BLOODY SUNDAY INQUIRY WEEK 6

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22 - 25 May 2000

Counsel for the Inquiry, Christopher Clarke QC, completed the evidence of journalists on the firing in sector two. He briefly dealt with some of the evidence from witnesses at Free Derry Corner and he started sector three, the actions of the anti-tank platoon and composite platoon in Rossville Street.

Mr Clarke said that statements from the bulk of the lettered soldiers are either available or soon to be available. The BSI is still waiting for statements from Major Loden and Colonel Wilford. Colonel Wilford is currently abroad and his statement should be available on 20th June.

The security services and the RUC provided assessments on the threat posed to soldiers if they give evidence in Derry. Lord Saville agreed to pass on a request by Michael Mansfield QC for an explanation of how both organisations concluded the threat was moderate. Argument over where the soldiers should give evidence will take place on June 12th.

7.31.5 Brian Cashinella

Mr Cashinella of the Times heard Colonel Wilford giving troops the instruction to fire at identified targets (see BIRW report week 5 para 7.14.1) on two separate occasions. In his statement to the BSI, Mr Cashinella said that he felt that Colonel Wilford was giving this instruction for the benefit of the media. He said that Colonel Wilford was 'at pains to point out that at least one of his soldiers had been injured by an acid bomb.'

7.31.6 David Tereschchuk

Mr Tereschchuk from Thames Television had reached the rubble barricade on Rossville Street when he turned around to see the APCs coming. He said that the troops started firing 'almost immediately' as they got out of the APCs (armoured personnel carriers). He saw one soldier reach Glenfada Park South, twenty yards north of the rubble barricade, go down on one knee and start to fire towards Block 1 of the Rossville flats. Mr Tereschchuk took cover about twenty yards south of the barricade and said he could see two or three soldiers firing in his direction from the wasteground in the Pilot Row area.

7.32 EVIDENCE FROM PEOPLE AT FREE DERRY CORNER

Mr Clarke dealt with Free Derry Corner at this stage because it overlaps sectors two and three. The lorry which led the march had parked at Free Derry Corner and evidence suggests it had taken time for the meeting to begin. The meeting was about to start when the army vehicles were seen driving down Rossville Street. A volley of shots rang out and the crowd gathered around the lorry scattered.

The accounts of shooting given by those at Free Derry Corner vary between people who heard shots from the north and those who heard shots from the city walls (to the east). There are also witnesses who heard shots from both directions.

Lord Brockway had been invited to speak at the march by NICRA. He was on the lorry and just about to speak when people came running from the north and Fahan Street. He said that the shooting started thirty seconds later. Initially the shooting was from the north but then it came nearer to the meeting from the east.

John Coyle said that he first heard a loud gunshot from the east. He fell to the ground and heard a second shot from Rossville Street. There was a lull and then a hail of bullets came from Rossville Street.

Gerald Morrison was standing close to the lorry when he felt bullets 'whistling' over his head. He said the sound of the shots suggested they came from the city walls.

Daniel McGuinness was the only person who remained standing when the shots started. He heard one bullet pass eleven feet above the ground from the north. A second bullet passed five feet directly above his head. The bullet travelled from east to west. There was a lull in the firing and he ran south towards Lecky Road when a second burst of gunfire started. He said it came from the north and the east.

Whilst military evidence exists of firing from the city walls none of it suggests that it was directed at Free Derry Corner. There is no evidence from the soldiers of shooting from the north of Rossville Street at Free Derry Corner.

Mr Clarke will return to events at Free Derry Corner and firing from the city walls later in the opening statement.

Four young men were killed at or in the vicinity of the rubble barricade on Rossville Street. Michael Kelly was shot in the left abdomen. He was taken into Glenfada Park and then into 8 Abbey Park. Michael McDaid was shot in the left cheek with the bullet exiting his right upper back. John Young was shot just below the left eye with the bullet exiting the mid left back. William Nash was shot in the right side of his chest with the bullet exiting the right lower back. They were all shot from the front. Their bodies were picked up and taken away in an APC.

