|
|
|
7 - 10 JULY 2003
EVIDENCE HEARD
This week the Inquiry heard from the following witnesses:
INQ 449 (Private, Guinness Force, HQ Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment); INQ 290 (Private, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment); Soldier 037 (Private, C Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment); Soldier 124 (Gunner, 53 Battery, 22nd Light Air Defence Regiment); Soldier 017 (Private, Motor Platoon, Support Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment); INQ 691 (Corporal, Signals Platoon, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment); Soldier 147 (Private, Anti Tank Platoon, Support Company 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment); Soldier 126 (Corporal, Royal Military Police, 176 Provost Company) Soldier 118 (Lance Bombardier, 22nd Light Air Defence Regiment); Soldier 023 (Private, 11 Battery, 22nd Light Air Defence Regiment); Soldier 109 (Lieutenant, 11 Battery, 22nd Light Air Defence Regiment); INQ 127 (Private, Guinness Force, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment) and Soldier 015 (Bombardier, 11 Battery, 22nd Light Air Defence Regiment).
Summary of Evidence
Monday 7 July 2003 INQ 449, INQ 290, Soldier 037
Tuesday 8 July 2003 Soldier 124, Soldier 017, INQ 691
Wednesday 9 July 2003 Soldier 147, Soldier 126, Soldier 118
Thursday 10 July 2003 Soldier 023, Soldier 109, INQ 127, Soldier 015
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 was the last week of evidence before the Inquiry adjourned for the summer. On Tuesday 8 July Lord Saville made a statement about the final hearings of oral evidence and the Inquiry’s return to Derry (see below). The Inquiry will recommence hearing military evidence at Central Hall, Westminster on 8 September.
INQ 449
Private, Guinness Force, HQ Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment
Made a Statement to the Inquiry on 26 May 2000 [C0449]
INQ 449 was a private in Head Quarters Company. On 30 January 1972 he was part of Guinness Force, also known as Composite Platoon. He was in the section commanded by INQ 1822. He had never been to Derry before.
Doctored Rubber Bullets
INQ 449 admitted that rubber bullets were doctored although he denied ever doing this himself. He said the bullet would be sliced down the middle or an extra charge inserted into the shell to make it go further and faster. He denied ever knowing of anything being inserted into a rubber bullet.
Ammunition
INQ 449 said he was deployed to Derry directly from another operation in Ballymurphy in Belfast. He said this meant he did not collect his ammunition from the armoury at Palace Barracks but was given it whilst in the 4 tonne lorry on route to Derry. However he was in a ferret car in the earlier operation and therefore had to exchange a Sterling sub-machine gun for his SLR. In answer to a question from Mr, Toohey he accepted he had to draw his SLR from the HQ Company armoury at the barracks in Belfast. However he denied drawing ammunition at this time. He said the ammunition was issued in the truck and therefore he did not sign for it. He accepted someone would have signed for it and this was probably the Colour Sergeant, Soldier 002, who probably also distributed it.
INQ 449 said he was issued with two full magazines comprising 40 rounds. He claimed he did not have any personal supply of ammunition or being aware of anyone ever having unofficial ammunition.
30 January 1972
INQ 449 debussed from the 4 tonne lorry in Rossville Street. They were the last to arrive. Support Company had already deployed. INQ 449 thought he saw members of C Company but accepted he may have been mistaken and they could have been from Support Company. After he debussed he remembered being paired with UNK 541 for most of the operation. There was some confusion as to the identity of UNK 541. The Ministry of Defence had no record of any soldier of the name given by INQ 449 however Soldier C, who was also in Guinness Force, had the same surname only with a slightly different spelling. Given INQ 449’s account of a gunman with a pistol was very similar to that of Soldier C it was assumed UNK 541 was in fact Soldier C. INQ 449 accepted this.
Waste Ground
INQ 449 was confused as to the sequence of events but did recall crossing the waste ground. He described making his way towards the Rossville Flats and taking cover at the burnt out vehicles. At one point he says he was fired on from above. Two high velocity rounds passed inches above his head and struck the front of a burnt out car before exiting and striking the ground a few metres ahead, i.e. to the south. INQ 449 believed these rounds may have come from the army observation post on the Embassy Ballroom because they came from above and behind him. He was told later an army sniper might have mistaken him for a civilian gunman. He thought he was with Soldier C at this time but Soldier C had no recollection of it.
Jackie Duddy
INQ 449 then describes seeing a priest over a body in the Rossville Flats car park. He was lying down watching the priest. He said he suspected the priest might have been removing a weapon from the body so he trained his rifle on him. However he did not fire because he did not see a weapon. INQ 449 could not be certain as to the identity of the priest or the body but it could have been Father Daly kneeling over the body of Jackie Duddy.
