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12 - 15 MARCH 2001
This week, the Tribunal heard evidence from two of the people who were wounded on Bloody Sunday. Patrick McDaid and Michael Bridge were both shot in the car park of the Rossville Flats.
Witnesses gave evidence on events in the
car park and south of the Rossville Flats.
A full transcript of proceedings is
available at http://www.bloody-sunday-inquiry.org.uk
1.
FRANCIS
DUNNE’S EVIDENCE
1.1
QUESTIONS
ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
1.1.1
William Street
Mr Dunne saw a man hit by a CS gas
canister in the face. He stood by
Con Bradley’s bar for 20 minutes and somebody told him that a man and a boy
had been shot.
1.1.2
Eden Place/Pilots Row waste ground
Mr Dunne saw a couple of his past pupils
leaning on a burnt out van. He said
that there was not a mass of people on the waste ground.
He saw soldiers debussing from APCs close to the north of Block 1.
He thinks that two APCs stopped to
the north of the Rossville Flats car park.
1.1.3 Rossville Flats car park
Mr Dunne saw a few youngsters near the
swings in front of Block 3 who were throwing stones towards the entrance of the
car park. He said that, at this
time, people were still trying to get through the two gaps between the flats.
Mr Dunne said he thought the shooting he
could hear was rubber bullets because he expected that if the soldiers were
shooting they would be shooting rubber bullets rather than live bullets.
Mr Dunne saw a soldier next to Block 1
of the flats who was leaning against the wall and holding a rifle.
He saw a tall man with fair hair who was shouting loudly.
He watched the man standing with his back to Free Derry Corner.
The man stumbled backwards, clutching his leg. Mr Dunne said that he had the impression that the soldier
fired his gun and the man fell down.
Mr Dunne’s 1972 statement placed the
soldiers at the back of the Chamberlain Street houses.
Mr Dunne agreed that he may have transposed the position of the soldiers
and said that he is happier with his 1972 account.
Mr Dunne thinks that there was a car
without wheels in front of Block 3 of the flats.
He does not know whether shots were fired in the direction of the car.
1.1.4
Civilian gunman
Mr Dunne saw a man at the gable end of
Chamberlain Street. The man had his
back to the wall and his hand extended out.
He had the impression that the man had a handgun in his right hand and
was moving in the direction of Block 1.
1.1.5
South of the Rossville Flats
Mr Dunne went through the gap between
Blocks 1 and 2 and saw a man urging people to get out of the way.
He said that he got the impression that this might be Barney McGuigan.
Mr McDaid looked back through the gap and he thinks that the soldiers who
had previously been watching fired two shots.
Mr Dunne had the impression that
something was whizzing over his head whilst he was in the alleyway between
Blocks 1 and 2. He did not see
anyone with weapons in the alleyway. Mr
Dunne ran to a house in Joseph Place. He
looked out of the window and saw three bodies at the barricade.
Mr Dunne saw soldiers loading bodies
into an APC. He also saw an
ambulance, heard shots and saw Father Mulvey run towards Block 1.
Mr Dunne said that there was no shooting
from any of the Blocks of the Rossville Flats.
1.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILIES AND THE WOUNDED
1.2.1 Rubble barricade
Mr Dunne agreed that, from the house in
Joseph Place, he had a panoramic view of the rubble barricade.
In his 1972 statement, Mr Dunne said that he had an unobstructed view of
the man with his hands in the air. He
said that the man, who he believes to be Alexander Nash, had nothing in his
hands. He had the impression that
Mr Nash walked onto Rossville Street from the Rossville Flats but he could not
say whether this is his true memory or what he had learned over the years.
1.3
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF NICRA
1.3.1
1972
statement
Mr Dunne agreed that his 1972 statement included his evidence about the civilian gunman at the gable end of Chamberlain Street. His handwritten statement had been typed up by NICRA, word for word.
1.4
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
1.4.1
Civil
rights
Mr Dunne was a teacher at St Joseph’s school. When William Smyth (BIRW report week 22 para 9) gave evidence he said that Mr Dunne was a supporter of the civil rights movement. Mr Dunne agreed that he was a committed nationalist. He attended most of the civil rights marches but did not belong to any organisation. He did not accept the validity of the ban on the marches. He said that anything that was against the will of the Government was banned and so all that people could do was protest.
1.4.2
Rioting
Mr Dunne agreed that rioting was perceived as legitimate. He said that in a perfect world, people would not have to resort to violence. He said that the pupils at St Joseph’s were not encouraged to riot. He said that soldiers would provoke riots by going near to the school at lunchtime.
Mr Dunne said that he could not predict
rioting but it was a generally held impression that there would be some trouble
if the march was stopped. He did
not hear nail bombs or nail bombs. Rioting
was not always related to marching. In
his evidence to the Widgery Inquiry he indicated that he felt the march might be
stopped.
1.4.3
Rossville Flats car park
In Mr Dunne’s 1972 statement, he said
that he had seen three soldiers at the rear of Chamberlain Street who were in a
line running north to south. The
civilian gunman was by the gable wall of Chamberlain Street. Mr Dunne said that he does not think that the soldiers had
their backs to the wall because he would not have been able to see them.
Mr Dunne cannot position the car without
wheels with any certainty. He was
not aware of shooting towards the car.
1.4.4
Praxis interviews
A document from 1993 suggests that the Praxis team interviewed Mr Dunne. In that he said that his memory of Michael Bridge is of him being very distraught and behaving irrationally. He said that Mr Bridge was offering to take on the armed men with his bare fists.
Mr Dunne said that he had taught John
Young. He described Mr Young as a
decent youngster and said that he would not have been aware of him rioting.
2.
CHARLES
McLAUGHLIN’S EVIDENCE
2.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
2.1.1
Rossville Flats car park
Mr McLaughlin was inside a flat in Block
2 of the Rossville Flats. He saw
the body of Jack Duddy and then saw a man break away from the group that was
gathered around Mr Duddy. The man
took steps northwards and had his hands held up in the air. He said the man seemed to be in a rage and shouted ‘shoot
me.’ Mr McLaughlin said that the
man was then shot in the leg.
2.1.2
Civilian gunman
Mr McLaughlin saw a man in an overcoat
at the gable end of Chamberlain Street at a time when there were no civilians in
the car park. The man had a
revolver and fired blindly around the corner.
He said that the man could not see where he was firing because he did not
look around the wall. Mr McLaughlin
saw another man who took the gunman by the lapels of his coat and banged him
against the wall. He knew by the
man’s actions that he was telling the gunman that he might draw fire from the
Army.
2.1.3 Retaining wall of Block 3
Mr McLaughlin saw people sitting with
their backs against the small wall that runs parallel to Block 3. He saw the men edging along the wall towards the alleyway
between Blocks 2 and 3. The men
were hunkering down low and were trying to use two parked cars as cover.
Mr McLaughlin said that the men were quite a way over towards the gap
when the Army started shooting.
