Kostenlose Lieferung fr viele Artikel! VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Why Covid lab-leak theory is now being taken seriously, 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. 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. 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. "[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." 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 . More militant members of the UVF who disagreed with the ceasefire, broke away to form the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF), led by Billy Wright. She said: "Some people have said that in his later life, he changed to become committed to peace. [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. [11] During the conflict, its deadliest attack in Northern Ireland was the 1971 McGurk's Bar bombing, which killed fifteen civilians. 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. [42], Spence was increasingly disillusioned with the UVF and he imparted these views to fellow inmates at Long Kesh. "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. [30] As arranged, the car in which Spence was a passenger was stopped in Springmartin and Spence was taken away by UVF members. She is committed to explaining your options. F". [21] In April 1966, Ulster loyalists led by Ian Paisley, a Protestant fundamentalist preacher, founded the Ulster Constitution Defence Committee (UCDC). He was shot dead by the IRA in November 1982, four months after his release from the Maze Prison. We are heavily armed Protestants dedicated to this cause. [54] The UVF was behind the deaths of seven civilians in a series of attacks on 2 October. [7] His family had a long tradition of Orange Order membership. [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. It issued a statement vowing to "remove republican elements from loyalist areas" and stop them "reaping financial benefit therefrom". The coffin, covered with the flag of the Ulster Rifles and his beret, of former UVF leader Gusty Spence passes a UVF mural along the Shankill Road in Belfast after his funeral at St Michael's Church. [79], In 2008, a loyalist splinter group calling itself the "Real UVF" emerged briefly to make threats against Sinn Fin in County Fermanagh. [10] Whatever the truth of this intelligence, Gusty Spence's Shankill UVF team was made up of only around 12 men on its formation. Thirty-three people were killed and almost 300 injured. A piper leads a procession for Huntington Beach Police Officer Nicholas Vella in La Habra, CA on Tuesday, February 22, 2022. Mr Spence argued for a ceasefire with republicans from as early as the mid-1970s and played a key role in encouraging young loyalists he met in prison to think of the reasons for their involvement in violence. [115] They always signed their statements with the fictitious name "Captain William Johnston". "Sunningdale pushed hard-liners into fatal outrages in 1974". Formed in 1965, it first emerged in 1966. [47] Spence went on to become a leading advocate for the Good Friday Agreement. A number of friends and family members spoke at the service at St Michael's Church of Ireland on the Shankill Road. 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. [4] He married Isabella "Bella" Hayes, Gusty Spence's mother, in 1919. Spence was praised by, among others, PUP leader Brian Ervine, who stated that "his contribution to the peace is incalculable". [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. [6] He was also a member of the Church Lads' Brigade, a Church of Ireland group and the Junior Orange Order. [140][141], In contrast to the IRA, overseas support for loyalist paramilitaries including the UVF has been limited. Two Ulster Unionist Assembly members, Michael McGimpsey and Mike Neabitt, were among the mourners at the funeral. 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. [28], By 1969, the Catholic civil rights movement had escalated its protest campaign, and O'Neill had promised them some concessions. [29], Spence was granted two days leave around in early July 1972 to attend the wedding of his daughter Elizabeth to Winston Churchill "Winkie" Rea. However, the UVF spurned the government efforts and continued killing. The Sunday World's offices were also firebombed. Gusty Spence reading the 2007 UVF 'weapons beyond use' statement in Belfast. 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. "[97], In June 2017, Gary Haggarty, former UVF commander for north Belfast and south-east Antrim, pleaded guilty to 200 charges, including five murders. The newspaper also reported that the group refused to decommission its weapons. [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. 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. [87][88], On the night of 20 June 2011, riots involving 500 people erupted in the Short Strand area of East Belfast. 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. [128] Information regarding the role of women in the UVF is limited. 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. One of the first UVF members to be convicted of murder, Spence was a senior figure in the organisation for over a decade. [9] According to the book Lost Lives (2006 edition), it was responsible for 569 killings. [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. 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. [44] In 1977, he publicly condemned the use of violence for political gain, on the grounds that it was counter-productive. [34] In December, the UVF detonated a car bomb near the Garda central detective bureau and telephone exchange headquarters in Dublin. They managed to procure a large cache of weapons and ammunition including L1A1 Self-Loading Rifles, Browning pistols, and Sterling submachine guns. 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. [68], According to journalist and author Ed Moloney, the UVF campaign in Mid-Ulster in this period "indisputably shattered Republican morale", and put the leadership of the republican movement under intense pressure to "do something",[69] although this has been disputed by others.[who?]. 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 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. It would continue these tactics for the rest of its campaign. 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. 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. Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric'. Spence grew increasingly frustrated with UVF leadership, and left the organization altogether in 1978. The 78-year-old had been ill for some time. 2023 BBC. [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. Its name was taken from . Gusty was a man of war, he was also a man of peace, she said. 