Two young men were killed at or around the entrance to Block 1 of the Rossville flats. Hugh Gilmore died near the telephone box to the south of Block 1 of the Rossville flats. He had wounds on the right and left side of his chest and on his left arm. Whilst the expert at the Widgery Inquiry believed Mr Gilmore had been shot by one bullet the experts for the BSI consider it more likely that he was hit by two bullets. Kevin McElhinney was shot in Rossville Street whilst crawling towards the entrance of Block 1 of the Rossville flats. He was shot in the left buttock with the bullet exiting the left side of his torso near to his shoulder.

Alexander Nash, the father of William Nash, was shot and wounded at the barricade. He had a wound to his left forearm and a graze to the left side of his chest. Mr Nash died in January 1999.

The soldiers deployed on the west side of Rossville Street belonged to the Anti-tank platoon and the Composite platoon. There were also a few soldiers from the Mortar platoon who had travelled in the first two APCs but had come over from the east side of Rossville Street. (The order in which the platoons travelled into Rossville Street can be found at BIRW report week 4 para 6.5.3.)

8.2 EVIDENCE FROM THE MORTAR PLATOON part one

(This evidence has been divided into two parts to show the problems which arise with Corporal P's evidence once it is considered next to the evidence from the Anti-tank platoon. Part two can be found at para 8.4.)

8.2.1 Corporal P

Corporal P was partnered with Soldier 17. They debussed from the second APC. Corporal P said that he moved from Block 1 of the Rossville flats towards the Kells Walk building and reached the east-facing wall of the Kells Walk pram ramp.

He said that a group came out from an alley between Columbcille Court and Glenfada Park North and stoned the soldiers. When baton rounds were fired to disperse the crowd, Corporal P noticed one man trying to light an object he believed to be a nailbomb. He said that he fired two aimed shots at the man and hit him with the second shot. Corporal P was distracted and when he turned back both the body and the nailbomb had gone.

Corporal P said he called forward a group of soldiers. Photographs taken by Mr Mailey were shown of a group of soldiers at the southern most wall at Kells Walk. Soldiers can be seen taking up position at the wall which juts out from Kells Walk. There are also soldiers coming up from the north of Kells Walk.

Corporal P said that he saw a man crouched down at the rubble barricade aiming a pistol at him. There were five or six men on either side of this man who were throwing stones. Corporal P said that the man stood up and fired shots in the direction of the Composite platoon. Corporal P then fired four aimed shots, one hit the barricade and another hit the man.

After the rioting had died down Corporal P moved back to the cover of the APC. He said that as he was running he looked around to see people coming out of Glenfada Park throwing stones and bottles at him. He said that he dropped to one knee and fired a couple of shots over the heads of a crowd of 50 to 60 people.

8.2.2 Discrepancies in Corporal P's evidence

The following discrepancies exist in the accounts Corporal P has given:

· He has placed the first target at different ends of the barricade.
· He has said that the crowd removed the body of the first target and then said he did not see the body being removed.
· He has placed his second target at different points in the road leading into Glenfada Park North.
· He said that he was lying down when he shot his second target and then said he was kneeling when he fired.
· He has given different accounts of the number of shots that the man with the pistol fired before he shot him.
· He does not refer to firing by the Anti-tank platoon despite the fact that he would have been near the Kells Walk pram ramp when this was taking place.

8.3.1 Lieutenant 119

Lieutenant 119 was the platoon commander of the Anti-tank platoon. He said that the platoon took cover behind the wall that juts out from Kells Walk because they were being fired on from the south east corner of Glenfada Park and from the southern corner of Block 1 of the Rossville flats. He said that he saw one of his soldiers fire one aimed shot in the direction of the south east corner of Glenfada Park. This does not tally with any of the accounts given by the soldiers of the anti-tank platoon who say they fired in this area.

8.3.2 Corporal E

As Corporal E moved along the west side of Rossville Street he heard three shots from a small machine pistol. He took cover behind the wall at the south of Kells Walk. He said that he fired his first shot at a sniper in the second storey of the Rossville flats. Corporal E said that the crowd at the barricade were throwing missiles. A petrol bomb was thrown which landed twenty metres away from him and smashed and burnt.

He said that he saw two gunmen at the centre of the barricade. One man had a machine gun and was taking up a firing position when he fell to the ground as if he had been shot. The second man was in a crawling position carrying what he believed to be a rifle. During this time there was firing going on from all around.