Mr McLaughlin did not see a man using
the car as a shield to fire pistol shots at the soldiers.
2.1.4
South
side of Rossville Flats
Mr McLaughlin moved to a window
overlooking the south side of Block 2. He
saw the men he had seen moving across the car park, running from the gap between
Blocks 2 and 3. He thinks that
shots were fired at the men.
Mr McLaughlin saw a man crawling out
from under the canopy of the shops in Block 2.
The man was facing the alleyway. Mr
McLaughlin said that he had just cleared the canopy and was in line with the
back of Joseph Place. He said that
the man he saw was in the same position that Patrick Doherty can be seen in
photographs.
Mr McLaughlin saw a bullet hit the
retaining wall, in line with Fahan Street.
He assumed the shot came from Glenfada Park North. The man who had been crawling, clasped his hand to his right
side and said ‘I am shot again.’ Somebody
crawled out of the entrance to the alleyway.
The man was waving a handkerchief and trying to help the wounded man.
Mr McLaughlin said that the second man was also shot at and had to lie on
the ground. He thinks that the bullet may have hit the wall or ground
near to the man.
2.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILIES AND THE WOUNDED
2.2.1
South
of the Rossville Flats
Mr McLaughlin’s window was open.
He is positive that the man who was shot said ‘they have shot me
again.’ The man had nothing in his hands and was not doing anything that
represented a threat.
Mr McLaughlin did not see any soldiers
but thinks that the shooting came from Glenfada Park.
2.3
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
2.3.1 Rossville Flats car park
Mr McLaughlin agreed that the civilian
gunman at the gable end of Chamberlain Street fired in the direction of
Rossville Street.
He thinks that there were two cars in
the corner of the car park. The
soldiers were shooting in the direction of the men that were crawling but the
shots hit the car.
2.3.2
1972 statement
Mr McLauglin said that he might not have
told the statement taker in 1972 that he had seen a civilian with a gun at the
gable end of Chamberlain Street. He
does not know why he did not mention it and thinks it may be because it was a
civilian and he was angry with him.
3 PAUL McDAID’S EVIDENCE
3.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
3.1.1
Barrier
14 and Chamberlain street
Mr McDaid was at the junction of William Street and Little James Street. He agreed that the idea behind rioting was to hurt the soldiers. He said that the APCs had reached the junction of William Street and Rossville Street and passed further into Rossville Street before any soldiers had gone through Barrier 14.
Mr McDaid thinks that he was one of the
last to leave Chamberlain Street. He
ran down Chamberlain Street with 30 or 40 other people.
There were soldiers on foot behind him.
He was not conscious of any vehicles going through barrier 14 or shooting
in Chamberlain Street.
3.1.2
Rossville
Flats car park
Mr McDaid was at the gable end of Chamberlain Street when he heard shots. There was a crowd of people at the gable end and most were trying to reach the safety of the gaps. Mr McDaid saw a soldier hit a man with the butt of a rifle.
Mr McDaid went to the gap between Blocks 1 and 2 because this was the main thoroughfare. He saw a Knight of Malta trying to turn a man who was lying face down in the car park. The Knight of Malta told Mr McDaid to get up and carry on running.
Mr McDaid saw a man who had been shot in the back of a thigh. He caught up with the man and helped him to the low wall in front of Block 2. He thinks that this man was Michael Bradley. Mr Clarke said that Mr Bradley had been shot in the arm. Richard Harvey pointed to the evidence of Eugene Lafferty who said that he thinks Paul McDaid helped Michael Bradley.
3.1.3
1972 statement
Mr McDaid was asked about his 1972
statement when he said that he did not see armed civilians until he reached
Meenan Square. He said that he did
not see any armed civilians that day and thinks that the statement taker had
asked him whether he had. The
reference to Meenan Square meant that, at this point, he felt he had reached
safety.
3.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILIES AND WOUNDED
3.2.1
1972
statement
Mr McDaid did not see any civilian gunmen that day. He was not aware of the evidence suggesting that there were two cars carrying weapons in the Meenan Square area later in the day.
3.3
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
3.3.1
Rossville
Flats car park
Mr McDaid said that the shooting seemed to be mainly coming from the Rossville Street direction. The soldiers he saw were standing near APCs.
The person he helped had been shot in
the leg was shot in the back of the leg.
4.
NEIL
McLAUGHLIN’S EVIDENCE
4.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
4.1.1
Rossville
Flats car park
Mr McLaughlin turned right as he came out of Chamberlain Street. He threw stones at the soldiers from a position near the gable wall. Some soldiers jumped out of the APCs and started firing. Mr McLaughlin said that there was a continuous burst of gunfire and the soldiers had their rifles positioned at their hips. The soldiers were about 20 to 30 yards away from him.
Mr McLaughlin saw Michael Bridge. He thinks that the photograph of the figure standing in front of the APC is Michael Bridge.
4.1.2 Joseph Place
Mr McLaughlin was in the alleyway behind Joseph Place when shots were fired in his direction. He saw dirt jumping up on the bank above the alleyway as the bullets hit the ground. Mr McLaughlin said that he assumed the shots were coming from the walls.
4.1.3 Sunday Times archive
Mr McLaughlin does not recall speaking to a journalist. He is cited in a Sunday Times article and was asked to comment on it.
Mr McLaughlin knew Jack Duddy but is not conscious of having surged up Chamberlain Street with him. He does not remember seeing Jack Duddy at all but says that he may have seen him. He described Mr Duddy as very quiet and said that he usually went miles to avoid trouble.
Mr McLaughlin thinks that he saw Peggy Deery being carried past him in Chamberlain Street rather than actually helped to carry her.
Mr McLaughlin said that he did not see any man with a pistol behind Joseph Place.
The Sunday Times notes suggest that Mr McLaughlin said Hugh Gilmour was in all the riots. Mr McLaughlin does not recognise the part of the notes which states when referring to those who were shot ‘apart from Gillie, Bridges and the other couple, they were all harmless.’
Mr McLaughlin was asked to comment on the Sunday Times notes of an interview with the O’Connor brothers because the notes states that he agreed with their account. Mr McLaughlin said that he did not see a car in Meenan Park with carbines. He did not see a man with a rifle who fired 2 to 3 shots. He said that he has no idea why the journalist wrote ‘Neil McLaughlin confirms this.’
4.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILIES AND WOUNDED
4.2.1
Sunday Times archive
Mr McLaughlin used to work for Kieran O’Connor. He accepts that some of the detail in the Sunday Times notes could have come from him. However he has no recollection of parts of it.
4.2.2
Rossville Flats car park
Mr McLaughlin agreed on the following sequence of events that he witnessed in the car park: A Knight of Malta fell, Peggy Deery was shot, he saw a group around a body in the car park, Michael Bridge was shot, he saw Mrs Deery carried into a house in Chamberlain Street and he went back to the gable end of Chamberlain Street for cover.
He has no recollection of carrying Mrs Deery but agreed that it is possible that he helped to carry her and has since forgotten it.
