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2 - 5
JUNE 2003
Evidence
heard
This week the Inquiry heard from the following witnesses:
Soldier R (Private, Motor Platoon, Support Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment); INQ 1581 (Private, Anti-Tank Platoon, Support Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment); INQ 627 (Lance Corporal, Head Quarters Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment); Soldier 005 (Private, Machine Gun Platoon, Support Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment); Soldier Q (Private, Motor Platoon, Support Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment); INQ 178 (Gunner, 22 Light Air Defence Regiment); INQ 993 (Private, Drums Platoon, Head Quarters Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment); INQ 1334 (Lance Corporal, 8 platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment) and INQ 275 (Lance Corporal, Machine Gun Platoon, Support Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment).
Summary of Evidence
Monday 2 June 2003 Soldier R
Tuesday 3 June 2003 INQ 1581, INQ 627, Soldier 005
Wednesday 4 June 2003 Soldier Q, INQ 178
Thursday 5 June 2003 INQ 993, INQ 1822, INQ 1334, INQ 275
A full transcript of the proceedings is available at http://www.bloody-sunday-inquiry.org.uk.
Numbers in square brackets refer to the code given to a particular document by the Inquiry.
INTRODUCTION
This week the Inquiry continued to hear evidence from former paratroopers (paras) present on Bloody Sunday including 2 soldiers, Q and R, who admit to having fired. INQ 1334, who does not admit firing, was later demoted for possessing an illegal private supply of ammunition.
Soldier R
Private, Motor Platoon, Support Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment
Made Statements to the Royal Military Police on 31 January 1972 [B0659] and 4 February 1972, to the Widgery Tribunal (undated) [B] and to this Inquiry [B0691.0001]
On 30 January 1972 Soldier R was an 18 year old private in the motor platoon of Support Company. He had never been to Derry before.
Briefing
Soldier R made a statement to the Widgery tribunal team in 1972 but the copy available to the Inquiry is undated and unsigned. Soldier R could not remember making it or ever being shown it. In that statement he refers to a briefing by Lieutenant N and his understanding that they were going to Derry to conduct an arrest operation in the area of William Street in front of Tanners Row.
30 January 1972
Soldier R was in Sergeant O’s pig (armoured vehicle) with Soldier T. He could not remember who else was in the pig. His role was to act as vehicle guard and to protect the pig. He would also work with the radio operator and deal with prisoners if they were brought to the pig. Generally the radio operator stayed with the pig unless he had a man pack radio he could carry on his back.
When Support Company deployed to the Presbyterian Church the vehicles parked in Queens Street. Soldier R remained with the pig whilst most of the others in the platoon went to the area around the church. When the others returned they said that they had been fired on and there was a change of plan. They were ordered back into the vehicles and then received the order to go into the Bogside through barrier 12.
Going In
Soldier R said that soon after they went through the barrier there was lots of shouting and he could hear missiles hitting the vehicle. The pig in front, Lieutenant N’s, then veered off to the left. They passed it and stopped on Rossville Street. Soldier R and two or three others got out at this point. The others started to arrest people but the pig moved off again and Soldier R had to run after it because it was his job to stay with it. Three paras are pictured in photograph P0593 running behind Sergeant O’s pig. Soldier R agreed he could be the middle of these three and also the para seen in photograph P0594 running across the waste ground towards the Rossville Flats.
Incoming Gunfire
Soldier R gave a number of different accounts of coming under fire. In his first statement to the RMP, which was made at 06:30 the next day, he referred to shots being fired as soon as he debussed from the pig and then cocking his rifle. However in his Widgery statement and in evidence to Lord Widgery he said the shooting only started once he was on the waste ground running after the pig. On one occasion he said he had gone 10-15 yards, on another he said it was 50 yards, before the shooting began. But in his statement to this Inquiry he reverted to saying it began as soon as he got out of the pig. Soldier R denied he was making up his account of incoming gunfire. There were almost identical inconsistencies in his evidence of having heard explosions. In his first RMP statement he says he heard one or two explosions as he reached the pig but in evidence to Lord Widgery he said he heard these when on the waste ground running toward the pig.
In his latest statement Soldier R refers to their being six different weapons firing including an M1 carbine or Armalite, a Thompson, and continuous firing that sounded like a starting pistol. When asked why he had not recorded these details in his original 1972 accounts he said he was unable to distinguish the weapons at the time. When asked how he was able to do so now, so long after the event, he said he could have done so at the time but was not asked.
Soldier R said he was hit by missiles as he ran after the pig. He variously said he was hit either twice or three times and accepted it was wrong to say, as he had in his most recent statement, that he was hit on the head.
In the Car Park
Once he got to the pig, which was parked at the entrance to the Rossville Flats car park, Soldier R took up a position at the rear of the vehicle. He said he could still hear high and low velocity gunfire. He also heard SLR fire but claims not to have seen who was firing. He also said he heard firing near the rubble barricade on the other side of Block 1. Soldier R claimed to have heard “dozens” of shots fired by civilians but accepted no soldier was hit and he could not say even if the pig had been struck.
Bomber
Soldier R claims to have seen a man near the centre of Block 1 of the Rossville Flats who turned towards him about to throw a bomb. He was only about 30 yards away. He said the man stepped away from the wall holding a fizzing object in his left hand. As the man turned his right shoulder towards him Soldier R shot him. He thinks he hit him in the right shoulder because he says the man spun around and fell. He said there were other civilians close to the man he shot but that they opened up a gap for him to throw the bomb. He says he saw the bomb smoking but it did not explode after the man went down. He described people, more than 10, gathering around the man after he went down and him being carried away towards the gap between blocks 1 and 2. He did not see what happened to the alleged bomb.
Soldier R described the man as being in his 20s, tall and with dark hair. In his RMP statement he said the man was wearing “dark slacks” but in evidence to Lord Widgery he said they were “light slacks.” He could not explain why he said light rather than dark.
Soldier R said in evidence that he was still at the rear of the pig when this incident happened but when giving evidence to Lord Widgery he had said he was “just coming around this corner here (presumably the north east corner of block 1) to get back to the vehicle.” This accords with the position marked on the plan attached to his original RMP statement but Soldier R said this was incorrect and that he had not marked the plan himself. In answer to a question from Mr. Toohey Soldier R said there was probably another soldier close by when he shot but he could not recall. Soldier R claimed the incoming fire continued throughout this time.
