Tag: British Army
Battle of St. Matthew’s 50th Anniversary
The Battle of St. Matthew’s was a pivotal moment in our local history and we have much to learn from it still. The 27/28th June is the 50th anniversary of the battle around the parish church in Short Strand. 3 men were shot dead and over two dozen injured. The local area around Ballymacarrett and […]
Casual Collusion and a Tale of Two City Estates
Collusion between state forces and paramilitaries can take many forms. Rarely do we see such casual collusion evidenced in inky black and white, though; and, here, it went to the top. Two incidents. The same British Army Regiment. Just over 24 hours apart and a just a few of hundred yards away from each other. […]
British Information Policy and Propaganda 1971
Read about British Information Policy and Propaganda in the North of Ireland 1971 in these short papers. In July 1971, Clifford Hill was seconded by Britain’s covert propaganda unit, Information Research Department, to the Northern Ireland Office to promote British information policy and propaganda. In Stormont circles, he was known as “Cliff the Spy”. His […]
Press Release: Solicitors for the Family of Jean Smyth-Campbell
Kinnear & Co. Solicitors represent the family of Jean Smyth-Campbell, who was killed in a drive-by shooting by the undercover British Army Unit (the MRF), in June 1972. At the time Jean’s family were told that the IRA had carried out the attack. The RUC then parroted this falsehood to the inquest in November 1972. […]
Where Was MRF When McGurk’s Bar Was Bombed?
For over 10 years, the families have asked police investigators where was the British Army’s death-squad, MRF, when McGurk’s Bar was bombed. Every investigation by the police and Police Ombudsman’s Office in the 46 years since the atrocity, which claimed the lives of 15 civilians, have failed to even prove the existence of the Miltary Reaction […]
Patsy Kelly Murder, 1974 – Startling New Information Uncovered
Statement by the family of Patsy Kelly on the discovery of startling new information which points towards a cover-up by the British state. Startling new information relating to the 1974 abduction and murder of Independent Councillor, Patsy Kelly (right), from Trillick, Co. Tyrone, has been uncovered following a freedom of information request on behalf of […]
Podcast 6: Brian Nelson – Diminishing Responsibility?
In this podcast, we examine the early career of British soldier and Loyalist paramilitary, Brian Nelson. When the murky history of the Troubles is written, Brian Nelson’s name is assured of a place. His name has become synonymous with the word “collusion” as he was a double agent run by British military intelligence at the […]
Earliest Record of Operational MRF?
Is this the earliest record of an operational Military Reaction Force (MRF)? A British Army 39 Brigade Commander’s Diary from October 1971 could have uncovered the earliest operational record of the clandestine Military Reaction Force. We have other records naming the main players like Captain Arthur Watchus and Sergeant Clive Graham Williams from the beginning […]
Podcast 5: The Myth of the Orange Pimpernel
In this Paper Trail Pro podcast, we examine the Myth of the Orange Pimpernel. Secret British archives prove that Gusty Spence did not escape from police custody when he was the most wanted Loyalist in the north of Ireland. The police simply released him and helped create the Myth of the Orange Pimpernel. Government Line […]
Podcast 2: General Frank Kitson – War Hero or Director of Terrorism?
In the second of the Paper Trail Pro Podcasts, author Ciarán MacAirt discusses the legacy of General Frank Kitson. General Frank Kitson (right) is a renowned British Army military strategist and counter-insurgency expert. His books include Gangs and Counter-Gangs and Low Intensity Operations: Subversion, Insurgency and Peacekeeping. Kitson was last deployed to the north of […]