Mr McLaughlin does not recall Father Daly. He agreed that it is possible that he did not have a full comprehension of everything that happened in the car park. He has no recollection of people remonstrating with a civilian gunman. He said that he has no reason not to disclose information.
4.3
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
4.3.1
Rossville Flats car park
Mr McLaughlin agreed that he and about 20 people confronted the soldiers who got out of the APC. He agreed that hundreds of people would have seen this.
He agreed that he could not have complained, if he had been arrested for rioting at the barrier.
4.3.2
Sunday Times archive
Mr McLaughlin said that the journalist’s view that he would deny seeing an IRA man even if he had seen one, was not true. He said that he would have said if he had seen a gunman. He did not see any gunmen around Joseph Place.
4.3.3
Peggy Deery
Mr McLaughlin said that his memory of seeing Mrs Deery is faint. He agreed that it is possible that he saw her fall and was only a couple of paces away from her when she fell.
4.4 FURTHER QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
4.4.1
Rossville Flats car park
Mr McLaughlin said that there was a group of people throwing stones at the soldiers at the entrance of the car park and the rest of the people were trying to get out of the car park.
5.
MICHAEL
McGINLEY’S EVIDENCE
Mr McGinley refused to take the oath or affirm before giving evidence. He said that there was no need for him to do this because he was telling the truth.
5.1 QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
5.1.1
Free
Derry Corner
Mr McGinley remembers Bernadette Devlin had just started to talk from the platform when he heard three shots. He was convinced they were fired from the walls because of the sound. The people at Free Derry Corner fell to the ground. There was a lull in the shooting and then Mr McGinley heard a further shot.
5.1.2
Dove
Gardens
Mr McGinley made his way to his mother’s house in Dove Gardens. He noticed people taking cover in the gas yard.
He saw 4 or 5 men trying to stop 2 men
from fighting. One of the men said
‘you bastard, you nearly got us killed.’
Mr McGinley did not hear anything more of the conversation.
He saw a young man with a head injury.
He did not know the young man’s name but saw him after Bloody Sunday,
in Eglington Place.
5.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILIES AND THE WOUNDED
5.2.1
Injured
man
Mr McGinley saw the injured man near John Toye’s shop. He was bleeding from the head. Mr Mansfield suggested that the injured man was Daniel Gillespie who lived in Lisfannon Park which is close to Eglington Place. In order to go from his house to the treatment centre, Mr Gillespie would have had to pass Toye’s shop.
5.3
QUESTIONS
ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
5.3.1
Injured
man
Mr McGinley did not know the injured man’s name. He said that he was in his mid to late 20s, had dark hair and was a light build. The man had a wound to the left hand side of his forehead and was bleeding profusely around his head.
5.3.2
Altercation
Mr McGinley said that the remark ‘you
bastard, you nearly got us all killed,’ was not made to the injured man.
It was made to another man and he did not know what the man had done to
provoke the allegation.
5.3.3
Gas
yard
Mr McGinley was not aware of any weapons stored at the gas yard.
6.
CHARLIE
DOWNEY’S EVIDENCE
6.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
6.1.1
Explosion
Mr Downey had his lunch at his mother in law’s house in Gartan Square which is near Westland Street. He has a vague memory of hearing an explosion at around 1:30pm to 2:00pm. He could not tell which direction the sound appeared to come from.
6.1.2
Rossville
Flats car park
Mr Downey cannot remember whether the
soldiers got to the car park before him. The
APC had passed him and gone to the entrance to the car park.
Mr Downey thinks that he was one of the stragglers in reaching the car
park. The large crowd seemed to
have thinned out.
As he ran through the car park he saw
Michael Bridge standing between Block 1 and the gable of Chamberlain Street,
facing a soldier. He was shouting
‘shoot me, shoot me you bastards’ and waving his arms.
He heard a single loud bang and saw Mr Bridge staggering.
He assumed that it was the soldier at the northeast corner of Block 1
because Mr Bridge had walked towards him. He
did not see anyone immediately close to Mr Bridge.
6.1.3
Kevin McElhinney
Mr Downey was in shock and went to the gap between Blocks 1 and 2. Bullets were hitting the double doors at the main entrance to Block 1. He noticed a young lad on the ground in front of the doors. Two men in white coats were working on young man. The crowd was trying to get into the foyer and kept pushing into the young man. Mr Downey tried to hold them back to give the men space to work on him.
Mr Downey can be seen in photographs,
carrying the young man, Kevin McElhinney to an ambulance.
There were a number of men on the street, waving white handkerchiefs.
Mr Downey helped other people outside
Block 1.
6.1.4
Glenfada
Park North
Mr Downey has a memory of being in
Glenfada Park North and trying to help with the three bodies which were in the
southwest corner. He first saw the
bodies as he was carrying the first boy to the ambulance.
He does not recognise the photograph of the three bodies in Glenfada Park
North. Mr Downey said that he
thought the bodies were closer to Rossville Street. He said that the bodies were placed on stretchers and taken
to ambulances. He does not recall
any of the bodies being taken on stretchers to Abbey Park.
Mr Downey recalls seeing a soldier lying
on his stomach, pointing his rifle towards the southeast corner of Glenfada Park
North.
6.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILIES AND WOUNDED
6.2.1 South
of the Rossville Flats
Mr Downey can be seen in some photographs, wheeling the stretcher carrying Michael Bradley to an ambulance in Rossville Street.
6.2.2
Glenfada
Park North
Mr Downey agreed that so much had happened and he had seen so much that day that he cannot remember the scene in Glenfada Park North precisely. He does remember a number of bodies being placed in ambulances. Mr Downey said that he believes the bodies he saw in Glenfada Park North were placed in ambulances.
6.3
QUESTIONS
ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
6.3.1
Marches and riots
Mr Downey agreed that a riot was predictable, particularly if the security services tried to prevent a march going through.
6.3.2
Rossville
Flats car park
Mr Downey said that he looked at Michael Bridge long enough to know that he did not have anything in his hands when he was shot.
6.3.3
Glenfada
Park North
Mr Downey saw a soldier on his stomach in Glenfada Park North. The soldier was pointing his gun in the direction of the three bodies. Mr Downey said that this was the last soldier he saw that day. He remembers this even though he was in deep shock. He did not notice whether the soldier had a radio on his back. He did not see any people under arrest.
7.
JAMES
ROWE’S EVIDENCE
7.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
7.1.1
Rossville
Flats car park
Mr Rowe ran down Chamberlain Street and noticed Michael Bradley running beside him. He saw Mr Bradley go towards the gap between Blocks 1 and 2. Mr Rowe dived over the wall. He said that Mr Bradley came away from the gap and walked into the car park. He said that he was told later Mr Bradley came out of the gap when someone told him that a boy had been shot. People were shouting for Mr Bradley to get down. He was shot and thrown backwards and landed on Mr Rowe. Mr Rowe did not see any soldiers but could hear the Army vehicles.