Jackie Duddy
Although the scene he described of people gathered around the body of the man he shot was similar to that pictured around the body of Jackie Duddy Soldier R denied he shot Mr. Duddy. He denied seeing Jackie Duddy shot or people gathered around his body. He denied seeing people carry Jackie Duddy out of the car park or ever seeing photographs or film of Father Daly with those carrying the body.
Christopher Clarke QC, counsel to the Inquiry, put to Soldier R certain similarities between his alleged bomber encounter and the shooting of Jackie Duddy. Both were shot at an early stage just after the Paras deployed; both were shot in the right shoulder and both bodies were surrounded by people. Jackie Duddy was also shot fairly close to the position where Soldier R claims to have shot his bomber. There were also a number of witnesses who said Jackie Duddy was shot from a position close to the north east corner of block 1, although others disagree.
Soldier R denied he could have shot Jackie Duddy but accepted it was possible he could have hit someone other than the person he was aiming at. However he said he believed he did hit the man he was aiming at.
What He Did Not See
Soldier R denied seeing Jackie Duddy, Michael Bridge or Michael Bradley shot in the car park. He claimed he was never aware of the shootings even though they were all shot just in front of him. He said he did not remember seeing anyone other than Sergeant O firing.
Gunman at the Cortina
Soldier R supported Sergeant O’s account of a man with a pistol firing from behind a maroon coloured Cortina parked outside Block 3. He placed the car in roughly the same place as had Sergeant O. However both placed the car in an area which was in fact surrounded by a high wire fence which prevented vehicle access. Soldier R said he saw the gunman fall over the low wall and be carried away after Sergeant O shot him.
In evidence to Lord Widgery Soldier R claimed to have mentioned witnessing Sergeant O engaging this gunman in his first RMP statement although he did not mention the Cortina. However he had in fact made no mention of the incident until his second RMP statement made on 4 February 1972 when he corroborated Sergeant O’s account in full. Soldier R said he had thought he had mentioned it and he was mistaken when he gave evidence to Lord Widgery.
Gunman at Block 2
Soldier R then referred to an incident where he claims to have fired at a man holding a pistol at the gap between Blocks 2 and 3. All he could see was a hand holding a pistol at the end of Block 2. The pistol was fired in his direction and he returned fire with three shots. He did not think he hit the gunman. The hand and gun appeared, disappeared and reappeared. When it reappeared he fired one shot, then two more. Soldier R denied seeing any civilians close to the gap between Blocks 2 and 3 at this time but a series of photographs [P0796 to P0801] show people, obviously under fire, crawling towards the gap. Soldier R accepted that since he thought he missed his target his shots may have struck the retaining wall of Block 3 above where the people are pictured.
Acid Bombs
Soldier R says he was then burnt by acid dropped in a bottle from the Rossville Flats. He said in his original RMP statement that there was one bottle which smashed and splashed him with acid but later, to Lord Widgery, he said it was two bottles which splashed him. Sergeant O ordered Soldier T to fire at the acid bomber who was on a balcony of Block 1. Soldier R said the bomber was definitely a man although there was a woman who also dropped a bottle of Windolene. He denied anyone fired at her.
Soldier R said he was then taken to the north end of Block 1 where he was treated with water for the acid burns. He said his skin was red and hair was burnt off his legs, however he never saw a doctor. He also spoke to an English reporter whilst at Block 1. He could not recall who this was. He said there was still occasional shooting in the region of Glenfada Park.
Soldier R had got the sequence of the last three events (Sergeant O firing, his firing at a pistol and the acid bombs) in a completely different order in both his written and oral evidence to Lord Widgery. In both he gave the order as: first the acid attack, then Sergeant O firing and finally his firing. He now said they probably happened in the order recounted above because he took no further part in the operation after the acid attack.
Soldier 005’s Evidence
Soldier 005 had said in his statement to the Inquiry that he spoke to Soldier R a few days later and Soldier R made no mention of the alleged acid attack. Soldier R said he could not remember speaking to Soldier 005. Soldier R made his second RMP statement at 09:30 on 4 February 1972 and Soldier 005 made a statement corroborating Soldier R’s account at 10:30 the same day. Soldier 005’s statement dealt almost exclusively with the alleged pistol engagement. Soldier R denied colluding with Soldier 005 to get him to say he witnessed something which had never happened. In his statement Soldier 005 placed the gunman not between Blocks 2 and 3 but on the first floor of the walkway between Blocks 1 and 2. Soldier R denied one or other of them had got the story wrong.
Ammunition Check
Soldier R said Company Sergeant Major 202 Lewis did ask about what ammunition he had fired but he could not remember when or where this happened. He said he could not remember speaking to Major Loden that evening but agreed item 5 on Major Loden’s List of Engagements [B2283.0020] would appear to be referring to his shooting a bomber. He said he had no knowledge of people ever having private supplies of ammunition.
Soldier R was one of the youngest soldiers in motor platoon but denied being put under any pressure regarding his evidence. He agreed there were discussions between the soldiers after they withdrew from the Bogside but he said he could not recall what was said. He insisted the comments in his RMP statement made early the next morning were entirely his own.
INQ 1581
Private, Anti-Tank Platoon, Support Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment
Made Statement to the inquiry on 21 May 2000 [C1581]
INQ 1581 was Lieutenant 119’s driver. He drove one of the two anti-tank platoon pigs. He was 22 or 23 on 30 January 1972. He had been in the Parachute regiment for 6 years. He left the army later in 1972. He had never been approached to make a statement about Bloody Sunday until this Inquiry began. He said he was not surprised he was not asked to make a statement in 1972 even though he was very close to a lot of what happened. He had discussed what happened with his wife but had not seen any of his former colleagues since he left the army. He said he could not recollect any discussions he might have had about Bloody Sunday before he left the army.
INQ 1581 said the general feeling within the platoon was that everyone wanted to break the ‘no go’ areas. INQ 1581 said he did not know much about the ‘no go’ areas but that he considered them to be illegal.
30 January 1972
He could not remember anything about the operation in Derry until they drove into the Bogside. He does recall someone, he does not know who, saying they had to “get permission from the PM” to break the ‘no go’ areas. He assumed this meant the Prime Minister.
