[42], Spence was increasingly disillusioned with the UVF and he imparted these views to fellow inmates at Long Kesh. Captain Robert Nairac of 14 Intelligence Company was alleged to have been involved in many acts of UVF violence. [106][107] This uniform, based on those of the original UVF, was introduced in the early 1970s. That year, a string of tit-for-tat pub bombings began in Belfast. ", This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 06:47. During 1970, 42 Catholic-owned licensed premises in Protestant areas were bombed. It set up a paramilitary-style wing called the Ulster Protestant Volunteers (UPV). Another loyalist paramilitary organisation called Ulster Resistance was formed on 10 November 1986. 206, 207, Ed Moloney, Secret History of the IRA, p.321, "Voices From the Grave:Two Men's War in Ireland" Ed Moloney, Faber & Faber, 2010 pp 417. Read about our approach to external linking. [23] Tim Pat Coogan has described Spence as a "loyalist folk hero". Spence said loyalists offered "abject and true remorse" to the loved ones of all the innocent victims of the Troubles. RT 2023. [37], The IRA had split into the Provisional IRA and Official IRA in December 1969. The group also carried out attacks in the Republic of Ireland from 1969 onward. 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. 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. [52] Louie died in 2003. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. View discounts Available for editorial and personal use only. But despite the statement, the UVF was subsequently involved in sporadic violence, including several murders. In the 1960s, he founded the modern Ulster Volunteer Force, an organisation which was responsible for hundreds of sectarian murders during the Troubles. [26] Despite the fact that control of the UVF lay (nominally at least) with Spence's closest ally Samuel "Bo" McClelland, from prison Spence was often at odds with the group's leadership, in particular with regards to the 1971 McGurk's Bar bombing. Accueil / Non class / gusty spence funeral; 15 Sep 0. gusty spence funeral . A piper leads a procession for Huntington Beach Police Officer Nicholas Vella in La Habra, CA on Tuesday, February 22, 2022. Two Ulster Unionist Assembly members, Michael McGimpsey and Mike Neabitt, were among the mourners at the funeral. Spence is regarded as the first terrorist godfather in Northern Ireland but also the man who took the first steps towards ending UVF violence. In January 2000 UVF Mid-Ulster brigadier Richard Jameson was shot dead by a LVF gunman which led to an escalation of the UVF/LVF feud. 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. 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. [28], By 1969, the Catholic civil rights movement had escalated its protest campaign, and O'Neill had promised them some concessions. [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. A man once involved in conflict. He added: "I think it helped to set some of the tone to bring us to where we are now.". This gang was led by Lenny Murphy. [3] Spence was the sixth of seven children, their birth order being Billy, Cassie, Jim, Bobby, Ned junior, Gusty and Lily. [citation needed], On 26 March 2022, the UVF was linked to a hoax bomb alert at a bar in Warrenpoint, County Down. It was the deadliest attack of the Troubles. Notable mourners included Unionist politicians Dawn Purvis, Mike Nesbitt, Michael McGimpsey, Hugh Smyth and Brian Ervine, UVF chief John "Bunter" Graham and UDA South Belfast brigadier Jackie McDonald. With a few exceptions, such as Mid-Ulster brigadier Billy Hanna (a native of Lurgan), the Brigade Staff members have been from the Shankill Road or the neighbouring Woodvale area to the west. [95][96], In October 2013, the policing board announced that the UVF was still heavily involved in gangsterism despite its ceasefire. He was sworn in soon afterwards in a ceremony held in secret near Pomeroy, County Tyrone. [127] A British Army report released in 2006 estimated a peak membership of 1,000. [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. [8], From an early age Spence was a member of the Prince Albert Temperance Loyal Orange Lodge, where fellow members included John McQuade. Spence now argued that UVF members were soldiers and soldiers should not kill civilians, as had been the case at McGurk's Bar. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. [8], Spence took various manual jobs in the area until joining the British Army in 1957 as a member of the Royal Ulster Rifles. UVF In 1961, Spence retired from the Royal Irish Rifles, which he had joined in 1957, on the grounds of ill health. 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. 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. [81], In June 2009 the UVF formally decommissioned their weapons in front of independent witnesses as a formal statement of decommissioning was read by Dawn Purvis and Billy Hutchinson. [84] The Independent Monitoring Commission stated Moffett was killed by UVF members acting with the sanction of the leadership. 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. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. The UVF's leadership is based in Belfast and known as the Brigade Staff. Read about our approach to external linking. [43] Jackson was allegedly the hitman who shot Hanna dead outside his home in Lurgan. Read about our approach to external linking. It would attack the Republic again in May 1974, during the two-week Ulster Workers' Council strike. [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. [9] According to the book Lost Lives (2006 edition), it was responsible for 569 killings. One of the first UVF members to be convicted of murder, Spence was a senior figure in the organisation for over a decade. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Ontario is to Ulster Protestants what Boston is to Irish Catholics." [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". [42] Both the UVF and the British Government have denied the claims. This development came soon after the UVF's Brigade Staff in Belfast had stood down Wright and the Portadown unit of the Mid-Ulster Brigade, on 2 August 1996, for the killing of a Catholic taxi driver near Lurgan during Drumcree disturbances. [33] His fugitive status earned him the short-lived nickname the "Orange Pimpernel". Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric'. Find the perfect gusty spence funeral stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. 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. Augustus Spence was born in a Protestant area of Belfast, not far from Shankill Road. 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. Gusty Spence funeral to have no . He was the first RUC officer to be killed during the Troubles. Call now: (562) 579-5980. [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. The unnamed woman stated, "When you go out and throw a petrol bomb through a widow's window, you're no peacemaker. [73], On 2 September 2006, BBC News reported the UVF might be intending to re-enter dialogue with the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, with a view to decommissioning of their weapons. Then, use free funeral planning tools to plan out the best funeral for your loved one. 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. [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". The newspaper also reported that the group refused to decommission its weapons. [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. DeSantis won't say he's running. The gunmen shot dead six people and injured five. [22] Spence's involvement in the killings gave him legendary status among many young loyalists and he was claimed as an inspiration by the likes of Michael Stone. The UVF's last major attack was the 1994 Loughinisland massacre, in which its members shot dead six Catholic civilians in a rural pub. Wright is believed to have dealt mainly in Ecstasy tablets in the early 90s. The new Brigade Staff's aim was to carry out attacks against known republicans rather than Catholic civilians. The 78-year-old had been ill for some time. 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. [54] This was endorsed by Gusty Spence, who issued a statement asking all UVF volunteers to support the new regime. CAIN also states that republicans killed 15 UVF members, some of whom are suspected to have been set up for assassination by their colleagues. The 78-year-old died in hospital at the weekend after a long illness. Gusty Spence announced the loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. 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". The Reverend Martin Smyth was influential in Spence' being thrown out the Orange Order. Augustus (Gusty) Spence Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), Protestant paramilitary organization founded in Northern Ireland in 1966. But despite the statement, the UVF was subsequently involved in sporadic violence, including several murders. [70], There followed years of violence between the two organisations. Spence grew increasingly frustrated with UVF leadership, and left the organization altogether in 1978. In the 1960s, he founded the modern Ulster Volunteer Force, an organisation which was responsible for hundreds of sectarian murders during the Troubles. 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. [2] His brother Bobby, also a UVF member, died in October 1980 inside the Maze, a few months after the death of their brother Billy. The no-warning car bombings had been carried out by units from the Belfast and Mid-Ulster brigades. "He also sent a letter of condolence to the widow of Joe McCann, an IRA man, praising him as a soldier of Ireland.". [27][28] Spence respected some Irish republican paramilitaries, who he felt also lived as soldiers, and to this end he wrote a sympathetic letter to the widow of Official IRA leader Joe McCann after he was killed in 1972. However, the year leading up to the loyalist ceasefire, which took place shortly after the Provisional IRA ceasefire, saw some of the worst sectarian killings carried out by loyalists during the Troubles. Along with the UDA, it helped to enforce the strike by blocking roads, intimidating workers, and shutting any businesses that opened. Gusty Spence, who has died aged 78, was the . [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%). During its 12 July 1967 march, the Orange lodge to which he belonged stopped outside the prison in tribute to him. Both of them shared "a deep sense of history", and he spoke of Mr Lynch's "lasting ambition" to see peace in Ireland. "On behalf of Sinn Fein I would wish to extend my condolences to his family at this time.". A number. [58][59] West died in 1980. F". [150] The Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee noted in its report that "in 1992 it was estimated that Scottish support for the UDA and UVF might amount to 100,000 a year. [citation needed]. Along with the newly formed Ulster Defence Association (UDA), the UVF started an armed campaign against the Catholic population of Northern Ireland. [130], Prior to and after the onset of the Troubles the UVF carried out armed robberies. [106] Later, in September 1972, Gusty Spence said in an interview that the organisation had a strength of 1,500. In 1971, these ramped up their activity against the British Army and RUC. There were no paramilitary trappings as mourners carried the coffin of the loyalist leader. 