8.3.3 Discrepancies in Corporal E's evidence

· He has given different accounts of whether the petrol bomb exploded before or after he took cover at the wall and fired at his first target.
· He said that the petrol bomb landed twenty metres from him and thirty yards from the barricade (which would be approximately a distance of fifty metres). Mr Clarke said that the distance from the wall and the barricade is actually seventy-five metres.

8.3.4 Lance Corporal F

The bullet recovered from Michael Kelly's body was identified as having being fired from Lance Corporal F's rifle.

Lance Corporal F said that he took cover at the wall to the south of Kells Walk after hearing automatic fire on his left. He said he saw two nailbombs explode forty metres in front of the barricade. He said he saw a person behind the barricade attempt to throw what looked like a nailbomb. He fired and the man fell. The nailbomb fell to the ground but did not explode.

In his first RMP statement Lance Corporal F did not mention shooting a man he thought was about to throw a nailbomb. In that statement he said that he had come under sniper fire from the Rossville flats. He said that he fired three aimed shots at the windows of the flats.

8.3.5 Discrepancies in Lance Corporal F's evidence

· Mr Clarke described Lance Corporal F's failure to mention shooting a man at the barricade as a 'very substantial discrepancy'.

8.3.6 Corroboration of Lance Corporal F's account

Lance Corporal J mentions someone at the barricade holding a fizzing object but there are difficulties with his account of events (see para 8.3.10). Soldiers 200, 021, and 027 all refer to seeing soldiers firing at the barricade but none of them refer to nailbombers.

In his new statement to the BSI, Lance Corporal F can now remember virtually nothing about Bloody Sunday.

8.3.7 Private G

Private G was paired with Lance Corporal F. He said he heard a burst of fire and some single shots that were coming from the direction of the flats and the barricade. He took cover at Kells Walk. He stopped at the corner of the alleyway into Glenfada Park and heard someone shout that there was a gunman. He said he could see someone dodging about in the alleyway. He was satisfied that this person was a gunman so he took aim and fired two shots into the alleyway. Both shots struck the wall.

Soldiers G, E, H and F then went into the alleyway leading into Glenfada Park.

8.3.8 Private H

Private H said that he came under fire from two gunmen at the barricade. He chased a youth who he believed had thrown a nailbomb towards Glenfada Park North. His statement to the BSI shows very little recall of Bloody Sunday.

8.3.9 Lance Corporal J

Lance Corporal J heard a burst of five or six rounds of automatic fire coming from the direction of the Rossville flats. He said that young people were throwing bricks, bottles and nailbombs from the barricade. As he got to the low wall at Kells Walk he noticed three people at the barricade. He said that two were armed with what looked like rifles. The two men fired at the soldiers. He took cover behind the wall with two soldiers who fired at the men.

Lance Corporal J said that he stayed at the south of Kells Walk until the trouble had stopped for a moment. He moved towards the barricade and several nailbombs were thrown. Two nailbombs exploded. He got level with the alleyway between Columbcille Court and Glenfada Park and saw a man at corner of the Rossville flats holding a fizzing cylindrical object. Lance Corporal J fired at the man but did not think that the shot hit him.

In his new statement to the BSI, Lance Corporal J cannot recall much about Bloody Sunday.

8.3.10 Discrepancies in Lance Corporal J's evidence

· He has given inconsistent accounts of whether the soldiers he was with fired at nailbombers or gunmen.

8.3.11 Private 635

Private 635 was behind the wall at Kells Walk and although he did not fire any shots he was with soldiers who did. He believes that he saw two, possibly three men carrying weapons. They were moving from Glenfada Park across the barricade and were not pointing their weapons at the soldiers. He does not recall hearing any gunfire coming towards the soldiers from the direction of the barricade.

8.3.12 Lance Corporal 18

Lance Corporal 18's account is difficult to reconcile with the other members of the Anti-tank platoon. He said he heard incoming fire as he ran to the low wall at Kells Walk. He fired a rubber bullet near a woman pouring liquid out of a window of the second floor of Block 1 of the Rossville flats. He fired a baton round at the barricade to try and force the crowd back. He said that a gunman appeared from the doorway at the southwest corner of Block 1 of the Rossville flats. The gunman fired two shots in a general direction up Rossville Street. The gunman disappeared. Apart from that one gunman, Lance Corporal 18 did not see any other civilians with firearms, nailbombs or petrolbombs behind the barricade.