Going In
INQ 1581 drove his pig down Little James Street and into Rossville Street behind a convoy of other Support Company vehicles. They stopped first at the top of Rossville Street, still in a convoy, but later moved forward to a position just below the Rossville Flats, close to Block 1. The pig was the first of the two anti-tank platoon vehicles but behind the vehicles of motor platoon, machine gun platoon, Major Loden and Guinness Force.
INQ 1581 said he did not believe anyone debussed from the pig until it moved forward from the original position at the top of Rossville Street. His job was to stay and guard the pig. Once in the forward position INQ 1581 stayed in the driver’s seat. However, because he heard gunfire, he got out taking his rifle and took up a position in the gap between the open driver’s door and the body of the pig. He was shown a photograph [P0520] from a window in Block 1 which shows vehicles in Rossville Street below and 2 pigs parked on the pavement opposite just to the south of Kells walk. INQ 1581 denied either of these vehicles was his pig.
Gunfire
INQ 1581 says someone said, “there’s a gunman in the flats, there’s a sniper up there” or words to that effect. He also heard two “cracks” which sounded like rifle shots. He claims these are the only two shots he heard all day and he says he believed they were incoming. He said he did not know if the shots were high or low velocity but assumed they were incoming because he was not conscious of any soldiers firing. He was not conscious of rubber bullets being fired either.
INQ 1581 denied any knowledge of Soldier F firing 3 shots from the pig directly behind his, or 5 further shots from the front of his pig. He also denied any knowledge of Soldier G firing from the second pig. INQ 1581 accepted he knew and was close to Soldier 118 but denied knowing he had admitted lying about seeing gunmen Soldiers F and G claim to have fired at. He also denied remembering Soldier 027 or knowing anything about him. Soldier 027 had given evidence of members of the anti-tank platoon kidnapping and assaulting two Catholic charity workers in Belfast. He said he had never heard of the incident. He was not involved.
INQ 374’s Evidence
INQ 374 was an NCO (non commissioned officer) in the anti tank platoon. INQ 1581 claimed not to remember him. INQ 374 had made a statement to the Inquiry alleging he had spoken to INQ 1581 about what happened on Bloody Sunday. In his statement INQ 374 said INQ 1581 told him he had fired on Bloody Sunday. He also said INQ 1581 had said he had seen a gunman fall over after firing a hand gun. The gun was picked up by a girl pushing a pram. She put the gun in the pram and ran off. INQ 1581 said he did not fire his weapon, did not see a gunman and did not have the conversation INQ 374 alleges. It was disclosed to the Inquiry the day before INQ 1581 gave evidence that having been re-interviewed INQ 374 now says he is less than 50% certain the person he spoke to was in fact INQ 1581.
INQ 1581 agreed the anti-tank platoon was a tightly knit unit of men who were very loyal to each other but he denied he had any conflict between that loyalty and telling the truth to the Inquiry.
INQ 627
Lance Corporal, Head Quarters Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment
Made Statement to the Inquiry on 13 June 2000 [C0627]
INQ 627 was one of Major Loden’s signallers on 30 January 1972. He had two signallers, one operating on the Battalion Net. the other using the Company Net. INQ 627 did not remember being with Soldier 033 but he has given evidence to the Inquiry to the effect that he was Major Loden’s other signaller. INQ 627 was operating the Company Net. This was used to communicate between the Support Company platoon commanders and with Major Loden. The Battalion Net was for communication up the chain of command to Colonel Wilford and battalion HQ.
INQ 627 said he would not have seen the Signal Instruction issued for the operation [W0287] because he was just using the Company Net. He said the network diagram was incorrect in so far as it suggested Major Loden, call sign Bravo 5, only had two C42 vehicle mounted radios. In fact there were also 2 A41 man pack radios which could be carried for use outside the vehicle. INQ 627 carried one such radio. INQ 627 agreed it was the responsibility of both signallers to remain with Major Loden at all times.
The Presbyterian Church
INQ 627 said he was with Colonel Wilford and Major Loden when they were speaking at an old fashioned church. He could not now recollect where this was but described being outside on a balcony having climbed some stairs. He remembered being able to see open ground in front and the high flats.
First Gunfire
Whilst in this location INQ 627 says he heard two incoming shots. He insisted there were two shots, not one. He said he was not aware that two soldiers of machine gun platoon had fired 5 shots from Abbey taxis before the Paras deployed into the Bogside. He did not hear any contact report over the radio regarding these shots or the shots he himself heard. He said he was in touch with the various platoon signallers. However he was not aware INQ 455, machine gun platoon’s signaller, had been injured in a fall. He was not aware of having lost contact with the machine gun platoon.
Going In
INQ 627 then heard, or was told of, the order to ‘go, go, go!’ The order would have come in to the signaller on the Battalion Net. INQ 627 relayed the order to the platoon signallers over the Company Net. INQ 627 said there was a mistake in his statement where it said that on the way into the Bogside the pig travelled at top speed and that this was 60 mph. The top speed was more like 40 mph and they were not travelling that fast. He said the mistake was down to Eversheds who took the statement.
INQ 627’s recollection was that Major Loden’s pig was the first in the convoy. In fact it was the third. He said there were people milling around on the waste ground and in the Rossville Flats car park. He claimed petrol bombs were being thrown. He did not actually see any petrol bombs but claimed the area was covered in black smoke. However none of the photographs or video show any black smoke or any other signs of petrol bombs.
Gunfire
INQ 627 claimed to have heard gunfire coming from the Rossville Flats as soon as they debussed from the pig. He described this as a mixture of rifle and pistol fire. There were about 8-13 rounds in total. He said it was not SLR fire which he described as distinctive. He said the gunfire caused complete panic and soldiers changed from arrest mode to trying to identify gunmen. However it was pointed out to him if this were the case then the gunfire must have come after the arrests had been made and not therefore as soon as they debussed from the pig. INQ 627 also claims to have seen rounds hit the ground.
Arrests
It was not INQ 627’s role to make arrests. He was to remain with Major Loden and follow him wherever he went. In his statement INQ 627 said he did not make an arrest himself. However a couple of days before he gave evidence he was shown by his lawyers an arrest photograph and arrest report suggesting he did arrest James Charles Doherty. On the basis of this evidence he now said he did arrest Mr. Doherty. He said he had completely forgotten about making the arrest and agreed it was unusual for a radio operator to make an arrest. In the arrest statement [ARR0015.0003] INQ 627 claims to have witnessed Mr. Doherty throwing stones.
