[73], On 2 September 2006, BBC News reported the UVF may be intending to re-enter dialogue with the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, with a view to decommissioning of their weapons. [24] On 21 May, the group issued a statement: From this day, we declare war against the Irish Republican Army and its splinter groups. An article published by the newspaper fingered Wright as a drug lord and sectarian murderer. According to the University of Ulster's Sutton database,[133] the UVF and RHC was responsible for 481 killings during "the Troubles", between 1969 and 2001. [22] In April, loyalists led by Ian Paisley, a Protestant fundamentalist preacher, founded the Ulster Constitution Defence Committee (UCDC). The Irish parliament's Joint Committee on Justice called the bombings an act of "international terrorism" involving the British security forces. James Smyth, 55, is alleged by the prosecution to have been involved in the . It emerged in 1966 and is named after the original UVF of the early 20th century. [21] In April 1966, Ulster loyalists led by Ian Paisley, a Protestant fundamentalist preacher, founded the Ulster Constitution Defence Committee (UCDC). Along with the UDA, it helped to enforce the strike by blocking roads, intimidating workers, and shutting any businesses that opened. The group had been proscribed in July 1966, but this ban was lifted on 4 April 1974 by Merlyn Rees, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, in an effort to bring the UVF into the democratic process. Fire engulfed the house next door, badly burning the elderly Protestant widow who lived there. Carson and Craig, supported by some English Conservative politicians . [36] Catholic churches were also attacked. During this time he restructured the organisation into brigades, battalions, companies, platoons and sections. Anderson, Malcolm & Bort, Eberhard (1999). It was the UVF's deadliest attack in Northern Ireland, and the deadliest attack in Belfast during the Troubles. '[156], The UVF's satellite organisation, the Red Hand Commando, was described by the IMC in 2004 as "heavily involved" in drug dealing. [105] Members were disciplined after they carried out an unsanctioned theft of 8 million of paintings from an estate in Co Wicklow in April 1974. [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%). [39], The following year, 1972, was the most violent of the Troubles. [29], On 12 October, a loyalist protest in the Shankill became violent. They shot John Scullion, a Catholic civilian, as he walked home. Captain Robert Nairac of 14 Intelligence Company was alleged to have been involved in many acts of UVF violence. This gang was led by Lenny Murphy. In Belfast, loyalists responded by attacking nationalist districts. The Military Reaction Force, Military Reconnaissance Force or Mobile Reconnaissance Force (MRF) was a covert intelligence-gathering and counterinsurgency unit of the British Army active in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.The unit was formed during the summer of 1971 and operated until late 1972 or early 1973. "[23] It was led by Gusty Spence, formerly a soldier in the British Army. The newspaper also reported that the group refused to decommission its weapons. Since 1969 the group had also carried out attacks in the Republic of Ireland. [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. On 7 May, loyalists petrol bombed a Catholic-owned pub in the loyalist Shankill area of Belfast. It was alleged that Colin Armstrong had links to both drugs and loyalist terrorists. [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. [123] Supporters in Scotland have helped supply explosives and guns. [22] In March and April 1966, Irish republicans held parades throughout Ireland to mark the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising. The UVF very clearly have involvement in drug dealing, all forms of gangsterism, serious assaults, intimidation of the community." It set up a paramilitary-style wing called the Ulster Protestant Volunteers (UPV). The deadliest of these were the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings, which killed 33 civilians, the highest number of deaths in a single day during the conflict. [115] They always signed their statements with the fictitious name "Captain William Johnston". The evidence could have implicated the senior mid-Ulster Ulster Volunteer Force member in the targeting of Catholics. adding water to reduce alcohol in wine. The initial aim of Ulster Resistance was to bring an end to the Anglo-Irish Agreement. William Marchant (loyalist) Bobby Mathieson (UVF member) Billy McCaughey Samuel McClelland Robert McConnell (loyalist) Bobby McKee Billy Mitchell (loyalist) David Alexander Mulholland John Murphy (loyalist) P Clifford Peeples R Lindsay Robb Brian Robinson (loyalist) S George Seawright Robert Seymour (loyalist) William Smith (loyalist) It began carrying out gun attacks to kill random Catholic civilians and using car bombs to attack Catholic-owned pubs. The origins of the UDA lay in west Belfast with the formation of vigilante groups such as the Shankill Defence. [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. Henry MacDonald and Jim Cusack . The Ulster Volunteer Force emerged during the first sparks of Northern Ireland's Troubles in the mid-1960s. [110], Prior to and after the onset of the Troubles the UVF carried out armed robberies. 