7.1.2
South of the Rossville Flats
Mr Rowe crawled from the south gable end
of Block 1 and when he reached the gap he heard live rounds for the first time.
He saw Bernard McGuigan take two or three steps towards Rossville Street.
Mr Rowe was about six feet away from Mr McGuigan.
He thought that Mr McGuigan was walking out towards the barricade.
Mr McGuigan fell on his back. Mr
Rowe had the impression that the shot was fired along Rossville Street by one of
the soldiers. Mr Clarke said that the forensic evidence shows that Mr
McGuigan was shot in the back of his head.
He would either have had to turn from this position or he was not shot by
someone in Rossville Street.
Mr Rowe had the impression that there
were some bodies on the barricade. He
thinks that he was one of the last people to leave Block 1. He had been at the gable end for about 20 minutes and can be
seen in photographs by Block 1.
7.1.3
Rossville
Flats car park
Mr Rowe went to his friend’s flat in Block 1. He said that when he reached the third balcony he heard a dozen high velocity shots strike the walls and railings of the floors above him.
He saw a photographer in the car park,
near the swings. He heard an
English voice shouting ‘stop taking photographs or I will shoot you.’
The photographer came down from the mound of clay that he had been
standing on. Mr Rowe said that
there was shooting in the car park.
Mr Clarke said that much of the evidence
suggests that Bernard McGuigan was one of the last, if not the last person to be
shot. The evidence suggests that,
after that, much of the firing had died down with the exception of Rossville
Street. Mr Rowe said that he could
be mistaken and the firing could have been coming from Rossville Street rather
than the car park.
7.2
QUESTIONS
ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
7.2.1
Bernard
McGuigan
Mr Rowe sheltered by the small brick building, next to the telephone box, at the gable end of Block 1. He said that there were about 20 to 30 people there. He spent most of the time in this position.
Mr Rowe did not see Mr McGuigan turn at
all. He saw him walking out with a
hanky in his hand. Mr McGuigan had
nothing else in his hand. He did
not notice Mr McGuigan look down the alleyway.
He had the impression that the shot which killed Mr McGuigan was fired
from Rossville Street.
7.2.2
Michael
Bradley
Mr Rowe agreed that events had happened a long time ago when Mr Kennedy suggested that Michael Bradley had come out from the gap between Blocks 2 and 3 rather than 1 and 2.
8.
JOHN CARLIN’S EVIDENCE
8.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
8.1.1 High
Street
Mr Carlin saw a group of 5 or 6 young men trying to get into a property which would have led on to the Bookies in William Street. He did not see the men actually break in to the building. He heard the men arguing amongst themselves and others trying to stop them. He said the men were trying to get into the building to get at the soldiers.
8.1.2
Rossville Flats car park
Mr Carlin heard two or three shots
whilst he was running across the car park.
He heard someone to his right scream and then a further two or three
shots. He did not see anybody fall
in the car park.
8.1.3
Joseph
Place
Mr Carlin was down on his hunkers when a shot hit the wall, 6 to 10 inches above his head. He said that he was very close to Fahan Street East steps. Mr Carlin crawled towards Free Derry Corner.
8.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
8.2.1
1972
statement
Mr Carlin does not recall giving a statement in 1972. He agrees that the 1972 statement that the BSI have with his name and details on it contains most of his evidence. Mr Lawson suggested that he had given an account in 1972 which was tape-recorded and that someone had inserted ‘rubber bullets’ into his account.
Mr Carlin agreed that what is in the tape recorded transcript corresponds with what he recollects of Bloody Sunday. He said that he did not make a statement in 1972 and agreed that someone had either made up a statement in his name or misrepresented what he recollects.
8.2.2 Joseph Place
Mr Carlin disagreed with the suggestion
that he heard a shot when he was in the gap between the Joseph Place flats and
Block 2 of the flats.
9.
DENIS MULLAN’S EVIDENCE
9.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
9.1.1 Rossville
Flats car park
Mr Mullan was watching from the first balcony of Block 1 of the Rossville Flats. He said that within 90 seconds of arriving in the car park, the army vehicle came down Rossville Street. He recalls seeing one APC in the courtyard.
Mr Mullan said that he saw someone hit
by the bull bars on the Army vehicles. He
thinks that the person was clipped as the APC came to a halt.
He saw the person bounce off the corner of the vehicle as the APC
screeched to a halt. Two soldiers
debussed from the APC and adopted firing attitudes, bringing the rifle to a
firing position and taking the weight on the left foot forward.
Mr Mullan saw two soldiers.
One was between Block 1 and the APC.
The second soldier was covering the first.
He said that the soldier was facing southeast.
Michael Bridge approached from the
direction of Block 2, saying, ‘here I am, shoot me.’
Mr Mullan was shown a photograph of a man standing in the car park in
front of an APC. He said that in
terms of general build, deportment and hairstyle, it would fit with his
impression of Michael Bridge. The
soldier next to the APC shot Mr Bridge. Mr
Mullan does not think he was shooting in order to kill because his rifle
inclined downwards slightly to strike Mr Bridge in the leg as opposed to the
upper body.
Mr Mullan said that he had the
impression that Michael Bridge was reacting to an incident, which had already
happened, rather than bravado.
Mr Mullan went into a flat and saw a
lady who appeared to be having a fit, being tended to.
He saw one hole in the living room window, which faced onto Rossville
Street. He said that the hole was
made by a rubber bullet.
Mr Mullan came back onto the balcony and
heard a helicopter. He thought that
someone might think that it was gunfire.
He had heard the sound of a Thompson sub machine gun on a previous
occasioned said that it made a similar sound.
Mr Mullan could see people huddled in
the corner between Blocks 1 and 2. He
had seen a body, which looked like a heap of clothing.
He looked southwards from the walkway between Blocks 1 and 2 and saw the
body of Bernard McGuigan.
9.1.2
Father
Daly’s gunman
Mr Mullan saw a man in a duffle coat carrying a gun towards the end of Chamberlain Street. He said that he had the impression that the man was refusing to use his weapon. He said that someone in the courtyard was challenging him with the words ‘totally bloody useless.’ Mr Mullan said that this incident took place in the midst of people still moving down Chamberlain Street. Mr Mullan deducted that the incident happened before the vehicles arrived because if the man had produced a gun when the soldiers where there he would have been shot. He said that his recollection is a series of freeze frames rather than in a sequence.
9.1.3
Stairwell of Block 1 of the Rossville Flats
Mr Mullan edged back towards the balcony
and saw a man lying in the stairwell at the south end of block 1.
The man was lying, with his upper body against the wall of the landing on
the turn of the stairs. The man was
being looked after by a Knight of Malta and Dennis Bradley.
9.1.4 Incident at junction of Blucher Street and Westland Street
Mr Mullan made his way to his friend’s house and on the way saw someone getting stuck into someone who was in the Official IRA. The man was harangued with ‘what are you going to do about this?’ Mr Mullan said that he knew the man was in the Officials because he had seen him at demonstrations.