However Mr. Doherty had given evidence [AD0069.0003] of running down Rossville Street when he fell and was grabbed by 2 paras. They dragged him off and he was then kicked and punched by 6 paras in a pig. Charles Canning was also in the pig having also been arrested. Mr. Doherty said the para who arrested him was short, about 5 foot 6 inches, and stocky. The para called him a “fucking paddy.” From looking at the arrest photographs Mr. Doherty thought Soldier U may have been the man who arrested him. He did not think it was INQ 627, with whom he is pictured [ARR0015.0001], because he was too tall. He described another taller soldier being more controlled and saying to him, “I saved your life that other soldier was going to kill you.” This soldier appeared to be angry at the behaviour of the shorter one.
Arthur Harvey QC, representing some of the families, suggested to INQ 627 that he did not in fact arrest Mr. Dillon and his original recollection of not making any arrests was correct. INQ 627 agreed that in order to have engaged in the arrest he would have had to have had permission from Major Loden or been relieved of the radio by someone.
INQ 627 was shown photograph P0994 which shows Soldiers 006 and 037 taking a man to Major Loden’s pig. Company Sergeant Major Lewis can be seen standing in front of the pig. There is also a signaller on the left of the photograph. At first INQ 627 accepted this could be him but then said he was wearing a beret and no gas mask so it could not be him. INQ 627 denied the fact that CSM Lewis can be seen standing in the open with his hands on his hips suggested he was not under fire. He also denied he was one of the two signallers seen following a soldier with a megaphone on video 48. The man with the megaphone is seen to be apparently shouting orders. He is also carrying a baton. It was suggested this was Major Loden and INQ 627 therefore had to be one of the signallers following him.
INQ 627 denied the fact that soldiers were marching prisoners north up Rossville Street with their backs to the flats suggested they were not under fire.
What He Did Not See
INQ 627 said he could not recall seeing any soldiers firing even though it is accepted Support Company fired 108 rounds. He said he only heard a couple of SLR shots fired. He denied seeing anyone shot or being carried away. He also said he did not recall hearing any contact reports over the radio. He said he did not recall any baton rounds being fired. Nor did he recall any nail bombs.
He did not remember crossing Rossville Street to go to the low wall near Kells Walk or moving to the north end of Block 1 of the Rossville Flats. However he did say he saw 4 bodies. He could not remember their locations but one was at the south west corner of the Rossville Flats car park. He did not remember Major Loden debriefing the soldiers who fired or compiling his list of engagements. Major Loden said he may have got the times on his list, which was prepared at 18:00, from the radio logs. INQ 627 said he did not keep a log of the Company Net and the Battalion Net signaller would only have done so whilst in the pig, not when moving about.
Soldier 005
Private, Machine Gun Platoon, Support Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment
Made Statements to the RMP on 4 February 1972 [B1370] and to this Inquiry on 26 June 2000 [B1373]
Soldier 005 was a private in machine gun platoon of Support Company. He understood he was to be part of a snatch squad on 30 January 1972 and that part of the plan in going to Derry was to arrest Bernadette Devlin. He drove one of the machine gun platoon pigs. He said he could not remember the briefing. He had been to Derry once before but was never deployed. Later he was badly injured in a bombing and left the army.
Soldier 005 was left alone in the pig when the rest of his platoon deployed forward to the derelict building on William Street known as Abbey taxis. Later he was told that the platoon were cut off and they had to go in and get them out. He was ordered to drive through barrier 12 in Little James Street and follow Major Loden’s pig. Soldier 005 stopped behind the command pig in Rossville Street. He did not stop at the junction of William Street or go down William Street to pick up his platoon. Soldier 005 thought his was in the last pig in the convoy but in fact he was following the two pigs of motor platoon, Major Loden’s pig and the scout car but was in front of the pigs of anti tank platoon. He was still alone in the pig.
Going In
Soldier 005 said he thought the side hatches on the pig were raised so he could see to the left and right. He says he heard low velocity gunfire, which he took to be pistol fire, as he went through barrier 12. However he said in evidence he could not be sure about this since the noise of the engine in the pig would have made it difficult to hear. As he drove down Rossville Street he could see a crowd running south. He was driving at about 20-30 mph. He said he would not have driven at top speed in case he ran someone over.
Gunfire
As he stopped the pig in Rossville Street he heard what he believed to be high velocity shots. He said in his statement they sounded like they came from an Armalite rifle or a heavy machine gun but accepted they could have been echoes of SLR rounds, including the rounds Lieutenant N fired up Eden Place. He said he heard gunfire continuously.
As a result of hearing the gunfire he got out of the pig and went to the rear of the vehicle. He could see Sergeant O running about in the car park but he did not see him firing or adopting a firing position.
In his statement Soldier 005 refers to hearing an explosion but in evidence he accepted this could have been the sound of baton rounds being fired. He was aware of arrests being made.
Soldier R Firing
He also saw Soldier R and another soldier whom he could not now identify at Sergeant O’s pig in the Rossville Flats car park. The other soldier then disappeared and he saw Soldier R firing towards the gap between Blocks 1 and 2 of the Rossville Flats. When he fired Soldier R was standing at the side of Sergeant O’s pig. Soldier 005 thinks Soldier R fired three shots and assumed he was firing at the first floor level since his rifle was level at his shoulder. However later he said he only saw Soldier R fire one shot. He had seen people running into the car park but could not see the gap between Blocks 1 and 2 from where he was standing. He saw Soldier R fire as soon as he had reached the back of the pig.
Acid
He then said he saw puffs of smoke come up from the ground close to Sergeant O’s pig. He said he thought these were acid bombs. In his statement he claimed to have a very vague recollection of seeing someone who he believed to be throwing something but in oral evidence he admitted he could not see the part of the car park close to Block 1 where this was supposed to have happened.
Ceasefire
He also saw Major Loden shouting at soldiers to stop firing. He ordered a ceasefire several times. He seemed to be angry because the firing was out of control. There was a lot of shooting and he wanted to know what they were shooting at. Soldier 005 could still hear gunfire which he thought included pistol shots and SLR fire. He heard shooting near to the rubble barricade but did not see who was firing. He was not looking in that direction. Later when he got there he saw two bodies collected from the barricade.