The soldiers of the Anti-tank platoon speak of overtaking the Composite platoon on the west side of Rossville Street, moving up to the south wall of Kells Walk and then moving into Glenfada Park. Soldier E said that he shot a sniper in Block 1 of the flats; soldier F said that he shot a nailbomber at the barricade; soldier J said that he shot a nailbomber at the barricade and then fired from the alleyway between Columbcille Court and Glenfada Park.

Corporal P was in the Mortar platoon. He had moved to the east wall of the Kells Walk pram ramp and fired at a nailbomber between Columbcille Court and Glenfada Park. He then said he fired at a man who had fired a pistol from the barricade. At some stage he called a group of soldiers forward who appear to be soldiers from the Anti-tank platoon and some of the Composite platoon.

8.4.1 Questions arising from Corporal P's evidence

· Whether Corporal P fired his shots before the Anti-tank platoon fired. Corporal P does not speak about the activities of the Anti-tank platoon in his evidence.
· A series of photographs taken by Mr Mailey show Corporal P after he had fired. Whether the soldiers in both the foreground and the background of the photograph were from the Anti-tank platoon or a mixture of Anti-tank platoon and Composite platoon.
· What happened after the photograph showing soldiers going into alleyways after Corporal P fired?

Corporal P said that he had stayed in the same spot by the wall at Kells Walk when a second group of soldiers came forward and took cover behind the wall. He said that during that time he did not hear any gunfire from behind the wall. He assumed the shots he heard had been baton rounds. At the time that soldier L would have fired, Corporal P would have had a complete view of the barricade but he said that he did not see anything at which soldier L could have been firing. During cross examination at the Widgery Inquiry he accepted that standing in the position in which he was photographed he would have been completely exposed to anyone with a gun behind the barricade.

8.4.2 Soldier U

Soldier U was standing on the north end of Block 1 of the Rossville flats. He fired one shot at a man who was south of the barricade at the east side of Rossville Street and who fired two shots at soldiers. The man was hit and carried away by a group of people. This does not tally with any of the deceased or wounded.

Soldier U said that he saw two bodies at the barricade. A man was holding a youth. He said that a grey door of a flat opened and a hand appeared holding a pistol which fired two shots. The first shot hit the ground, ricocheted and hit the man in the arm. The second shot hit the youth in the head. The man and youth at the barricade is a description of Alexander Nash who was holding his son William. Alexander Nash was shot in the arm but William Nash was shot in the chest.

8.4.3 Evidence relating to Soldier U

Soldier U is the only soldier known to have fired in a southerly direction down Rossville Street from the north of Block 1 of the Rossville flats.

Soldier 15 was watching a soldier at the north of Block 1 of the flats from an OP. He saw two people running towards the door at the south end of the flats. The man who was slightly behind turned to look at the soldier and raised his right arm. The soldier fired and the man fell in front of the door. The only soldier who describes firing from this position is soldier U but he said he was firing at a man with a pistol.

The only known victims that Soldier 15 could be referring are Hugh Gilmore and Kevin McElhinney. Photographs show Hugh Gilmore running towards the entrance at the southend of Block 1 of the flats. Kevin McElhinney was crawling towards the door.

8.4.4 Soldier 028

Soldier 028 was a Captain in the 22nd Light Air Defence Regiment and he took up a position to the south of the Kells Walk flats. He said that he saw a man fire a Thompson machine gun from twenty yards behind the barricade. The man then fell backwards as if he had been shot. A crowd gathered around the body and when he looked again the body had disappeared. There is no civilian evidence referring to anything like this.

He then saw a man in the third floor of Block 1 of the Rossville flats holding what looked like a rifle. The man was falling backwards as if he had been shot.

The Composite platoon was split into two platoons and one was sent to the east with the other sent to the left. One half was under the command of Captain 200 and the other under Soldier L1/002.

8.5.1 Captain 200

When he debussed Captain 200 was ordered to go and assist the Mortar platoon. He saw the Anti-tank platoon move to the wall at the south of Kells Walk. He was wearing a gas mask and saw soldiers of the Anti-tank platoon fire at people behind the barricade. He did not see any weapons at the barricade or hear anything coming from that direction but he assumed there were gunmen because he could not believe that soldiers would be firing at civilians.

The platoon sent to the west were ordered to move up to take over the position of the Anti-tank platoon who had by then moved forward round the corner towards Glenfada Park.