INQ 449 also said he saw a compact crowd of rioters throwing stones from south of the rubble barricade. He said there was nothing more serious than stones thrown. He was a fair distance from the barricade when he saw this.
Kells Walk
Again INQ 449 was not sure of the sequence but at some point he was back at the north end of Rossville Street and heard a single shot followed by 5 more. He said the first shot was low velocity and the rest were high velocity. This could have been SLR fire. He thought the shots came from somewhere west of Kells Walk. He told Soldier C to take cover and he got down on his knee. He thought INQ 2093 was also with him. However it could have been Soldier 036 who has the same name as INQ 2093, he was in anti tank platoon. INQ 449 got to know INQ 2093 very well after they left the army.
A soldier to his right then shouted a warning about the risk of acid being thrown from the roofs. After this INQ 449 crossed Rossville Street to Kells Walk. There he told Soldier C to cover a patrol of about 8 men from C Company whilst he went up the stairs at the north end of Kells Walk. He could not remember but he assumed Soldier C covered him as he went up and then joined him on the balcony. From here INQ 449 says he heard 2-3 shots from north of Columbcille Court. He could not tell exactly where the shots had come from. He said he was sure they were low velocity but the echoes off the buildings meant they could have come from behind him and the Rossville Flats area.
Bodies in Abbey Street
INQ 449 said he saw a body being put into an ambulance in Abbey Street at the north end of Colombcille Court. He said the ambulance approached down Abbey Street from the east. He saw the body carried to the ambulance. He said he thought it was a white civilian ambulance. However the only evidence the inquiry has which might accord with this is a body being placed in a grey Volkswagen at this location.
Gunman with Pistol
INQ 449 next claims to have seen a man with a pistol in a flat on the east side of Colombcille Court. He said his attention was drawn to the window because of a flash as it caught the sunlight. He said the reflection made it difficult to see but that he saw an arm and a hand holding a pistol. He claims to have seen the pistol fire twice to the north. He said he thought it was being fired at the soldiers below him. He then said the patrol pulled back to the north end of Colombcille Court. They then shouted to him “seen anything?” and he whispered back, indicating the window where he had seen the pistol. Soldier C, who was next to him, then fired at the window. He missed hitting the brickwork below the window. INQ 449 called him a “stupid bastard” for firing before they got a clear view of the target. Nevertheless after a while he claims the window flashed open again and the man fired twice more. INQ 449 then claims to have fired a single shot hitting the window and causing it to shatter. He did not know if he hit the gunman.
INQ 449 has never previously been recorded as having fired on Bloody Sunday. He did not give evidence to Lord Widgery and never made a statement to the RMP. He said this was the only occasion he ever fired in anger and he was positive he did fire on this day. He said he could not be sure if Soldier C fired one or two shots but he, INQ 449, fired the last shot. INQ 449 is not recorded as having fired in the list of firers compiled by Captain 200, the officer in charge of Guinness Force. However there is a shot recorded against Soldier L, which he denies having fired, at the alleged gunman with a pistol purportedly fired on by Soldiers C and D. INQ 449 said he did not speak to Captain 200 about having fired but he probably spoke to the Colour Sergeant, Soldier 002.
Inconsistencies
INQ 449’s account of firing at a man with a pistol in a window is almost identical to an account given by Soldier C. He admits firing at a gunman in a window after a pistol was fired twice. Soldier C says that his first shot missed and hit brickwork. However Soldier C claims the man with the pistol was in Block 1 of the Rossville Flats and that he engaged him from the ramp at the south end of the Kells Walk balcony. His account is corroborated, albeit with inconsistencies by Soldier D. Soldier C does not accept he fired at a window in Colombcille Court and denies even being with INQ 449. INQ 449 said he had been involved in many wars and may have been confused. He then said the gunman could have been in the Rossville Flats. He said he could not remember Soldier D being there. It was also pointed out that the sun would have been in the west and therefore he could not have seen it reflecting off a window on the east side of Colombcille Court.
INQ 449 says that after the encounter with the gunman he came down from the Kells Walk balcony. There was sporadic gunfire, mainly high velocity. He then saw a body covered in a blanket carried to an ambulance. Although he thought this was after the incident with the gunman he accepted it could have been before.
At some point he also saw a man at the rubble barricade crouched over another man. These men were towards the west end of the rubble barricade. There was another man at the east end of the barricade and he appeared to be talking to someone who was out of sight. INQ 449 denied firing at or over the rubble barricade.