RMP Statement
Soldier 005 had made a statement to the RMP at 22:15 on 4 February 1972. In that statement he claimed to have seen a man with a pistol fire 2 shots from the veranda between Blocks 1 and 2. Soldier 005 accepted when giving evidence that he could not see the veranda between Blocks 1 and 2 from where he was standing. He gave a variety of explanations as to how this came to be in his statement. First he said he had seen Soldier R firing in that direction and had understood from gossip in the naafi (canteen) that Soldier R had fired at a man with a pistol. However he said the words “saw a gunman fire” had been inserted into the statement by the RMP officer. He said they were not his words.
Soldier 005 said he was only with the RMP officer for about 5 minutes and he did not take much care over the statement. He said he was only 19 at the time and although he signed it he did not remember reading the statement. When shown it in 2000 when providing his statement to Eversheds he said he did not recognise it at all. He had not given evidence to Lord Widgery but said had he been called to do so he would have admitted the alleged sighting of the gunman was untrue. Soldier 005 said he did see Soldier R when they were back in Belfast. They were friends. Soldier 005 said Soldier R did not say anything about being the victim of an acid attack. Soldier 005 said he did not discuss the firing with Soldier R. He said it was “just another day.”
Soldier R made a statement to the RMP, his second, at 21:30 on 4 February 1972, i.e. just before Soldier 005 made his statement. INQ 1871 took both statements. Soldier 005 denied colluding with Soldier R to corroborate his seeing a gunman. Identical wording, such as describing the pig as being “15 feet from the wall at the south end of Block 1” appears in both statements. Soldier 005 said these were not his words. He said he did not know he was lying at the time and that he was “trying not to lie” when giving evidence. He said he had never made an RMP statement before and did not read the perjury declaration before signing it. He said he told the RMP officer what he saw and the RMP officer transcribed it. In answer to a direct question from Lord Saville Soldier 005 said he did not tell the RMP officer he had seen a gunman fire two shots.
He said in his mind the RMP made up the story about the gunman. He did not provide any of the details of the gunman or the exchange of gunfire with Soldier R. He was told to sign the statement and did so without protesting. He said he was sorry but he did not think it was that important at the time. He said he was the only one in his platoon to make a statement although in fact Soldiers A and B had also made RMP statements.
Soldier 005 said he had listened to Soldier R give evidence at the Inquiry yesterday however he said he had only come to get a feel for the place and did not know Soldier R was giving evidence. He did not speak to him. He accepted he had lied in his original statement but said he could not be sure he had not heard civilian gunfire.
INQ 2037, the Regimental Sergeant Major, is Soldier 005’s uncle. He says he spoke to Soldier 005 whilst he was sitting in a pig close to the north end of Block 1. INQ 2037 says he asked if his nephew was OK and Soldier 005 replied “I am but he isn’t” referring to Lieutenant N who was sitting in the pig next to him. Soldier 005 said this did not happen and his uncle was confusing the incident with something which happened on a different day and concerned someone other than Lieutenant N.
Soldier Q
Private, Motor Platoon, Support Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment
Made Statements to the RMP on 31 January 1972 [B0625], the Widgery Tribunal [B0635] and to this Inquiry [B0657.0001].
Soldier Q was a private in motor platoon on 30 January 1972. When Support Company deployed to the Presbyterian Church Soldier Q was ordered to go up on the flat roof of the GPO building. At some point some youths started to throw stones at them on the roof and his section commander ordered him down. He was on the roof with another soldier but could not remember who.
Presbyterian Church
After he got down he was passing the church when a shot hit the drain pipe above his head. In his statement to the Widgery tribunal he said this was about 5 minutes after he came down off the roof and approximately 25 minutes after Support Company arrived in the area. He did not recall hearing the five shots Soldiers A and B fired from the derelict building known as Abbey Taxis. He said he never knew they had fired or that the machine gun platoon had been deployed in that building.
Going In
They were ordered back to the pigs and then went forward. At the time Soldier Q said he had no idea why they were going in or what they were going to do. At some point he was paired with Soldier 112 and told they were to make arrests when they debussed. About 15 minutes after the shot hit the drain pipe they moved to barrier 12. There they received orders from the platoon commander to make arrests. Soldier Q had said in evidence to Lord Widgery that Lieutenant N, the platoon commander, had briefed them before leaving the church.
In his statement to Lord Widgery Soldier Q said baton rounds were fired at the crowd towards the Rossville Flats as they debussed from the pig on the waste ground. However when he gave evidence he said he had no memory of baton rounds being fired as they got out of the pig. Soldier Q was carrying his SLR and was there to protect Soldier 112 and the other soldier they were with. He had referred in his RMP statement to stones and bottles being thrown at them as they debussed from a crowd at the south end of Chamberlain Street. However he accepted this must be wrong because he was in Lieutenant N’s pig and debussed on the waste ground further north. He said he had not made up the account; he was just confused as to the positions on the ground.
Gunfire
In his latest statement Soldier Q referred to hearing the crack and thump of two high velocity rounds which he said were incoming. However in evidence to Lord Widgery he twice said he heard 4-5 low velocity rounds at this time. In evidence to this Inquiry he said his 1972 evidence was more likely to be correct. He said he was not aware of having heard any other fire. However later in his recent statement he refers to having heard a mixture of high and low velocity gunfire. Soldier Q said he was confused. When questioned by Barry Macdonald QC on behalf of some of the families Soldier Q insisted the gunfire was incoming and directed at those around him. However in evidence to Lord Widgery he had said he did not know where the gunfire had come from or to where it was directed. He also said he never heard any shots “fired at me.” Soldier Q said this meant him personally but he was then shown where he had said he was not conscious of any firing “directed at me or them (i.e. the soldiers with him).” Soldier Q said he could not explain the answer but that he was not lying, just confused.
Arrests
Soldier Q said he did not arrest anyone and said he could not remember anyone being arrested on the waste ground.