9.2 QUESTIONS
ON BEHALF OF NICRA
9.2.1
Inquest
Mr Mullan was a trainee solicitor at the time of Bloody Sunday, working under the city Coroner, Major Hubert O’Neill. Mr Mullan did not work on the inquests of those who were killed on Bloody Sunday. He believes that there was a jury at the inquest and that it was a widely selected jury of citizens.
9.3
QUESTIONS
ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
9.3.1
Derry Civil Rights Association
Mr Mullan was a member of the Derry
Civil Rights Association. He was
not involved in the organisation of the march.
He does not know whether the march was organised by the Derry branch.
Mr Mullan does not know whether the Derry branch organised the stewarding
for the march. He believed that the
march was going to the Guildhall.
9.3.2 Rossville
Flats car park
Mr Mullan believed that the person he saw knocked down by the APC was a male. He said that the person was not involved in a physical fight with a soldier.
He said that he could not give a
sequential account of events. He
can only give his impression of what he saw.
Mr Mullan believes that the soldier on the western side of the APC, fired
one single shot. The soldier was
standing to the right of the open rear door of the APC.
The soldier was a matter of inches from the APC.
Mr Mullan saw nothing being thrown from
the balcony. He said that there was
a collection of extremely frightened people who were not about to invite
retribution. He cannot recall
anything hitting the APC. He said
that there were not more than five other people on the balcony with him.
Mr Mullan did not see any hand-to-hand fighting or missiles being thrown
or a group of men running at the APC.
Mr Mullan does not think that his
thoughts about the helicopter being mistaken for fire has been coloured by what
he has read subsequently.
9.3.3
Stairwell of Block 1 of the Rossville Flats
Mr Mullan said that he got the
impression that the injured person was dying because the Knight of Malta
indicated that he could not find a pulse.
9.3.4
Civilian gunman
Mr Mullan said that he saw 2 men
confronting the gunmen before the APCs arrived.
10.
ALFIE McALEER’S EVIDENCE
10.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUANL
10.1.1 William Street
Mr McAleer was throwing stones at soldiers who were at the corner of the Abbey Taxis building on William Street. He said that the soldiers were standing with shields in front of the building. Mr McAleer said that Damien Donaghy went into the middle of William Street by himself to throw stones. He heard the thud of a rubber bullet being fired. Mr McAleer was at the gable wall of the Nook Bar when he saw that Damien Donaghy was shot in the leg.
10.1.2
Rioting
Mr McAleer described himself as an
experienced rioter. He said that he
could not believe that the Army had fired live ammunition because they had
‘broken the rules.’ He said
that there was a code of practice for rioting.
Normal people did not fire at the soldiers because they knew that there
would be retaliation. Normally
there would be a warning for the rioters to get out of the way, if there was a
gunman. He said that there were occasions when the IRA took advantage
of riots.
Mr McAleer said that nothing was thrown
at the soldiers other than stones. He
did not see anyone strike a match and light a nail bomb at the time that Damien
Donaghy was injured.
10.1.3
Columbcille Court
Mr McAleer moved towards Columbcille Court. He heard an English voice shout ‘halt.’ He saw a soldier carrying a truncheon and went through a gap in one of the buildings. The soldier was too bulky to get through the gap.
10.1.4
Rossville Street
Mr McAleer saw one APC travelling down Rossville Street. He ran through Glenfada Park North and apart from the odd person darting about, did not see anybody. Mr McAleer ran to the pram ramp at the north of Glenfada Park South, where he had seen people taking cover. He heard the sound of continuous gunfire from his left and behind him.
He said that he saw an old man who was talking into a walkie-talkie. He was told by other people that the old man was a member of the Catholic ex-servicemen’s Association. The man was saying ‘I could see three people, they are dead.’ Mr McAleer said that he heard the crackle over the radio and then a man shouted ‘Oh Jesus, they have shot someone else.’
Eventually the shooting stopped.
The people who had been sheltering on the pram ramp, put their hands up
and walked out towards Rossville Street. Mr
McAleer said that he had the perception of shots coming down Rossville Street as
he was running across Fahan Street. He
could hear the slap of bullets hitting the concrete on the road.
John Loughry pulled him in and told him that he had seen puffs of smoke
behind him. Mr McAleer realised he
had been fired at.
Mr McAleer walked back across Fahan
Street West and turned into the gap between Abbey Park and Glenfada Park South
where he saw the Knight of Malta, Sean McDermott working on someone.
Mr McAleer bumped into George Downey in
Glenfada Park North who told him that Michael Kelly had been shot.
He saw Mr Kelly being carried to an ambulance.
10.2
QUESTIONS
ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILIES AND THE WOUNDED
10.2.1
Michael Kelly
Mr McAleer knew Michael Kelly because he worked with Mr Kelly’s brother in law, George Downey. He said that when he described Michael Kelly as a ‘bit of a headcase’ he meant that he used to act the clown.
10.3
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE
SOLDIERS
10.3.1
William
Street
Mr McAleer believes that there were soldiers on the ground floor inside the Abbey Taxis building as well as standing in front of the building.
10.3.2 Rules
of rioting
Mr McAleer does not think that people would pretend to be armed. He said that rioters would be given a warning if anyone was going to shoot so that they could get out of the way. He said that the rioters would shout ‘snipers’ to frighten the soldiers. He agreed that they would pretend to be gunmen on occasions. He said that he never seen anyone pretend to have a nail bomb.
10.3.3
Columbcille
Court
Mr McAleer was not aware of a civilian gunman or any disturbance in the Columbcille Court area.
10.3.4
Pram
ramp at Glenfada Park South
Mr McAleer said that he could not discern the noises that were transmitted over the walkie-talkie. He could hear noises coming from the walkie-talkie. Someone on the ramp told him that the man was a member of the Catholic ex-servicemen’s association.
11.
PATRICK
McDAID’S EVIDENCE
Patrick McDaid was shot in the back as he made his way towards the gap between Blocks 2 and 3 of the Rossville Flats. He was 24 years old and was employed as a plumber by the Londonderry Development Commission.
11.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
11.1.1 Chamberlain Street
Mr McDaid was walking south down Chamberlain Street and then people began to run. When he reached the end of Chamberlain Street there was a body of people who were also running with him. He saw three or four people carrying a woman. Mr McDaid went to help the men and supported the woman’s left leg. He helped to carry the woman into the end house on the eastern side of Chamberlain Street. Mr McDaid left the house to look for someone who could administer first aid.
11.1.2 Rossville Flats car park
Mr McDaid saw a young man run out from the western gable wall of Chamberlain Street towards the gap between Blocks 1 and 2. The young man was shot and fell. Mr McDaid said that he thinks people ran out with the young man. They stopped and knelt beside him. He later found out that the young man was Jack Duddy.
Mr McDaid moved towards the eastern gable wall and realised that he would have to run towards the gap between Blocks 2 and 3. He saw a man with a camera run for the gap. The man dropped the camera and then ran back to get it.