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. [50] The UVF was banned again on 3 October 1975 and two days later twenty-six suspected UVF members were arrested in a series of raids. They have been engaged in orchestrating violence on our streets, and it's very clear to me that they are engaged in an array of mafia-style activities. The Volunteer Political Party (VPP) was a loyalist political party launched in Northern Ireland on 22 June 1974 by members of the then recently legalised Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).The Chairman was Ken Gibson from East Belfast, an ex-internee and UVF chief of staff at the time. [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. So open up your map, grab a pencil and listen up.Vieux Fort Airport (UVF-Hewanorra Intl.) The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. ][102] On 11 April, the UVF reportedly ordered the removal of Catholic families from a housing estate in Carrickfergus. According to the Belfast Telegraph, "70 separate police intelligence reports implicating the north Belfast UVF man in dealing cannabis, Ecstasy, amphetamines and cocaine. In October, UVF and UPV member Thomas McDowell was killed by the bomb he was planting at Ballyshannon power station. [23] It would continue these tactics for the rest of its campaign. Chiefs of Staff [ edit] Gusty Spence (1966). It was the deadliest attack of the Troubles. [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. This move came as the organisation held high-level discussions about its future. [99][100], On 4 March 2021, the UVF, Red Hand Commando and UDA renounced their current participation in the Good Friday Agreement. They also stated that they would retain their weaponry but put them beyond reach of normal volunteers. [32][33] There were further attacks in the Republic between October and December 1969. page 1. http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/politics/docs/imc/imc200404.pdf, http://www.vilaweb.cat/media/attach/vwedts/docs/op_banner_analysis_released.pdf, http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/politics/docs/imc/imc240505.pdf, http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/article2187547.ece, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4379973.stm, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4244082.stm, http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/organ/porgan.htm, CAIN University of Ulster Conflict Archive, May 1966 present (ended armed campaign in May 2007), Unnamed Chief of Staff (1974 October 1975). [127] A British Army report released in 2006 estimated a peak membership of 1,000. This was a large, three-day riot between Irish nationalists and the police (RUC). [28], By 1969, the Catholic civil rights movement had escalted its protest campaign, and O'Neill had promised them some concessions. Some of them left much of Belfast without power and water. Wright was apparently enraged by the nickname and made numerous threats to O'Hagan and Campbell. John "Bunter" Graham (born c. 1945) is a longstanding prominent. [72], On 12 February 2006, The Observer reported that the UVF was to disband by the end of 2006. [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". However, the UVF spurned the government efforts and continued killing. They follow the careers of some of the key players in the UVF, including Gusty Spence, Billy Wright and David Ervine. On 18 June 1994, UVF members machine-gunned a pub in Loughinisland, County Down on the basis that its customers were watching the Republic of Ireland national football team playing in the World Cup on television and were therefore assumed to be Catholics. The vast majority (more than two-thirds)[6][7] of its 481 known victims were Catholic civilians. The UVF's declared goals were to combat Irish republicanism particularly the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and to maintain Northern Ireland's status as part of the United Kingdom. Both the UDA and UVF have continued to recruit members into their ranks, despite. Their weapons stock-piles are to be retained under the watch of the UVF leadership. [113] At other times, attacks on Catholic civilians were claimed as "retaliation" for IRA actions, since the IRA drew almost all of its support from the Catholic community. He was the first RUC officer to be killed during the Troubles. jackie mahood uvf members listrobert downey jr house malibu. The group is a proscribed organisation and is on the terrorist organisation list of the United Kingdom.[8]. [22] The group called itself the "Ulster Volunteer Force" (UVF), after the original UVF of the early 20th century. townhomes for rent in pg county. [29] Unionist support for O'Neill waned, and on 28 April he resigned as Prime Minister. Twenty tons of ammonium nitrate was also stolen from the Belfast docks.[40]. Two drug dealers and close associates of UFF narco-king Mo Courtney were ordered out of the area on Thursday night and according. [23], An old UVF mural on Shankill Road, where the group was formed. However, public opinion suggests that the stabbing was a personal vendetta and any connection being made to the Moffett case was simply a fictitious tale of revenge. [26] He died of his wounds on 11 June. "The Dublin and Monaghan bombings: Cover-up and incompetence". [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. [41] On 17 May, two UVF units from the Belfast and Mid-Ulster brigades detonated four car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan. In March and April that year, UVF and UPV members bombed water and electricity installations in Northern Ireland, blaming them on the dormant IRA and elements of the civil rights movement. Fifteen Catholic civilians were killed and seventeen wounded. [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. [34] In December the UVF detonated a car bomb near the Garda central detective bureau and telephone exchange headquarters in Dublin. Ontario is to Ulster Protestants what Boston is to Irish Catholics." 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. 