He went along the alleyway between Columbcille Court and Glenfada Park and saw a body lying between Glenfada Park and Abbey Park. Mr Clarke said that Gerard McKinney had died at this spot. Captain 200 saw one body on the pavement northeast of 8 Abbey Park. He also saw casualties being evacuated from 6 and 10 Abbey Park.

He moved back to the alley between Columbcille Court and Glenfada Park North and watched the Rossville flats and the barricade. He said that he saw one gunman firing a pistol from a window in the third storey of Rossville flats.

8.5.2 Sergeant K

Sergeant K was at the south of Kells Walk. He saw two people doing a 'leopard crawl' across the barricade towards the doors of the Rossville flats. He said the rear man was carrying a .303 rifle as he could see ten to twelve inches of the butt of a rifle. Sergeant K and soldiers L and M all fired at the two men. The men continued crawling. In cross-examination at the Widgery Inquiry, Sergeant K said that he fired at the man to stop him from using the gun. He was asked why he had not fired at the man again as his first shot had not stopped the man. He said that he had not fired again because he was 'quite satisfied' with the one shot he had fired.

8.5.3 Questions arising from Sergeant K's evidence

· Whether the rules in the Yellow Card allow firing at someone who is crawling towards the entrance of Block 1 of the flats.
· Is it legitimate to fire a 7.62 millimetre bullet at a person who is crawling on his knees in a direction away from the firer?

8.5.4 Soldier L

Soldier L saw movement near the end of the rubble barricade. He saw one man crawling along the ground at the side of the Rossville flats. The man was crawling like a leopard and had a rifle cradled in his arm. Soldier L said he could see the butt of the rifle. His platoon sergeant asked him to stop the man so Soldier L fired one shot. The man jumped and a second man who had been crawling behind pulled the man along. Soldier L fired again and hit the second man. He said that the second man had taken the rifle from the first man (see discrepancies at para 8.5.5).

He saw a man kneeling at the barricade cradling the body of his son. Soldier L ran beside Columbcille Court and then back towards Kells Walk. He said that he fired two shots at a gunman at the corner of Kells Walk and Abbey Street.

Soldier L stopped a priest and Knight of Malta who were taking wounded people to hospital on three separate occasions. (This is a reference to Father Carolan taking John Johnston and Damien Donaghy to hospital see BIRW report week 3 para 5.8.8.)

8.5.5 Discrepancies in Soldier L's evidence

· In his first statement he said that both men crawling along the barricade had rifles. This changed to one rifle being passed from one man to the other.
· In his first statement he said that the Company Sergeant ordered him to fire at both men. This changed to an order to fire at the first man only.

8.5.6 Soldier M

Soldier M moved to the Kells Walk flats he said he heard explosions from the barricade. He saw a petrol bomb being thrown from the side of Glenfada Park. He took cover behind the small wall at the south of Kells Walk and said that shots were fired from the area of the barricade. He saw two men doing a leopard crawl towards the doorway in the Rossville flats. He said that both men appeared to be carrying weapons in the crook of their arms. He fired at the first man and saw the man slump forwards. He took a shot at the second man. The first man was dragged into the door of the flats. The second man was further from the door and when the firing died down he saw a group of people come out of the doorway. When the group moved back the second man had disappeared.

8.5.7 What the evidence of Soldiers K,L and M amounts to

On their evidence Soldiers K,L and M all fired at two men who were crawling into Block 1 of the Rossville flats. They fired either at the same time or within a very short time of each other. If their evidence is correct it would mean that two men were shot whilst crawling and both would have been hit by more than one bullet. Only one man, Kevin McElhinney, has been identified as shot whilst near the ground in this area.

8.5.8 Differences in the accounts given by Soldiers K,L and M

· Soldier K said that there was only one rifle and the man at the back was carrying it when he shot him.
· Soldier L thought that his first shot hit the man in front. Somebody else fired and hit the man in front again. Soldier L fired again and hit both men. This account would mean that the man in front would have been shot three times.
· Soldier M said that his first shot hit the man in front. Someone else fired and did not hit. Soldier M fired again and hit the second man. On his account, both men were carrying rifles.

8.5.9 Soldiers at the wall when the firing was taking place

A large number of soldiers say that they were at the low wall at the south of Kells Walk when firing was taking place. A photograph shows four soldiers but there may be more hidden from view. Soldiers K, L, M, 002, 014, 010, 013, 035 and Colonel Wilford describe themselves as being at the wall.