Mr McDaid said that he was encouraged that other people had made it to the gap. He ran from the northeast corner of the car park along the wall that runs parallel to Block 3. He saw a wall and dived over it. When he landed on the other side, a man told him that he had been shot in the back. It was when the man showed Mr McDaid the blood that he realised he had been shot. Mr McDaid panicked and wanted to run towards the gap in between Blocks 1 and 2. He was held back by the man, who half ran him through the gap between Blocks 2 and 3.
Mr McDaid had not been conscious of shots landing anywhere. He had heard shots being fired but was not conscious of the direction of the shots. In his 1972 statement, he said that he thought that the shot had come from the northeast end of Block 1 of the Rossville Flats. Mr McDaid said that he thought this because of the angle of his wound.
Mr McDaid learned subsequently that the man who had told him that he had been shot was Patrick Walsh. In the photographs of the group by the retaining wall, Mr Walsh can be seen crouching next to Mr McDaid. He said that he did not notice anyone else in the gap between Block 2 and 3 because he was panicking about having been shot.
11.1.3 Joseph Place
Mr McDaid was taken to a house in Joseph Place. He was taken upstairs and laid down on the floor. There are photographs showing a woman tending to Mr McDaid’s bullet wound. First aid people arrived at the house and bandaged him up. Mr McDaid was helped to an ambulance.
11.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
11.2.1
Chamberlain Street
Mr McDaid stood on the Chamberlain Street side of William Street, watching the riot. He walked down Chamberlain Street and was overtaken by a crowd running from behind. By the time he got to the end of Chamberlain Street, Mrs Deery had been shot and was being carried into a house. Mr McDaid said that he had no idea where or how she had been shot.
11.2.2
Rossville Flats car park
Mr McDaid did not see any civilians carrying guns.
Mr McDaid thinks that he was shot as he dived over the wall in the car park. He assumed the bullet must have come from the right. He did not notice anyone to his left. He was not aware of a car in that vicinity.
Mr Lawson suggested that Mr McDaid could have been shot by someone near the gap between Blocks 2 and 3. He referred to the report by the consultant surgeon in 1972, which said that the wound was full of carbon particles, which would indicate ‘fairly close’ range discharge. Mr McDaid said that he did not know who shot him.
11.3
FURTHER QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
11.3.1
Rossville Flats car park
Mr McDaid has no recollection of being shot. He said that he did not feel anything until he was told that he had been shot. In previous statements, he has said that he felt a flick on his shoulder and when he was over the wall, someone told him that he had been shot.
12
JOHN McINTYRE’S EVIDENCE
12.1 QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
12.1.1
Rossville Flats car park
Mr McIntyre heard shots as he ran down Chamberlain Street. He does not know where the shots were going to but assumed they were coming from William Street. When Mr McIntyre entered the car park, he saw what he believes to have been the body of Jack Duddy.
People were running towards the low wall, parallel to Block 2 and to the gaps between the flats. He said that there were hundreds of people in the car park. The shooting was continuous and was coming from behind him. Mr McIntyre vaulted in front of the low wall in front of the bakery.
After he jumped over the wall, Mr McIntyre saw Michael Bradley lying on the ground in considerable pain. He could see blood on Mr Bradley’s arm. Mr McIntyre and two or three others carried him through the alleyway between Blocks 2 and 3.
12.1.2
Joseph Place
Mr McIntyre carried Michael Bradley to the first or second house in Joseph Place. He looked out the window and saw a body lying on Rossville Street. He thought he person had been shot because they could not see him moving.
12.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILIES AND THE WOUNDED
12.2.1 Rossville Flats car park
Mr McIntyre was half way down Chamberlain Street when he first heard shooting.
The first time he saw Michael Bradley was when he was lying on the ground behind the low wall.
12.3 QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
12.3.1
Rossville Street
Mr McIntyre said that he only got a glance at the body he saw lying on Rossville Street. He could not say for sure whether the ambulance took the body away.
There were 5 to 10 minutes between Mr McIntyre seeing a man crawling towards the body on Rossville Street and the arrival of the ambulances.
13
CHARLES McALLISTER’S EVIDENCE
13.1 QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
13.1.1
Chamberlain Street
Mr McAllister heard the Army charge through barrier 14 and saw the crowd scatter. He ran down the alleyway from Chamberlain Street to Eden Place. He watched people running south towards Free Derry Corner.
Mr McAllister walked back into Chamberlain Street. He could see soldiers in a kneeling position at the top of Chamberlain Street. A boy who was running with his back to the soldier was hit in the back with a rubber bullet. The boy was helped by his friends. Mr McAllister said that he was at the tail end of the crowd of people.
Mr McAllister saw a photographer at the bottom of Harvey Street who was standing on the corner of Chamberlain Street and Harvey Street. The photographer was standing at the edge of the path and waving his camera. Two shots were fired from the corner of William Street and Chamberlain Street. Mr McAllister realised the shots were live rounds and ran down Chamberlain Street to the car park of the Rossville Flats.
14
MICHAEL BRIDGE’S EVIDENCE
Michael Bridge was shot in the thigh in the car park of the Rossville Flats. The lawyers acting on behalf of the soldiers said that they are not suggesting that he was armed with a nail bomb or firearm.
14.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
14.1.1
Stewarding
When Mr Bridge left Creggan Shops he thought that the march was going to the Guildhall. He was approached by an English girl, who he thinks had something to do with the organisers, and asked if he would be a steward. Mr Bridge was given a white armband. He cannot recall whether he was given any instructions. He was not sure about the route and was not told how to handle rioters.
14.1.2
William Street
Mr Bridge said that he and 7 or 8 of the other stewards went down William Street to direct the young lads who had gone to the end of William Street to try and get them to follow the lorry. A photograph shows Mr Bridge facing people who are running down William Street directing them to go back and follow the lorry. Mr Bridge can also be seen in photographs of Barrier 14, he and others are trying to get people back from the barrier.
There are also photographs of Mr Bridge in a confrontational stance at the barrier. He said that he thinks he threw stones at the barrier. Mr Bridge said that the gas was first fired when there was a line of stewards physically between the barrier and the marchers. The situation at the barrier deteriorated. Mr Bridge had been overcome by the effects of gas and turned into Macaris Lane to be sick. He returned to the barrier. Mr Bridge was hit on the foot by a rubber bullet and had to sit on the ground.
14.1.3
Chamberlain Street
Mr Bridge heard people shouting that the APCs were coming in. He ran down Chamberlain Street and turned off into Eden Place. He recalls seeing one APC that was not moving. Mr Bridge said that two or three soldiers fired their rifles as they climbed out of the APCs. He said that his impression was that the soldiers were firing towards the back end of William Street.