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. [140], In contrast to the IRA, overseas support for loyalist paramilitaries including the UVF has been limited. hooksett school district calendar. It would attack the Republic again in May 1974, during the two-week Ulster Workers' Council strike. Anderson, Malcolm & Bort, Eberhard (1999). The chip shop has since been closed down. Sam "Bo" McClelland (1966-1973) [28] Described as a "tough disciplinarian", he was personally appointed by Spence to. The shooting raised questions over the future of the PUP. They managed to procure a large cache of weapons and ammunition including self-loading rifles, Browning pistols, and Sterling submachine guns. The Sunday World's offices were also firebombed. [39], The following year, 1972, was the most violent of the Troubles. [154] It was around this time that Sunday World journalists Martin O'Hagan and Jim Campbell coined the term "rat pack" for the UVF's murderous mid-Ulster unit and, unable to identify Wright by name for legal reasons, they christened him "King Rat." [128], The UVF have been implicated in drug dealing in areas from where they draw their support. The Ulster Volunteer Force emerged during the first sparks of Northern Ireland's Troubles in the mid-1960s. Their campaign of violence quickly marked them out as one of the most extreme loyalist groups. Serves as a full-time certified pharmacy technician.Responsible for operating pharmacy systems to obtain patient . . [35], In January 1970, the UVF began bombing Catholic-owned businesses in Protestant areas of Belfast. Where state and federal laws/regulations allow, accountable for performing day-to-day non-clinical pharmacy operations, administrative activities; Ensures efficient pharmacy workflow and a positive patient experience. More militant members of the UVF, led by Billy Wright who disagreed with the ceasefire, broke away to form the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF). House of Commons: Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, Cusack & McDonald, p.3435, 105, 199, 205, The Lost Lives, David McKittrick, Page 1475, Timeline of Ulster Volunteer Force actions, protests throughout Northern Ireland, some of which became violent, Provisional IRA campaign 1969-1997 Loyalists and the IRA killing and reprisals, Republic of Ireland national football team, Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, "Report drawn up on behalf of the Political Affairs Committee on the situation in Northern Ireland", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfGe4WO8yok, "Sutton Index of Deaths: Organisation responsible for the death", "Sutton Index of Deaths: Crosstabulations", "Inside the UVF: Money, murders and mayhem - the loyalist gang's secrets unveiled", "UVF mural on Shankill Road being investigated by police", "UVF 'behind racist attacks in south and east Belfast'", Chronology of Key Events in Irish History, 1800 to 1967, "Irish tighten security after Dublin bombing", "Call for probe of British link to 1974 bombs", "Collusion in the South Armagh / Mid Ulster Area in the mid-1970's". Others joined Irish Regiments of the UK's 10th and 16th Irish Division. Thirty-three people were killed and almost 300 injured. The story of former UVF member Alistair Little. [22] Two days later, the Government of Northern Ireland declared the UVF illegal. [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". [103], On 25 March 2022, the UVF was blamed[by whom?] [117] Members were trained in bomb-making, and the organisation developed home-made explosives. This era also saw a more widespread targeting on the UVF's part of IRA and Sinn Fin members, beginning with the killing of senior IRA member Larry Marley[62] and a failed attempt on the life of a leading republican which left three Catholic civilians dead. [58][59] West died in 1980. Eleven months later, a 40-year old man was arrested and charged with the attempted murder of the UVF's alleged second-in-command Harry Stockman, described by the media as a "senior Loyalist figure". [37], In December 1969 the IRA had split into the Provisional IRA and Official IRA. Our Classes Muscle Testing Workshop Contact Us Review us uvf members list uvf members list 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. In 2023, we need less company-centered job ads. 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. The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland.The current incarnation was formed in May 1966 and named after the UVF of 1912.. [150], The UVF have been implicated in drug dealing in areas from where they draw their support. [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%). 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. [21] The shootings led to Spence's being sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum sentence of twenty years. The UVF stated that the attempted attack was a protest against the Irish Army units "still massed on the border in County Donegal". The group concluded a general acceptance of the need to decommission, though there was no conclusive proof of moves towards this end. (False)The UVF's 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. In February it began to target critics of militant loyalism the homes of MPs Austin Currie, Sheelagh Murnaghan, Richard Ferguson and Anne Dickson were attacked with improvised bombs. of which I have been speaking. list of mortuary science schools in kenya. Recently it has emerged from the Police Ombudsman that senior North Belfast UVF member and Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) Special Branch informant Mark Haddock has been involved in drug dealing. 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". There was to be much overlap in membership between the UCDC/UPV and the UVF.[22]. The University of Valley Forge (UVF) is pleased to offer numerous scholarships to our students. Hanna and Jackson have both been implicated by journalist Joe Tiernan and RUC Special Patrol Group (SPG) officer John Weir as having led one of the units that bombed Dublin. [58][59][105] Graham has held the position since he assumed office in 1976. John Graham (loyalist) Ulster Volunteer Force member. 