8.5.10 Private C

Private C took up a position on the top of the pram ramp at Kells Walk. He said that he saw a man fire a Kalashnikov-type rifle from the bottom of the Rossville flats. The man fired another two shots and Private C then fired two shots. He believed the second shot hit the man. If there was a man who was shot at this position, he has not been identified.

He saw a window on the third storey of Block 1 of the Rossville flats open. An arm came out with a pistol and Private C heard two cracks from the pistol and the arm moved back inside. Private C fired a shot towards the window but missed. He saw movement in the window and fired two shots at the window. He believes the second shot hit the man.

8.5.11 Discrepancies in Private C's evidence

· Private C said that he was lying down on the pram ramp when he fired. There is a three-foot cement wall around the pram ramp. It was suggested at the Widgery Inquiry that the wall would have meant that Private C could not have had a clear view of the sloping wall. He said that he was lying on the top of the ramp and could see over the sloping wall
· He has given different accounts of whether the man with the Kalashnikov-type weapon fired immediately before he shot him
· There is a question over whether he saw a muzzle flash from the rifle of his second target before he shot

8.5.12 Lance Corporal D

Lance Corporal D reached Private C on the Kells Walk pram ramp. He said that he saw a window in the Rossville flats open and an arm with a pistol came out of it. Lance Corporal D fired at the arm and hit the wall. The gunman fired and Lance Corporal D fired at him again.

8.5.13 Discrepancies in Lance Corporal D's evidence

· Lance Corporal D initially said he heard civilian firing before getting to the balcony on the west side of Kells Walk. He later said that he was on the balcony when he first heard civilian firing
· In his first statement he said that he had not heard Private C fire before he reached him on the pram ramp. In later accounts he suggested that he had

Soldier 118 was a Lance Bombardier in the 22nd Light Air Defence Regiment. He was positioned in an OP at the Embassy Ballroom. He heard shots and saw a group of two or three civilians running crouched down from Glenfada Park towards the rubble barricade. He could see a single Paratrooper standing at the northeast corner of Glenfada Park North. The Paratrooper was continuously firing aimed shots south towards Free Derry Corner. He saw six rounds strike the south side of the barricade. He said that the angles of dust caused by the bullets indicated to him that the shots were from Free Derry Corner rather than the city walls.

When the shooting stopped he watched soldiers removing bodies from the barricade to lorries parked around Eden Place and Pilot Row. He said
'It looked pretty callous from where I was. They were throwing the bodies in like bits of wood. I remember I was shocked and could not work out how the bodies could have been killed.'

Assuming that all those who died were shot by the Army, that the accounts given by the soldiers are complete and excluding the possibility of shooting from the city walls, the following can be deduced:

8.7.1 Michael Kelly

Soldier F was identified as the soldier who shot dead Michael Kelly. The bullet from his gun was retrieved from Michael Kelly's body.

8.7.2 John Young, William Nash and Michael McDaid

Soldier P said that he fired four shots at the barricade and hit a man he believed was firing a pistol. He said that he shot a nailbomber who was coming out of the alleyway between Glenfada Park and Columbcille Court. He shot at someone he believed to be throwing a nailbomb from the barricade. He fired a shot at the southwest corner of Block 1 of the Rossville flats which would have crossed the barricade.

Soldier U shot a man on the east pavement of Rossville Street towards the south end of Block 1 of the Rossville flats. This is a considerable distance from the barricade.

Soldier C shot at the southwest corner of Block 1 of the flats, which would have crossed the barricade.

Soldiers K, L and M fired at the west of Block 1 of the flats. The trajectories of their shots crossed the barricade. They all said that they were aiming at one or two men crawling towards Block 1 of the flats.

8.7.3 Kevin McElhinney

Any of Soldiers K, L and M are candidates for shooting Kevin McElhinney.

8.7.4 Hugh Gilmore

Soldier U is the only candidate if Hugh Gilmore was shot whilst running down the east side of Rossville Street towards the doors of Block 1 of the flats. Hugh Gilmore could have been shot by soldiers K, L or M who fired from the Kells Walk wall.