Mr Bridge went to Chamberlain Street because of the shooting on the waste ground. He recalls sensing a bullet that hit the wall behind him. Mr Bridge said that he saw a chunk of brickwork taken out of the wall of a house at the junction of Harvey Street and Chamberlain Street. He saw someone fall at the same time as he heard the shot. Mr Bridge helped the boy, who had not been hit, get up.
14.1.4
Rossville Flats car park
Mr Bridge heard someone say that a boy had been shot in the car park. He went into the car park and saw Jack Duddy lying face up. He recalls Father Daly and a Knight of Malta by the body. Mr Bridge said that he had no awareness of people at the gable end of Chamberlain Street.
He got to within a couple of yards of Mr Duddy and turned to see a soldier aiming his rifle. The soldier was a couple of feet away from the backyard wall of the first house in Chamberlain Street. He has a vague recollection of another soldier somewhere behind that soldier.
Mr Bridge recalls an APC with its doors facing the car park. He walked towards the soldier, holding his hands up. He believed this soldier was responsible for shooting Jack Duddy. He remembers being annoyed and said that he gave the soldier a mouthful of abuse. He agreed that he was livid with rage. Mr Bridge does not believe that he threw a stone. He does not recall saying ‘shoot me, shoot me.’
He was asked to comment on the evidence of Billy Gillespie who said that Mr Bridge had thrown a brick. Mr Bridge said that Mr Gillespie was not relating the same situation that he had been in.
Mr Bridge was shown an interview conducted by Sunday Times journalists in 1972. He has no memory of giving the interview but said that it is a broadly accurate account. The notes are typewritten but a handwritten note at the side states that he had thrown half a brick. Mr Bridge said that he thinks that the note was put in from someone else’s account.
Mr Bridge said that when he was hit by a bullet he became aware of other bullets being fired. He did not see the soldier who shot him but believes that it is Soldier N. In a statement Mr Bridge gave to the police in 1972, he said that the soldier who shot him was to his left, at the bottom of the Rossville Flats.
Mr Bridge said that, from the evidence, which has been brought out by the BSI, he believes that this is the position that Soldier N fired from. Mr Clarke said that the BSI has not, so far, been able to discover the identity of the soldier who shot Mr Bridge. He said that so far, no soldier has given evidence that he shot or he knew someone who shot Mr Bridge.
14.1.6
Previous conviction
Mr Bridge was convicted in 1965 of unlawful wounding. He served three years in prison for stabbing a civilian in Bradford. Mr Clarke said that when the Tribunal consider the evidence of all the witnesses they need to know whether they have any significant convictions.
14.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILIES AND THE WOUNDED
14.2.1 Barrier 14
Mr Bridge said that he left Barrier 14 to be sick. When he returned, the situation at the barricade had changed. He said that if the soldiers had not used the water cannon, gas and rubber bullets, people would have got fed up or been persuaded to leave the barrier. He said that this had an impact on his subsequent actions.
14.2.2
Eden Place
The soldier who fired from the bottom of Eden Place fired from waist/chest height. He identified a photograph showing a soldier in a similar position.
14.2.3
Soldier N and Mortar Platoon
Mr Bridge said that he believes that Soldier N shot him because in his statement he said that he shot a nail bomber in the right thigh and, as far as he is aware, no other soldier admits shooting a person in the leg in the Rossville Flats area. Mr Bridge was shot in the left thigh. He said that there was nobody else near him when he was shot so Soldier N could not have made a mistake when he fired. Mr Bridge said that he knows the names of Soldier N and others in Mortar Platoon. He said that he believes the names should be made public.
Lord Saville said that he appreciated some people had strong views on the question of anonymity but said that it is a matter for legal submission. Declan Morgan QC; acting on behalf of Mr Bridge said that, under Article 2 and 3, the view of the victim was a matter to be taken into account. Mr Bridge told Lord Saville that anonymity inhibits the ability to truly assess evidence.
14.2.4
No case of misconduct
Mr Bridge said that from 1972 until now, he has been publicly accused of being nail bomber. He said that it is not good enough for the soldiers’ lawyers to say that the soldiers are not going to contend that he was a nail bomber. He said that the BSI is very important to him because he is waiting for a truthful explanation of why he was shot.
14.3
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
Mr Glasgow told Mr Bridge that the soldiers are not suggesting that he was armed with a nail bomb or a firearm.
14.3.1 Barrier 14
Mr Glasgow said that Mr Bridge started off the day in a peacekeeping role. He said that a number of witnesses had told the BSI that they believed Mr Bridge was carrying something in his hands when he was shot.
Mr Bridge said that he believes he took his armband off when he went into the waste ground because he had wiped his face after he had been sick. He has no memory of this. He accepts that when he returned to the barrier he had thrown stones. Mr Bridge said that it is possible that people had confused seeing him throw stones at the barrier with the time when he was shot in the car park of the Rossville Flats.
14.3.2
Eden Place
waste ground
Mr Bridge said that the soldiers were definitely firing rifles as they got out of the APC. Mr Glasgow suggested that the film footage shows the soldiers firing rubber bullets. Mr Bridge said that he believes the soldiers were firing rifles from the start. He agreed that if they were firing in the direction of William Street it was in the direction that other soldiers were coming.
14.3.3
Sequence of shots
Mr Bridge said that he saw shots fired by soldiers in the waste ground. He then turned and went back down Eden Place from where a shot was fired into Chamberlain Street.
14.3.4 Rossville Flats car park
Mr Bridge was shown a photograph of a figure in the car park which other witnesses have identified as him. The photograph shows a man standing on his own and an APC at the entrance of the car park. One soldier can be seen in the photograph, kneeling by the corner of Block 1. Mr Bridge agreed that the photograph is of him. He said that he was focused on the soldier at the sidewall by Chamberlain Street and did not notice any other soldiers.
Mr Bridge has no memory of the distance he travelled when he left Jack Duddy’s body. He sensed bullets and thought that they were very close to him.
Mr Bridge believes that Soldier N shot him because of the evidence he has heard during the BSI. He said that the soldiers pride themselves on being the most professional within the British Army.
14.4 FURTHER QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
14.4.1
Barrier 14
Mr Bridge identified himself in the photograph of people behind the corrugated iron shield at barrier 14. He said that he had a stone in his hand.
15
SEAN CANNEY’S EVIDENCE
Mr Canney was a 22-year-old photographer at the time of Bloody Sunday.
15.1 QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
15.1.1
Barrier 14
Mr Canney went through Barrier 14 from Waterloo Place. He said that he saw Derek Wilford who asked him where he was going. Mr Canney told him that he was covering the march and he said that Colonel Wilford replied ‘I advise you to stay on this side of the barricade today.’
Mr Canney said that he is confident that it was Colonel Wilford who had said this because he saw him interviewed on the television that evening.
15.1.2
William Street
Mr Canney saw two or three soldiers on top of the electricity sub station as he walked along William Street. He also saw about four young lads carrying sticks, which they were told by older people to put down, and did so. He heard shots from his left as he walked down William Street but did not see any soldiers or casualties and the march proceeded. He said that at this stage William Street was about three quarters full of people.