23/06/2020: Antrim's Ken Wilkinson, at home. By the summer of 1916, only the Ulster and 16th divisions remained, the 10th amalgamated into both following severe losses in the Battle of Gallipoli. Thousands of families, mostly Catholics, were forced to flee their homes and refugee camps were set up in the Republic of Ireland. "Attack on girl blamed for trouble News, East Belfast", http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/community-telegraph/east-belfast/news/attack-on-girl-blamed-for-trouble-16015238.html, "BBC News Man held over East Belfast police murder bid", http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-13894198, http://www.u.tv/news/UVF-members-behind-flag-trouble/88468242-4c5a-4e07-a3c4-3dba8ad46ed4, "Twenty-nine police injured as water cannon and plastic bullets fired in Belfast as 1,000 protestors clash in escalating violence over flying of Union flag", http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2261290/Twenty-police-injured-water-cannon-plastic-bullets-fired-Belfast-1-000-protestors-clash-escalating-violence-flying-Union-flag.html, http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/surge-in-belfast-violence-blamed-on-resurgent-uvf-29011837.html, http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/the-beast-from-east-belfast-could-put-an-end-to-flags-violence-right-now-but-he-wont-29013680.html, http://sluggerotoole.com/2011/06/24/east-belfast-uvf-mission-accomplished/, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-24391243. [36] Catholic churches were also attacked. John Harbinson, a Protestant handcuffed and beaten to death by a UVF gang on the Mount Vernon estate in north Belfast in May 1997 Catholic workmen Eamon Fox, 44 , a father of six, and Gary. "[129], 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." [27] Spence appointed Samuel McClelland as UVF Chief of Staff in his stead. MRF teams operated in plain clothes and civilian vehicles, equipped with pistols . 1. My Blog jackie mahood uvf members list [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. It claimed the pubs were used for republican fundraising. [63], The UVF also attacked republican paramilitaries and political activists. [58][59][98] Graham has held the position since he assumed office in 1976. David Boulton, UVF 19661973: An Anatomy of Loyalist Rebellion. In 1984, they 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. [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. [94][95], In October 2013, the policing board announced that the UVF was still heavily involved in gangsterism despite its ceasefire. [89][90] A dissident Republican was arrested for "the attempted murder of police officers in east Belfast" after shots were fired upon the police. [91] 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. Scores of houses and businesses were burnt-out, most of them owned by Catholics. [citation needed] There were also reports that UVF members fired shots at police lines during a protest. [45], In 1974, hardliners staged a coup and took over the Brigade Staff. [27] Spence appointed Samuel McClelland as UVF Chief of Staff in his stead. [89], 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. [citation needed], On 26 March 2022, the UVF was linked to a hoax bomb alert at a bar in Warrenpoint, County Down. [25], On 27 May, Spence sent four UVF members to kill IRA volunteer Leo Martin, who lived in Belfast. Hanna and Jackson have both been implicated by journalist Joe Tiernan, and RUC Special Patrol Group (SPG) officer John Weir as having led one of the units that bombed Dublin. They shot John Scullion, a Catholic civilian, as he walked home. [64] Republicans had responded to the attacks by assassinating UVF leaders, including John Bingham, William "Frenchie" Marchant, Trevor King[65] and, allegedly, Leslie Dallas. [152], Billy Wright, the commander of the UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade, is believed to have started dealing drugs in 1991[153] as a lucrative sideline to paramilitary murder. He was shot dead by the IRA in November 1982, four months after his release from the Maze Prison. [125], The UVF has killed more people than any other loyalist paramilitary group. Fermanagh. The no-warning car bombings had been carried out by units from the Belfast and Mid-Ulster Brigades. Job Details. [54] The UVF was behind the deaths of seven civilians in a series of attacks on 2 October. The UVF was also clashing with the UDA in the summer of 2000. Hello, Liveops. [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. [84][85], On 28 May 2010, the UVF was severely criticised over the murder of Moffett. A lengthy internal investigation into the former 'brigadier' led by convicted UVF bomber and provost marshal Jackie Anderson found that he stole at least 250,000 over the past five years. [93] 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. Malcolm Sutton's Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland, part of the Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN), states that the UVF and RHC was responsible for at least 485 killings during the Troubles, and lists a further 256 loyalist killings that have not yet been attributed to a particular group. [15] In the late summer and autumn of 1973 the UVF detonated more bombs than the UDA and IRA combined,[16] and by the time of the group's temporary ceasefire in late November it had been responsible for over 200 explosions that year. [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. For the original Ulster Volunteer Force organisation of the 1910s, see, The UVF emblem, with the motto "For God and Ulster". [101], The strength of the UVF is uncertain. That year, a string of tit-for-tat pub bombings began in Belfast. [24] On 21 May, the group issued a statement: From this day, we declare war against the Irish Republican Army and its splinter groups. 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. . The British Army were deployed on the streets of Northern Ireland. During the conflict, its deadliest attack in Northern Ireland was the 1971 McGurk's Bar bombing, which killed fifteen civilians.