8.7.5 Alexander Nash

Alexander Nash could have been hit by any of the shots which crossed the barricade. Soldier U suggested that Mr Nash was shot by someone firing from the doorway of the Rossville flats. Mr Clarke said that there is a question over whether Mr Nash was shot by a high velocity bullet.

Lord Widgery concluded that there was a strong suspicion that five individuals had been exposed to firearms. The expert for the BSI said that the tests used for the Widgery Inquiry were scientifically unacceptable. He also said that there were inconsistencies between the test results and the conclusions drawn at the Widgery Inquiry. He has concluded that the results used during the Widgery Inquiry are 'worthless.'

8.9.1 Kieran Donnelly

Kieran Donnelly was a photographer with the Irish Times. He was taking photographs from the pram ramp at Glenfada Park South, a point which overlooked the barricade.

The first of two photographs shows a crowd of fifty to sixty people at the barricade looking towards the direction of the north. The second photograph shows the crowd has moved to the left and something has caused the people at the barricade to crouch.

Mr Donnelly said that when he was taking the photographs he heard two shots. He heard someone shout 'it is okay, they are firing blanks' and then he saw someone fall on the west side of the barricade. He said that the man who fell had been standing but people on either side of him had been throwing stones.

As the crowd rushed to the aid of the man who had been shot, another two or four shots were fired. Mr Donnelly saw a man fall on the east side of Rossville Street. He presumed that this man was dragged into the Rossville Street flats.

A photograph shows a group carrying Michael Kelly across the carpark of Glenfada Park North. When Mr Donnelly took this photograph he heard what he thought was a burst of automatic fire which seemed to come from the south of Rossville Street, the area that the Army was moving into.

Mr Donnelly said that he had no doubt that no shooting came from behind the barricade.

8.9.2 Points arising from Kieran Donnelly's evidence

· The two men he saw fall had their backs to him when they fell. Mr Donnelly was standing to the south of the barricade facing north. If the first man he saw fall was Michael Kelly, then the second would either have been Michael McDaid, William Nash or John Young. This would mean they had been shot by soldiers to the north since they all had entrance wounds in the front.
· Mr Donnelly puts the first shot to the barricade as four or five minutes after he had seen the soldiers go into the Rossville flats courtyard on the east.
· 'It is okay, they are firing blanks' was shouted before the first man fell. Mr Donnelly said that at this point there were not many people throwing stones at the Army. Whoever shouted this was trying to encourage more people to throw stones.

8.9.3 Father Bradley

Father Bradley was at Glenfada Park when he heard gunfire. He saw Michael Kelly lying at the entrance to the Glenfada Park carpark. He administered the Last Rites to Michael Kelly.

Father Bradley saw three or four bodies at the barricade. He tried to go out to the bodies but the firing became more intense. He saw a soldier standing at the north end of Block 1 of the Rossville flats. One or two bullets hit the pavement beside the main entrance to the flats.

He became aware that shooting was also coming from Glenfada Park. A soldier arrived at the corner of Glenfada Park and told people to put their hands above their heads and move towards William Street. One of the soldiers standing next to Father Bradley had a gun at hip level and fired between four and eight shots towards Joseph's Place. These are not shots which any soldier has given evidence about.

Father Bradley saw three people lying face down in the parking area of Glenfada Park. He tried to go to them but a soldier pulled him in the direction of William Street. When he asked again if he could go to the three people a soldier hit him with a rifle and another kicked him. Photographs were shown of a group, including Father Bradley and Father O'Keefe, standing with their hands on the wall at the back of a building in Columbcille Court.

8.9.4 Ronald Wood

Ronald Wood was standing near the barricade at the entrance to the Glenfada Park carpark. He saw some stone throwing from the barricade. Live bullets were fired towards the barricade. The man next but one to him was shot in the left abdomen. (This appears to have been Michael Kelly). Mr Wood said that the man he saw shot had not fired any shot, nor thrown any bomb and he had not seen him throw any stones.

8.9.5 Father O'Keefe

Father O'Keefe ran to the southern gable end of Glenfada Park North when the Army vehicles came down Rossville Street. He watched the soldiers debus and said that they adopted firing positions and opened fire in one gesture. One young man at the barricade dropped holding his stomach. (Michael Kelly)

Father O'Keefe noticed three bodies behind the barricade. He had not seen them fall. He saw one man fall on top of one of the bodies and raise his arm. (This is a description of Alexander Nash). He thought the man was calling for a priest.