Debriefing
INQ 449 referred to a debriefing at the forming up position however he could not recall an ammunition check. INQ 449 insisted he would have told someone that he had fired. He did speak to RMP officers when they got back to barracks but was not asked to make a written statement.
INQ 449 accepted that since the ammunition was not cross checked he could have refilled his magazine with a spare round and no one would have known that he had fired. He could not explain why no one thought it necessary for him to make a statement or to give evidence of having fired to Lord Widgery.
INQ 449 said he became very friendly with INQ 2093 in the mid 1970s after they had both left the army. He said INQ 2093 told him he had also fired on Bloody Sunday. However when asked about this INQ 449 claimed INQ 2093 never told him where he fired or at what. All he said was that he had fired 2-3 shots in the Rossville Flats area. INQ 449 said he had also learnt from discussions with others that a couple of other men fired but were never recorded as having done so.
In his statement to the inquiry INQ 449 had said that the commanders had lost control on Bloody Sunday but not to the extent that there was “wanton killing.” He also said the Paras were “mistaken as to the circumstances they faced” on the day. However when asked what he meant by these remarks he said he did not know and did not know why he had said them. He did say he and Soldier C asked what was going on on a number of occasions but could not get a response. They therefore had to use their own initiative until they were ordered to pull back.
INQ 290
Private, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment
Made Statement to the Inquiry on 11 February 2000 [C0290]
INQ 290 was a driver and on 30 January 1972 he drove a pig which was converted to function as a military ambulance. The vehicle was commanded by the Battalion Medical Officer, Captain 219. INQ 457 was also in the vehicle and there was another soldier whose name INQ 290 could not remember.
At some point INQ 290 was ordered to drive the pig to the rubble barricade to pick up two bodies. There were also soldiers from C Company in the pig because Captain 219 wanted an escort before going to the rubble barricade.
Gunfire
INQ 290 said in his statement that when they got to within 10-15 feet of the barricade he heard two or three shots. He said he was sure these were low velocity. He said his impression was that they were fired from quite close. The pig was facing the rubble barricade when he heard the shots but he could not say where they had come from. They never got as far as the rubble barricade itself.
INQ 2121, who was part of the C Company escort, claimed [see C2121] to have heard the crack of high velocity gunfire as he got out of the pig. He claimed to have seen a figure crouching on the top of Block 1 of the Rossville Flats. INQ 290 said he was inside the pig and did not see anyone. He did not recall anyone mentioning seeing a gunman.
Captain 219 said [B2162.0004] he thought the gunfire was coming from Glenfada Park. He took cover on the pavement behind the vehicle but UNK 178, a sergeant who was also in the pig, went to the roadside. They both ended up under the pig as soldiers fired repeatedly up Rossville Street.
INQ 290 said he did not get out of the vehicle. He just remembered 2-3 shots before he was ordered to reverse back up Rossville Street. The army ambulance can be seen reversing up Rossville Street on Video 1 at 6 minutes 10 seconds. INQ 290 said this clip must have been very soon after the gunfire he heard.
INQ 290 said he could not recollect seeing any bodies at the rubble barricade but he did remember a civilian ambulance to the south of the barricade. It was put to him by Arthur Harvey QC, on behalf of the families, that 3 bodies had already been collected from the rubble barricade by the time he and his vehicle moved forward.
INQ 290 said when the firing occurred he was just told to “get away” and reversed back up Rossville Street. He ended up parked close to C Companies vehicles in William Street. There he dropped off the C Company escort. Prisoners were being photographed in this area.
Soldier 037
Private, C Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment
Made Statements to the RMP on 4 February 1972 [B1632] and to this Inquiry in 2000 [B1635]
Soldier 037 joined the army in 1968 and was on his second tour of Northern Ireland in 1972.
Soldier 037 claimed he had a very clear memory of the events of 30 January 1972 but said he did not recall ever making a statement to the RMP. He claimed to have no recollection of the events described in that statement and said he preferred his current recollection.
Soldier 037 said he thought he was the driver for the officer commanding C Company however other evidence suggests he was in fact Major Loden’s driver. Major Loden was the officer commanding Support Company. Soldier 037 accepted this was right and that Major Loden, Company Sergeant Major Lewis and two signallers were in the vehicle.
Going In
Soldier 037 drove the command pig through barrier 12 and into Rossville Street. The crowd ran away as they drove in. Some threw stones. As driver he was supposed to act as vehicle guard but he went to help in an arrest. Soldier 006 from motor platoon had grabbed hold of a man and Soldier 037 helped to take him to a vehicle.