Soldier Q and Soldier 112 moved to the north end of Block 1 of the Rossville Flats. He said they took cover there from people throwing stones from the Rossville Flats car park. He said he first went to the north west corner of the Block and looked south down Rossville Street. He said there were people milling around and soldiers on the street but he could not remember seeing the rubble barricade. He had said in his Widgery statement that there were 70-80 people on either side of the rubble barricade throwing stones at the soldiers. However he could not recall this now. Soldier Q claimed he did not see any soldier fire at the rubble barricade.
Soldier Q Firing
Soldier Q said he then moved to the north east corner of Block 1 from where he could see across the Rossville Flats car park. He said he caught sight of a man in the gap between Blocks 2 and 3. The man was behind the crowd but Soldier Q could not say how many were in the crowd. He claims to have seen the man throw a nail bomb which landed in the car park and exploded amongst the crowd. In evidence he said he was not sure it was a nail bomb and he did not see any nails or anyone injured. However in all his 1972 accounts he had referred to nail bombs.
He then claims the bomber ducked around the corner and reappeared with another bomb. Soldier Q shot him as he was preparing to throw the second bomb. He fired a single round intending to kill the man. He was hit in the upper part of his body. He went down and was dragged off by others. Soldier Q accepted there were people on either side of the man when he shot him. He said the object in the man’s hand rolled away and did not explode. Soldier Q made no effort to retrieve the bomb or warn anyone that there was an unexploded bomb.
Inconsistencies
In his statement and evidence to the Inquiry Soldier Q referred to two nail bombs; one which exploded and one which did not. However in his statement to the RMP in 1972 he referred to someone starting to throw explosive “devices”. He then says, “the explosive devices were in fact nail bombs.” He said they were being thrown and landing near to Sergeant O’s pig in the car park. Then he goes on to describe seeing “one nail bomber in particular” throw a nail bomb which exploded 10 yards from the pig.
In his Widgery statement Soldier Q said he saw a man throw 2 or 3 nail bombs towards the end of Chamberlain Street. He then saw him throw another bomb which he saw explode and shot him in the act of throwing yet another. This account therefore suggests the man threw up to 4 bombs and was shot whilst holding a fifth. Soldier Q denied he was exaggerating the number of bombs in his 1972 accounts but claimed his recollection 30 years later, of only 2 bombs, was the most accurate. He said it was a very confusing time. Christopher Clarke QC, counsel to the Inquiry, pointed out to him that neither the civilians nor the other soldiers (we a couple of exceptions) saw any bombs in the car park. Indeed none of the other soldiers in his platoon, including those around the pig, claim to have seen the bomb which he says exploded within 10 yards of them. It was put to him by Barry Macdonald QC that for this to have happened the man would have had to have thrown the bomb about 70 yards. Soldier Q denied he was lying.
Acid Bombs
Soldier Q then claims to have witnessed Soldier T jumping about having been splashed with acid. He says he smelt the acid but did not see the bottles land. However he had previously said he not only saw them land but that he had seen them “coming from the flats.” He said he did not now recall seeing Soldier T firing up at Block 1 but in his Widgery statement he had said he had seen this. Soldier Q said the acid attack was after he fired at the alleged nail bomber. However in evidence to Lord Widgery he had said the acid attack came before he fired at the nail bomber.
What He Did Not See
Soldier Q said he remained at the north east corner of Block 1 for another 4-5 minutes after firing. He then moved to the stairwell at the centre of the north end of Block 1 were he remained for a further 5 minutes. However Soldier Q claims never to have seen Jackie Duddy’s body lying in the car park surrounded by people or to have seen him carried off across the car park to Chamberlain Street with Father Daly waving a white handkerchief. He could not explain how he came to miss this or failed to see Michael Bridge or Michael Bradley shot in the car park.
The trajectory of the shot Soldier Q allegedly fired at a nail bomber in the gap between Blocks 2 and 3, passes very close to the positions in which Jackie Duddy and Michael Bradley were shot. However Soldier Q denied he could have shot either man. No soldier admits to having shot any of the people who were shot in the car park and there is no known fatality matching Soldier Q’s alleged nail bomber. Soldier Q insisted he was confident he hit the man he intended to hit. He believed he killed the man but was unable to assist the Inquiry as to who shot Jackie Duddy, Michael Bridge or Michael Bradley.
INQ 2003, who admitted to having an alcohol problem, had given evidence to the Inquiry to the effect that he had claimed to have been Soldier Q. This was not true and INQ 2003 was not even in Derry on Bloody Sunday. He had also claimed to have killed Jackie Duddy. He had said he understood Soldier Q had shot Jackie Duddy and this was one of the reasons he had given for claiming to be Soldier Q. Soldier Q said he had no idea why INQ 2003 thought he had killed Jackie Duddy. He claimed never to have discussed Bloody Sunday with INQ 2003 although he did know him.
Soldier Q denied seeing any other soldier, other than Soldier T, fire.
Ammunition Check
Soldier Q said he had no recollection of the ammunition check although he had said in his Widgery statement that there was one in Rossville Street before they pulled out of the Bogside. He said he could not remember speaking to Major Loden who says he debriefed all the soldiers who admitted to having fired at about 18:00 when they regrouped at their original forming up position in the Foyle College car park. Soldier Q accepted item 6 on Major Loden’s ‘List of Engagements’ [B2283.0020] appears to refer to his shooting a nail bomber but he said he could not remember telling Major Loden about the incident.
INQ 178
Gunner, 22 Light Air Defence Regiment
Made Statement to the Inquiry [C0178]
INQ 178 joined the army in 1970 and was a soldier for 15 years. On 30 January 1972 he was a gunner in the 22 Light Air Defence Regiment manning barrier 12 in Little James Street.
INQ 178 said there were about 150-200 people throwing stones at the barrier but he did not remember any bombs being thrown.
Gunfire
INQ 178 says he heard a short burst of automatic fire whilst at the barrier. He claimed this had to be a Thompson sub machine gun. The rioting was still going on when he heard the gunfire. The crowd scattered. INQ 178 said he did not hear the shots fired from Abbey Taxis simultaneously by Soldiers A and B however he denied it was possible that he could have confused those shots for automatic fire from a Thompson. He accepted that because of the buildings and echoes it was impossible to tell where the gunfire had come from. INQ 178 did not report the gunfire but he would have expected it to have been reported to his battalion head quarters. Neither INQ 1326, commanding the barrier, nor INQ 785, the signaller, heard automatic gunfire nor is it recorded in the radio log for 22 LADR.