He saw a man dragging himself along the ground away from the barricade towards a doorway. When he reached the door the man was hauling himself in when his body jerked. (This appears to be a description of Kevin McElhinney.) Father O'Keefe could also see a body by the telephone kiosk at the far side of the flats (Hugh Gilmore).

He saw four people dash across Glenfada Park. Two fell in the courtyard or carpark and one fell halfway across the pavement and halfway across the courtyard. A photograph shows the scene that Father O'Keefe described. James Wray fell in the southwest corner of Glenfada Park. The other two bodies are in the front of a house in the south of Glenfada Park North and are probably William McKinney and Joseph Mann. Soldiers had entered through the northeast corner of Glenfada Park and Mr Clarke said that the photograph suggested the firing had come from this direction. Father O'Keefe is positive that none of these three men were carrying weapons. They were running away from where they thought the soldiers would have been.

8.9.6 William Mailey

William Mailey was a freelance photographer and he now finds the evidence he gave to Lord Widgery difficult to reconcile with his current memory of events. He was taking photographs from behind the rubble barricade. He said that he did not hear shooting or nailbombs from civilians at the barricade.

8.9.7 Alexander Nash

Alexander Nash was in Glenfada Park when he saw three bodies at the barricade and noticed one was his son William. He ran to the middle of the barricade and put his hand up to try and make the soldiers stop shooting. He wanted to pull his son out of the road. The shooting continued and Alexander Nash was shot in the left arm. An APC came up, two soldiers jumped out and said 'three more dead bodies'. They took the three bodies away. Alexander Nash walked to Block 1 of the Rossville flats.

Mr Nash gave an account to his daughter Linda Roddy some time after 1980. He said that he had been calling out for help when an officer standing to the north of the barricade had shot him in the arm. He kept calling for help when he felt a second impact and fell to the ground. The officer then approached Mr Nash and pointed him in the direction of the telephone kiosk at the end of Block 1 of the Rossville flats. The officer called other soldiers who dragged William's body into an APC.

8.9.8. Questions relating to Alexander Nash's injuries

· Whether it was caused by a high or low velocity bullet.
· If it was caused by a low velocity bullet was it fired by somebody at the doorway of Block 1 of the flats or by the officer described in the 1980 account?

8.9.9. Frank Lawton

Frank Lawton was watching from a flat in the fifth floor of Block 1 of the Rossville flats. This was directly above the rubble barricade. He watched Alexander Nash run, in a crouched position, towards the barricade. He knelt at the barricade and tried to pull the three bodies together. Intermittently he would raise his arms beckoning the soldiers to stop shooting or for help. The shooting did not stop. Every time Mr Nash stuck his head up he was shot at. He watched bullets strike the barricade in front of Mr Nash. All the bullets were travelling from the north.

Mr Lawton also saw two soldiers at the southeast corner of Glenfada Park North. One soldier fired a couple of shots northward in the direction of Columbcille Court. These shots are not accounted for in the soldiers' evidence.

8.9.10 Robert Campbell

Robert Campbell was the Assistant Chief Constable of Renfrew and Bute Constabulary. He was in an Army OP on the city walls. He said that he saw 'missile' throwing from the barricade. He heard two long bursts of automatic fire which he believed came from the area of the barricade. He heard a high velocity rifle bullet, saw more 'missile' throwing and then heard a cluster of high velocity fire.

Mr Clarke said that this evidence provides some potential corroboration for the evidence of Soldiers F, J, G and others.

8.9.11 Father Mulvey

Father Mulvey administered the Last Rites to William McKinney in Abbey Park. He then saw the body of Gerard McKinney lying in the corner of Abbey Park. He went towards Rossville Street and anointed the body of Michael McDaid. Father Mulvey said that Michael McDaid was in the back of an APC, lying face down in a pool of blood, at the bottom of a pile of three bodies.

He went to Joseph's Place and saw three bodies on the ground. One man was being lifted into an ambulance when at least six shots were fired.

Father Mulvey telephoned Superintendent McCullough of the RUC at 5:00pm. He asked the Superintendent to request the withdrawal of troops and found out that the police knew nothing about what was going on.

A full transcript of the hearings is available on the Inquiry's web-site at http://www.bloody-sunday-inquiry.org.uk

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