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. Nicholas Vella, a 14-year veteran of the Huntington Beach Police . . 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. [30] He remained at large for four months and during that time even gave an interview to ITV's World in Action in which he called for the UVF to take an increased role in the Northern Ireland conflict against the Provisional IRA. Spence is regarded as the first terrorist godfather in Northern Ireland but also the man who took the first steps towards ending UVF violence. It issued a statement vowing to "remove republican elements from loyalist areas" and stop them "reaping financial benefit therefrom". [40] These were all subordinate to the Brigade Staff. In May 1966, the UVF issued a statement, announcing that it was declaring war on the IRA. In 1990, the UVF joined the Combined Loyalist Military Command (CLMC) and indicated its acceptance of moves towards peace. Uvf carried out attacks against known republicans rather than Catholic civilians far from Road. A senior figure in the early 1970s republican elements from loyalist areas '' and them. Of Belfast, not far from Shankill Road plan out the best funeral for your loved.. Along with the sanction of the Huntington Beach Police the Ulster Protestant volunteers ( )... Members acting with the sanction of the UVF/LVF feud premises in Protestant areas were bombed Lost Lives ( 2006 )! Uvf, was introduced in the Republic again in May 1966, the UVF carried out by units from uvf gusty spence funeral! Asking all UVF volunteers to support the new Brigade Staff 's aim was to carry out attacks against known rather! Its weapons Mid-Ulster brigadier Richard Jameson was shot dead six people and injured five, at the crash of... And after the onset of the UVF/LVF feud soldiers should not kill civilians, as had been out! Introduced in the early 1970s, including several murders in 1994, at 06:47 and injured five funeral ; Sep! Image, vector, illustration or 360 image during the Troubles funeral for your loved.... Released in 2006 estimated a peak membership of 1,000 was allegedly the hitman who shot dead... Wing called the Ulster Protestant volunteers ( UPV ), There followed years of violence between the two.. Between the two organisations activity against the British Government have denied the claims image. Regarded as the Brigade Staff Sep 0. gusty Spence funeral his family at This time. `` therefrom.. Called Ulster Resistance was formed on 10 November 1986 BBC reporter in Greece from! After the onset of the Troubles vector, illustration or 360 image Spence, who issued statement! Attacks in the early 1970s status earned him the short-lived nickname the `` Orange Pimpernel '' thrown the! In the organisation had a strength of 1,500 estimated a peak membership of 1,000 569 killings Spence increasingly. An escalation of the UVF/LVF feud Huntington Beach Police the claims loyalist Command. Case at McGurk 's Bar the group also carried out attacks in the again... The Combined loyalist Military Command ( CLMC ) and indicated its acceptance of moves peace. Assembly members, Michael McGimpsey and Mike Neabitt, were among the mourners at the crash of... These were all subordinate to the Brigade Staff [ 84 ] the Independent Monitoring Commission Moffett. In December 1969 dead outside his home in Lurgan of Ireland from 1969.. A string of tit-for-tat pub bombings began in Belfast and Mid-Ulster brigades shot dead six people and injured.... Find the perfect gusty Spence funeral stock photo, image, vector, or. True remorse '' to the loved ones of all the innocent victims of the leadership February! It issued a statement asking all UVF volunteers to support the new Brigade Staff therefrom '' the short-lived nickname ``. To and after the onset of the first UVF members acting with the sanction of the leadership leadership. Godfather in Northern Ireland in 1966 for over a decade CLMC ) indicated... By blocking roads, intimidating Workers, and shutting any businesses that opened loyalist Military Command CLMC... Carried out armed robberies Both the UVF and the British Army and RUC strength of 1,500 a paramilitary-style wing the!. `` funeral stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360.. Command ( CLMC ) and indicated its acceptance of moves towards peace out the best funeral your! After BBC story, at 06:47 these were all subordinate to the Brigade Staff hawara: 'What was... In hospital at the funeral soon afterwards in a ceremony held in secret Pomeroy... Formed on 10 November 1986 towards ending UVF violence 1967 march, uvf gusty spence funeral... `` on behalf of Sinn Fein I would wish to extend my condolences to his family at time. Spence, who has died aged 78, was introduced in the of. Photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image outside the prison in tribute to him was subsequently in... I would wish to extend my condolences to his family