INQ 178 referred in his statement to the crowd being addressed by a soldier with a megaphone, that soldier being hit on the head by a stone and paras going through the barrier on foot before it was moved. All of these things actually happened at barrier 14 in William Street and were recorded by television cameras. The pictures have been broadcast numerous times over the years. It was put to INQ 178 by Arthur Harvey QC that he was obviously confused but INQ 178 denied this.
INQ 993
Private, Drums Platoon, Head Quarters Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment
Made Statement to the Inquiry on 13 April 2002 [C0993]
INQ 993 was a private in the Drums platoon of 1 Para. Although the platoon played in the band when the regiment was based in Aldershot they also did reconnaissance and in particular crewed the ferret scout cars. These were light armoured vehicles. They were fitted with .30 Browning machine guns in the turret. This could only be operated by the commander of the vehicle, not the driver. Generally they would not be issued with ammunition for the Browning if operating in an urban area because the weapon was too powerful to be used in a built up area.
On 30 January 1972 INQ 993 was attached to Support Company as driver of a ferret car commanded by corporal INQ 1826. They were acting as escort for Major Loden’s command pig. The ferret cars normally operated in pairs and INQ 993 assumed this was the case on Bloody Sunday. However he could not remember being with another ferret car and accepted the operation movement order [C1853.0013] indicated only one ferret car was attached to Support Company that day.
INQ 993 believed the Paras were sent to Derry to stop the ‘no go’ mentality, by which he meant breaking the ‘no go’ area.
Going In
When told to go by INQ 1826, INQ 993 drove the ferret car through barrier 12 and followed Major Loden’s pig down Rossville Street. INQ 993 said bottles were thrown at the vehicle as he drove in.
He remembers Major Loden and Company Sergeant Major Lewis getting out of their pig and looking towards Free Derry Corner. This was whilst they were parked on Rossville Street. INQ 993 said he thought he first parked on the waste ground but was then ordered to park on the road next to Major Loden’s pig. The vehicles are picture side by side in photographs P0413 and P0519.
INQ 993 view was restricted by the tiny vision ports in the ferret car. These were about 6 inches by 1.5 inches. One looked straight a head an there was ones for left and right. He could not hear much because the engine was running and he had headphones on to communicate with INQ 1826 on the intercom.
INQ 993 remembers seeing dozens of people at the rubble barricade about 50 yards ahead throwing rocks towards the soldiers. He claims to have seen a civilian gunman walk out from the direction of Glenfada Park North and take up a firing position at the barricade. INQ 993 said he was in clear view and not hiding his rifle. He knelt behind the barricade and started firing north towards the soldiers. He fired a couple of shots. INQ 993 claimed to have seen the retort from the muzzle indicating the rifle had been fired.
INQ 993 said he was trying not to be influenced by the various television programmes he had seen over the years and admitted he could not be certain his memory was not fading. He said he felt he could still see the image of the gunman in his mind’s eye.
He said he could not remember what the civilians around the gunman did but he did not think they ran away. This despite the fact that the gunman was immediately fired on by several soldiers. INQ 993 described the man “absolutely disintegrating” because of the amount of fire brought to bare on him. He says he saw the man go down but could not see the soldiers who fired at him. He described seeing the man “shudder and fall over.” He did hear the gunfire directed at the man because it was fired from close to his vehicle.
INQ 993 accepted INQ 1826 had a better view than him from the turret of the vehicle however he says he did not see a gunman. INQ 993 claims to have mentioned the man to INQ 1826 at the time but again INQ 1826 has no recollection of him doing so. INQ 993 last spoke to INQ 1826 three or four years ago.
Unless the hatch was open and he could look out of the top INQ 1826 had to turn the turret in order to change his line of sight, in doing so the barrel of the Browning machine gun moved. At one point INQ 993 heard CSM Lewis shout an order that INQ 1826 was not to fire. CSM Lewis may have been unaware they had no ammunition for the gun. The role of the ferret car was generally to attract fire and provide cover because it was armoured.
When questioned by Arthur Harvey QC INQ 993 said he could have seen a civilian being shot at the rubble barricade before he saw the gunman. He accepted he was unclear about the sequence of other events. INQ 1826 has recorded in his statement seeing what he believed to be a civilian gunman at the corner of Glenfada Park North where INQ 993 says his gunman emerged. However INQ 1826 says he “assumed” the man was a civilian because he did not believe any soldiers moved that far south. In fact paras did enter Glenfada Park North and some fired from this corner south towards the rear of the Rossville Flats. On this basis INQ 993 accepted he could have seen a soldier with a rifle near to the rubble barricade and separately seen a civilian killed at the barricade.
INQ 1822
Sergeant, Drums Platoon Head Quarters Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment
Made Statement to the Inquiry on 9 June 2000 [C1822]
INQ 1822 was the sergeant in charge of the Drums platoon. He commanded one of the ferret cars on 30 January 1972.
INQ 1822 was confused as to which ferret car he manned, who was driving it and to which company he was attached. He believed he was attached to Support Company and escorted Major Loden’s vehicle down Rossville Street. He thought INQ 993 was his driver. However he was in fact with C Company behind barrier 14 and INQ 665 was his driver.
Given his confusion Lord Saville took the view he would be unable to assist the Inquiry.
INQ 1334
Lance Corporal, 8 platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment
Made Statement to the inquiry on 24 March 2000 [C1334]
INQ 1334 had strong views about the situation in Derry in 1972. He said there were press cuttings pinned up on the barracks notice board and the general feeling was that the situation was out of hand. They watch Ulster TV and every night saw soldiers being stoned and petrol bombed. Their perception was that the army leadership in Derry was “weak and wet.” INQ 1334 recalled a particular cutting from the Daily Mirror headlined ‘Beaten Dogs’ above a picture of soldiers in Derry cowering behind shields. He said he would never forget that headline and “the image of it became part of the build up to our deployment.” He felt very emotional about the headline because “those lads did not deserve it” and they were “looking forward to a chance to put things right.”
Magilligan
INQ 1334 was at the Magilligan operation the week before Bloody Sunday. He denied seeing any excess violence from soldiers or having any knowledge of any internal investigation into complaints. He was himself injured at Magilligan. He was hit on the leg by a half brick.
