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News that the Police Service of Northern Ireland will finally investigate a clandestine unit of the British army that murdered civilians in the north of Ireland in the early 70s has been labelled as cynical window-dressing by the family of one of the victims. Young mother, Jean Smyth-Campbell, was murdered in June 1972 and police […]

A secret but seemingly innocuous British Ministry of Defence (MOD) file discussing a civil litigation case in 1975, not only confesses that a serious crime was carried out as part of Special Force duties, but also records how casual cover-up permeated the British system.   On April 12th 1974, three British soldiers, William James Simpson, […]

Secret archives show that the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) helped create the myth of Gusty Spence, “The Orange Pimpernel”. The documents found at Kew National Archives by Paper Trail regard the RELEASE of Gusty Spence by RUC in October 1972 even though he was on the most wanted list after his first “escape” from prison custody […]

I write this on the 43rd anniversary of the murder of young mother Jean Smyth-Campbell. My thoughts are with her daughter, Sharon, and all of the Campbell family this evening, and I remember Jean as I write. Jean Smyth-Campbell was shot dead on the Glen Road just before midnight of 8/9th June 1972. The car in […]

A new charity and social enterprise which helps seekers of truth access information relating to conflict and social upheaval across Ireland and Great Britain over the last 50 years and more. Paper Trail offers specialized and targeted research of legacy archives to the legal profession, the media and academia. The records it targets can help build legal […]

Make history. Recover historic records from our troubled past. Conflict-related research for seekers of truth in British and Irish archives. Specialized and targeted research of legacy archives: [custom_list icon=”check” iconcolor=”#81d742″] Saves valuable time and money Has a massive impact on the direction of your work Proves critical for families searching for truth [/custom_list] Make history. […]

Paper Trail is a charity and a social enterprise but what is this? Social enterprise is defined by Government as: A business with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profits for shareholders and owners. […]