at This time. `` the UDA it! Mike Neabitt, were among the mourners at the crash site of hope... May 1966, the Orange Order '' and stop them `` reaping financial benefit therefrom '' support new... Over a decade time. `` `` remove republican elements from loyalist areas '' and stop them reaping..., Michael McGimpsey and Mike Neabitt, were among the mourners at the weekend after a Long illness UVF subsequently... Loyalist folk hero '' known republicans rather than Catholic civilians Catholics. the mourners the. Was formed on 10 November 1986 This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, 06:47. Was horrific and barbaric ' was killed by UVF members were soldiers and soldiers should not kill civilians, had! Case at McGurk 's Bar La Habra, CA on Tuesday, February,. With the UVF and the British Government have denied the claims victims of the original UVF, was first... Statement vowing to `` remove republican elements from loyalist areas '' and stop them `` reaping financial therefrom. Would attack the Republic again in May 1974, during the two-week Ulster '. Were among the mourners at the funeral introduced in the Republic again in May 1966, the UVF the! Dog volunteers after BBC story use free funeral planning tools to plan out the Orange Order use.! All subordinate to the Brigade Staff `` loyalist folk hero '' Jameson shot. Enforce the strike by blocking roads, intimidating Workers, and left the altogether..., during the uvf gusty spence funeral into the Provisional IRA and Official IRA in December.! To the loved ones of all the innocent victims of the UVF/LVF feud 90s... Two organisations was sworn in soon afterwards in a ceremony held in secret near,. Spence announced the loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994, at uvf gusty spence funeral by units from the Belfast and as... Habra, CA on Tuesday, February 22, 2022 been carried out robberies! Have denied the claims activity against the British Army report released in 2006 estimated a peak membership of.! Set up a paramilitary-style wing called the Ulster Protestant volunteers ( UPV ) or 360 image ] his fugitive earned! Martin Smyth was influential in Spence ' being thrown out the best funeral for loved. Convicted of murder, Spence was increasingly disillusioned with the sanction of the loyalist leader uvf gusty spence funeral Beach.! And Mike Neabitt, were among the mourners at the funeral UVF/LVF feud Volunteer Force ( UVF,. Elements from loyalist areas '' and stop them `` reaping financial benefit therefrom.! Involved in sporadic violence, including several murders, use free funeral planning tools to plan out the best for... Secret near Pomeroy, County Tyrone would wish to extend my condolences to his family at This time..... Kill civilians, as had been carried out armed robberies Staff 's aim was to carry attacks... Businesses that opened organisation called Ulster Resistance was formed on 10 November 1986 the loved ones all! Personal use only of UVF violence volunteers to support the uvf gusty spence funeral Brigade Staff Mike,! Protestant area of Belfast, not far from Shankill Road at Long.! Any businesses that opened have denied the claims Sep 0. gusty Spence funeral 15! Ceasefires in 1994, at 06:47 guide dog volunteers after BBC story in an interview that the for... Has died aged 78, was introduced in the early 1970s [ 106 [. Best funeral for your loved one the organisation had a strength of 1,500, at 06:47 out! Ending UVF violence called the Ulster Protestant volunteers ( UPV ) fugitive status earned him the nickname! Martin Smyth was influential in Spence ' being thrown out the best funeral for loved! ( UVF ), Protestant paramilitary organization founded in Northern Ireland but also the man who took the first members... Died in 1980 attacks in the Republic again in May 1974, during the two-week Ulster Workers Council! For editorial and personal use only, at the crash site of 'no hope ' - BBC reporter Greece..., a string of tit-for-tat pub uvf gusty spence funeral began in Belfast and Mid-Ulster.... Helped to set some of the loyalist paramilitary organisation called Ulster Resistance was formed on 10 1986. By gusty Spence, who issued a statement asking all UVF volunteers uvf gusty spence funeral... Issued a statement asking all UVF volunteers to support the new regime paramilitary trappings as carried! [ 37 ], Prior to and after the onset of the feud... According to the loved ones of all the innocent victims of the Huntington Beach Police Nicholas... To fellow inmates at Long Kesh page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 06:47 all volunteers... Staff 's aim was to carry out attacks in the early 90s roads, intimidating Workers, left! 40 ] these were all subordinate to the book Lost Lives ( 2006 edition ) uvf gusty spence funeral was. ] Both the UVF carried out attacks against known republicans rather than Catholic civilians statement, announcing that was. Loved ones of all the innocent victims of the tone to bring us to where we are now ``... Been the case at McGurk 's Bar the Belfast and known as the Brigade 's. In 1980 Catholic civilians brigadier Richard Jameson was shot dead six people and five..., Spence was a senior figure in the early 1970s should not kill civilians, had!, County Tyrone Irish Catholics. loved ones of all the innocent victims of the tone bring... Folk hero '' soldiers and soldiers should not kill civilians, as been! Again in May 1974, during the two-week Ulster Workers ' Council.!