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 UVF was to be re-established and that he was to have responsibility for the Shankill. we solemnly warn the authorities to make no more speeches of appeasement. Browse funeral homes near La Habra Heights, California. [95][96], In October 2013, the policing board announced that the UVF was still heavily involved in gangsterism despite its ceasefire. The first Independent Monitoring Commission report in April 2004 described the UVF/RHC as "relatively small" with "a few hundred" active members "based mainly in the Belfast and immediately adjacent areas". "[23] It was led by Gusty Spence, formerly a soldier in the British Army. Among their engagements was one as guests of honour of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy. The UVF killed four men in Belfast and trouble ended only when the LVF announced that it was disbanding in October of that year. [2] He rose to the rank of Provost Sergeant (battalion police). This building had been an important training centre for members of Edward Carson's original UVF. 2023 BBC. Gusty Spence is regarded as one of the founders of loyalist paramilitarism, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Drong de dhnmharfir srathacha ab ea Bistir na Seanchille a bh gnomhach i m Bal Feirste sna 1970id. "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? He was jailed for life for the murder of a Catholic barman in 1966 and served 18 years in prison. Fire engulfed the house next door, badly burning the elderly Protestant widow who lived there. It was not in his later life. However, following significant political pressure, the UVF claimed in 2007 that it was decommissioning its weapons. The 78-year-old died in hospital at the weekend after a long illness. [2], In August 2000, Spence was caught up in moves by Johnny Adair's "C" Company of the UDA to take control of the Shankill by forcing out the UVF and other opponents. The former loyalist paramilitary leader Gusty Spence has died in hospital. The first British soldier to be killed by the Provisional IRA died in February 1971. His funeral service is taking place at Saint Michael's church off the Shankill Road. In incidents carried out within days of each other in June 1966, Mr Spences gang killed two Catholic men, plus a Protestant pensioner who was murdered in a failed attempt to burn a neighbouring Catholic-owned bar. [31] Spence also took on responsibility for the restructuring, returning the UVF to the same command structure and organisational base that Edward Carson had utilised for the original UVF, with brigades, battalions, companies, platoons and sections. In 1971, these ramped up their activity against the British Army and RUC. [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. In Belfast, loyalists responded by attacking nationalist districts. [38] This came to a climax on 4 December, when the UVF bombed McGurk's Bar, a Catholic-owned pub in Belfast. It would attack the Republic again in May 1974, during the two-week Ulster Workers' Council strike. [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. The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group. [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. [82] The IICD confirmed that "substantial quantities of firearms, ammunition, explosives and explosive devices" had been decommissioned and that for the UVF and RHC, decommissioning had been completed. 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. 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. Progress is being made, inch by inch. Gusty Spence was a significant figure in loyalist Belfast for most of his life. 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. Henry McDonald. So when her husband had first made contact with Mr Spence "it was like talking to someone we had always known". [83], The UVF was blamed for the shotgun killing of expelled RHC member Bobby Moffett on the Shankill Road on the afternoon of 28 May 2010, in front of passers-by including children. [citation needed], On 26 March 2022, the UVF was linked to a hoax bomb alert at a bar in Warrenpoint, County Down. [106][107] This uniform, based on those of the original UVF, was introduced in the early 1970s. [53] Spence, a talented footballer in his youth with Old Lodge F.C., was a lifelong supporter of Linfield F.C. [117] Members were trained in bomb-making, and the organisation developed home-made explosives. In 1984, the UVF attempted to kill the northern editor of the Sunday World, Jim Campbell after he had exposed the paramilitary activities of Mid-Ulster brigadier Robin Jackson. In keeping with his wishes, there will be no UVF trappings and his coffin will be draped in the regimental flag of the Royal Ulster Rifles in which he served. The loyalist leader always denied responsibility and his family are now challenging the conviction. Referring to its activity in the early and mid-1970s, journalist Ed Moloney described no-warning pub bombings as the UVF's "forte". [114] Many retaliatory attacks on Catholics were claimed using the covername "Protestant Action Force" (PAF), which first appeared in autumn 1974. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Gusty Spence, who died over the weekend, was a paramilitary godfather in Northern Ireland and one of the founding figures of the UVF, but was also among the first to recognise the need for peace. 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. RT is not responsible for the content of external internet sites. "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. Former Ulster Volunteer Force leader Gusty Spence has died aged 78. However, RUC Special Branch believed that his brother Billy, who kept a much lower public profile, was the real leader of the group. Photograph: Peter Morrison/AP. [151][152] These shipments were considered enough for the UVF/UDA to wage its campaign, most of which were used to kill its victims. [20], Since 1964 and the formation of the Campaign for Social Justice, there had been a growing civil rights campaign in Northern Ireland, seeking to highlight discrimination against Catholics by the unionist government of Northern Ireland. 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,. [46] This resulted in a sharp increase in sectarian killings and internecine feuding, both with the UDA and within the UVF itself. Stated Moffett was killed by UVF members were soldiers and soldiers should not kill civilians, as been. According to the IRA UVF 's `` forte '' leadership, and the UVF ``... Always denied responsibility and his family are now challenging the conviction UVF, was a significant figure in Belfast... Horrific and barbaric ' weekend after a long illness and stop them `` reaping financial benefit therefrom.. Politicians '' long illness of houses and businesses were burnt out, most of them owned by Catholics Spence the... 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