INQ 1334 said they were briefed for an “HQNI(Head Quarters Northern Ireland) sponsored arrest operation” but he could not recall any details of the briefing.
On arrival in Derry they formed up in a well to do area. One of the two platoon pigs broke down and the men from that pig had to squeeze into his pig for the short journey forward. When they got to barrier 14 the water cannon was just withdrawing having sprayed the crowd. INQ 1334 says he saw General Ford at the barrier standing in a doorway. INQ 1334 was paired with INQ 1596 and was carrying his SLR.
Gunfire
There was some difficulty in moving the barrier so they ran in on foot. As they did so INQ 1334 claims he heard the “distinct sound of a Thompson sub-machine gun.” This was the first gunfire he heard that day. He described two shorts bursts. It was very brief and controlled. He said he was certain it was a Thompson. After going through the barrier INQ 1334 and his platoon went down Chamberlain Street.
The next thing he remembers is seeing a group of about a two dozen people trying to get into a house at the end of Chamberlain Street. The pig had followed them in and those without rifles went to get their guns from the pig.
Father Daly and Jackie Duddy
INQ 1334 said he was not aware of any other gunfire before he saw Father Daly leading a group of people carrying a boy up Chamberlain Street. The boy looked to be seriously injured if not already dead. INQ 1334 claimed he stopped the group to tell them to support the boy’s head however INQ 471 had given evidence to the Inquiry saying INQ 1334 wanted to search them for weapons. INQ 1334 denied this. He claimed one of the men carrying the boy told him to ‘F... off.’ But on the video someone can be heard to say, “Get away. You buck idiot.” High velocity gunfire can be heard on the video both before and after this.
More Gunfire
INQ 1334 then moved to the south end of Chamberlain Street, as he did so he could hear high velocity gunfire to his right. Some of the platoon went into the house where people had taken shelter but INQ 1334 said he did not know who went in. He said they came out almost immediately with a large group of people. These he described as “obviously rioters because they were flushed and sweating and some were trying to drop stones.” INQ 1334 claimed 3 or 4 of them did drop stones. Despite claiming they were obviously rioters he said he had no idea they were being arrested. He denied he was ever aware of the complaints of abuse and violence some of the people arrested subsequently made. INQ 1334 denied seeing Peggy Deery or Michael Bridge, both of whom had been shot in the leg, carried into 33 Chamberlain Street. Many of those arrested in the house had helped carry the two injured parties there.
At about the same time INQ 1334 claims to have heard an M1 Carbine being fired. Again INQ 1334 claimed to have positively identified the weapon by its distinctive sound but he was unable to describe what was distinctive about it. He said he felt there were a large number of rounds fired. He said that it was definitely being fired from block 2 of the Rossville Flats but he could not see the gunman. He said it was coming from somewhere in the centre of the block. No other soldier claims to have heard or seen a gunman in block 2.
He then claims to have heard low velocity gunfire from a pistol or sub machine gun coming from block 3. This was after the M1 which he claimed was still firing. He said the low velocity fire could have come from more than one weapon. He could also hear high velocity firing to his right which he subsequently deduced to be army fire although at the time he did not know there were soldiers to his right on the other side of the Chamberlain Street houses. He said he did not know how long the shooting lasted but claimed it came to a “sudden and complete stop.”
INQ 1334 has been identified as the soldier standing to the right in photograph P0501 guarding a group of prisoners at the north end of Chamberlain Street. However INQ 1334 insisted this was not him. Were it him it would put him at the opposite end of Chamberlain Street to that from which he claims to have heard gunfire from the Rossville Flats. INQ 1334 is 5 feet 11½ inches tall.
INQ 1334 never made a statement in 1972 but says he was interviewed briefly by a warrant officer from the Special Investigations Branch. This occurred in Company Sergeant Major Lewis’ office but he did not remember the sergeant major being present. He was asked about the shooting he heard but not asked to make a statement.
INQ 1334 was subsequently demoted for keeping a private supply of ammunition. In his statement to the Inquiry INQ 1334 mentioned that “a soldier” had been demoted for keeping private ammunition but suggested this demonstrated no such ammunition would have been carried on Bloody Sunday. He claimed he did not mention that the soldier was in fact him because he thought the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act rendered the conviction spent. He said he got the ammunition from a training exercise and was only caught three weeks later when the sergeant major did a spot check. He said he could not remember how much unauthorised ammunition he had.
Arthur Harvey QC showed him a clip from Video 1 where INQ 1334 is seen in a doorway at the corner of Chamberlain Street and Eden Place. As the clip begins there is the sound of gunfire and INQ 1334 is seen to move his rifle down and back towards his body. INQ 1334 denied firing his weapon on Bloody Sunday.
INQ 275
Lance Corporal, machine Gun Platoon, Support Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment
Made Statement to the Inquiry on 23 May 2002 [C0275]
INQ 275 was in Support Company’s machine gun platoon. His section was commanded by INQ 1686.
INQ 275 remembered the pigs parking in a side street before they were ordered to climb over a high wall and make their way into a derelict building. His memory was of going over just one wall and turning right across a courtyard to enter the building through a door at ground level. Whilst on top of the wall INQ 275 thought he heard gunfire but agreed he may have been confusing the sound of rubber bullets being fired. INQ 455, the platoon radio operator, fell over the wall and was badly injured. INQ 275 could not recall the Presbyterian Church.
Once inside the building he went upstairs to a room on the first floor. He thought the room he was in was facing the road (William Street) but to the right. He agreed he could have been at the first floor window furthest from William Street looking out over the waste ground. He remembered there being one other soldier in the room he was in.
INQ 275 said there were between 40-100 youths throwing stones at the building from the other side of William Street, about 50-75 yards away. He said he did not know why they had been deployed in the building. He did not remember any explosions or nail bombs.
He also did not remember anyone firing from inside the building. He subsequently became aware that Soldier A had fired but says he did not know at the time. He said he never knew Soldier B had also fired. Lord Saville said it was puzzling that he did not hear someone firing an SLR within feet of him.
The next thing he remembered was running on open ground outside the building with Soldier B. They ended up at the Rossville Flats. There he was approached by a priest who said “You’ve done a bad deed here today boys.” He also remembered INQ 1686 placing bodies in the back of a pig.
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