15.1.3
Rossville Flats
Two APCs were driven into the courtyard. One faced the Free Derry Corner direction and another faced the opposite direction. Mr Canney said that his memory is of a ferrat scout car being the first vehicle.
One of the APCs stopped and the back door opened. Mr Canney saw a soldier sitting on the bench in the rear left hand corner of the APC. The soldier was holding an SLR with the barrel pointing in the direction of the crowd that was trying to get through the gaps between Blocks 1 and 2. The soldier fired four to six shots. He did not get out of the vehicle. He had fired almost immediately that the APC had come to a halt. Mr Canney said that the soldier had his gun in semi-automatic mode. (Mr Canney said that he knew an SLR could be put into semi-automatic mode or single shot mode by using a switch on the rifle.) There were people about 20 to 30 yards from the APC. He said that it is possible that the soldier could have missed the people from that range.
Mr Canney is the only witness who describes this event. He said that he is absolutely certain that it happened. He suggested that as a photographer, he was slightly more removed from events than other witnesses.
The Ferrat Scout car did not enter the car park. The first APC drove into the car park, circled and went away again. The second APC was pointed into the car park. Mr Canney said that at this stage, he was standing in front of the low wall that runs parallel to Block 2. The mass of people were still trying to get through the gap between Blocks 1and 2.
Mr Canney did not make a statement in 1972. The first time he has given an account of what he saw on Bloody Sunday was in 1998 when he gave his statement to the BSI.
15.1.4
South of the Rossville Flats
Mr Canney went through the gap between Blocks 1 and 2. He said that people were scattering in all directions towards Free Derry Corner. He felt exposed and moved to the telephone box at the southeast side of Block 1. He saw a young man on the ground in the same position that Hugh Gilmour can be seen.
Mr Canney said that a man brought his handkerchief out of his pocket and began to move away from the wall. He said that the man took a couple of steps and then the side of his head exploded. Mr Canney had the impression that the shooting was from the Rossville Street and Glenfada Park area.
15.1.5
Joseph Place
He walked along the walkway behind Joseph Place. Mr Canney reached a position facing towards the city walls. He said that a piece of turf behind the second block of Joseph Place disintegrated. The turf was about 18 inches away from Mr Canney and a piece of dirt from it hit his glasses. He thinks that the position was at the end of the second block of Joseph Place because he remembers thinking that if he continued walking he would be in open space.
15.1.6 Lisfannon Park
Mr Canney said that he saw an ambulance arrive. He noticed two Army vehicles on the wasteground near Lisfannon Park. He said that he has a very clear recollection of the vehicles.
15.1.7 Photographs
Mr Canney took 8 to 9 photographs on Bloody Sunday. He dropped the negatives off at Willie Carson’s. Mr Canney does not have any of the original photographs left because he had lent them out to people over the years. He thinks that he took the first photograph of Bernard McGuigan.
15.2 QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
15.2.1
Barrier 14
Mr Canney said that he had a very short conversation with Colonel Wilford. He said that it was highly unusual for a photographer to be stopped by an officer of that rank. Mr Lawson represents Colonel Wilford. He told Mr Canney that Colonel Wilford does not dispute that the conversation took place, but he does not recall it.
He agreed that he had nothing was said to him about not taking photographs.
15.2.2
Rossville Flats car park
Mr Canney said that he is absolutely certain that the incident with the soldier shooting from the back of the APC happened. Mr Lawson said that no other witness has described this incident. Mr Canney said that his memory was not playing tricks with him.
15.2.3
Joseph Place
Mr Canney agreed that it could not be ruled out that the turf he had seen disintegrate was at the south gable end of the second block of the Joseph Place flats.
15.3
FURTHER QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
15.3.1 Lisfannon Park
Mr Clarke asked whether it was possible that Mr Canney had muddled his evidence of seeing two army vehicles near Lisfannon Park with another occasion. Mr Canney said that he thinks he has seen footage that shows the vehicles.
16
JOHN TYRE’S EVIDENCE
16.1 QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
16.1.1
William Street
Mr Tyre said that he was at the back of the march because it was not as crowded and he would have room to talk to his friends. The march stopped when he reached the junction of Rossville Street and William Street. There were lots of people who had gone down Rossville Street and Mr Tyre assumed that the march had been stopped on the way to the Guildhall.
16.1.2 Chamberlain Street
Mr Tyre said that people were throwing stones from the corner of Chamberlain Street. As more people began to throw stones, the Army would fire rubber bullets. Mr Tyre heard the sound of the Army vehicle starting up and make a whining sound. There were rioters at the corner.
Mr Tyre heard shooting when he ran down Chamberlain Street. He saw a woman being brought around Chamberlain Street.
16.1.3
Rossville Flats car park
Mr Tyre could hear shooting from behind him. He focused on the gaps between the blocks. He saw a man with his arms bent who was facing towards William Street. He did not see the man move in any particular direction. The man fell to the ground. Mr Tyre said that he could see the man’s hands clearly and that they were empty. Mr Tyre ran towards the retaining wall.
Mr Tyre said that there were about six people huddled on their knees in the corner of the car park. He was not conscious of people at the gable ends of Chamberlain Street. Mr Tyre crawled along the wall on his hands and knees. When he reached the children’s play area, the man in front of him got onto his hunkers and suddenly fell head forwards. Mr Tyre looked at the man and said that he was not moving. He could see a small hole, slightly to the right of the centre of the man’s back. Patrick McDaid’s evidence was put to Mr Tyre that the bullet caught him as he was diving over the steps or a wall near to the steps. Mr Tyre believes that this corresponds with what he saw because he saw a man getting on his hunkers and then falling down.
Mr Tyre said that there were two or three older men in the doorway of Block 2 of the flats. The men were shouting to him. Mr Tyre crawled towards the gap between Blocks 2 and 3. He stood in the alleyway and felt something hit his forehead. He thought he had been shot but discovered that he had been hit by a piece of stone, which had come off the eastern gable wall of Block 2. He thought that he had been shot at from the walls because the stone which hit his head came off the gable wall of Block 2 and he had been standing facing that wall.
16.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
16.2.1
Rossville Flats car park
Mr Tyre said that he thinks that the boy that he saw shot in the car park was Patrick McDaid. He said that this is because of the position of his wound and the location in which he was shot. The boy was on his hunkers and knees and was about to go downstairs as he was shot. Mr Tyre did not see any blood on the boy’s back. He said that he could see a small, clean hole through the jacket.
16.2.2
Shots from the walls
Mr Tyre said that the stone hit his head when he was facing the east gable of block 2. He said that he did not see anyone when he looked up to the walls. He agreed that any shots from the walls that would have hit the gable wall at a height of about two storeys.
Timetable of
proceedings
Monday 12 para 1 – 3
Tuesday 13 para 4 - 8
Wednesday 14 para 9 - 12
Thursday 15 para 13 - 16
For Peace Justice & Human Rights