William Dillon
In his statement Soldier 037 said he had no recollection of making an arrest until he was shown the documents which record him as having arrested a man called William Dillon. Soldier 037 is pictured with Mr. Dillon and Soldier 006 in a number of photographs [EP0033.0007, EP0024.0006 and EP0002.0007]. Soldier 037’s helmet is seen to come off.
Mr. Morris, one of the photographers, described the arrest in his statement to the Inquiry [M0057.0003]. He said he saw a boy aged 16-17 moving across the waste ground. He looked confused. A Para with a pistol shouted “stop or I’ll shoot!” and another Para approached from Rossville Street. Before the Para got to the boy another Para came up behind him and hit him with the butt of his rifle.
Soldier 037 said he only went to assist Soldier 006 because Mr. Dillon was struggling. He said it was too long ago to remember what happened. However Soldier 037 is recorded on the arrest forms [ARR0013.0003] as the arresting officer and Soldier 006 is listed as just a witness. Mr. Dillon is recorded as having been arrested for having kicked a soldier. Soldier 037 said he was struggling and may have kicked Soldier 006. It was put to him that clearly Soldier 006 had decided to arrest Mr. Dillon before any struggle took place but Soldier 037 said he did not know why Soldier 006 had grabbed hold of him.
Gunfire
Soldier 037 said he heard what he thought was gunfire when he debussed from the pig. He was therefore ordered to move the pig close to the north end of Block 1 of the Rossville Flats where he took up a position looking into the Rossville Flats car park. He said he believed he was the soldier at the north east corner of Block 1 pictured in photograph P0526. The reason he said this was that this was where he believed he was standing.
The RMP Statement
Soldier 037 made a statement to the RMP at 22:30 on 4 February 1972. In it he places himself at the opposite corner of Block 1 looking south down Rossville Street towards the rubble barricade. He is recorded as having seen two men on the rubble barricade. One was dead and the other was waving. He then heard a low velocity shot and saw the man who was waving fall. When he looked towards the doorway of the Rossville Flats he saw smoke. Ten minutes later he saw three bodies collected from the barricade loaded into a pig.
Soldier 037 now says all of this is untrue. He did not see any of this and he does not accept he made the statement. He agreed he did sign the statement but said he had no idea how it came to say what it does.
In his statement to this Inquiry Soldier 037 said that perhaps someone else in Support Company had told him about these events and that he had told the RMP the story as if he had witnessed the events. However in evidence he said this was just him speculating and trying to explain how the statement might have come about. He said people might get the impression that he had been lying to back up other soldiers but he insisted this was not the case. In evidence he said he had no part in making the statement.
Soldier 037 accepted that he knew Soldier U. Soldier U made a statement the same day, 4 February 1972, claiming to have seen a man waving from the rubble barricade whilst holding a wounded youth. He then claims he saw and arm holding a pistol at the doorway to Block 1. The pistol fired two shots. The first ricocheted off the barricade and hit the man who had been waving. The second shot hit the youth in the head and he slumped into the man’s arms. The man then got up and wandered off in a daze. Soldier 037 said he had no recollection of speaking to Soldier U about what happened at the barricade. Soldier 037’s RMP statement was taken by INQ 2210 and Soldier U’s was taken by INQ 2035.
Soldier 037 would not accept that he was invited to lie by the RMP to back up Soldier U’s account but he did say the contents of the statement must have come from the RMP because it did not come from him. The only other person to refer to this alleged incident was Soldier 033.
What He Did Not See
Soldier 037 claimed to have no memory of stopping the command pig in Rossville Street or any of the events which occurred before he moved the vehicle to Block 1. Contrary to his and Major Loden’s account the pig actually remained on Rossville Street during the majority of the shooting. However Soldier 037 had no recollection of seeing any of the people shot either in the Rossville Flats car park or at the rubble barricade. He claimed not to have seen any soldier fire any of the 103 rounds fired by Support Company after they went in.
Soldier 037 had no recollection of Major Loden debriefing soldiers in the pig when they got back to Clarence Avenue.
Statement by the Inquiry
On Tuesday 8 July 2003 Lord Saville made a statement on behalf of the Inquiry. He urged all those who had been approached but had not yet agreed to give evidence to the Inquiry to do so as quickly as possible. He indicated it was the tribunal’s intention to complete hearing the military evidence in London when the Inquiry resumes on 8th September. After a short break the Inquiry will return to Derry and complete hearing oral evidence by 19 December 2003. Lord Saville said that if significant evidence is not given to the Inquiry by those who have been approached then not only would it be a disservice to the relatives of those killed and injured but that the Inquiry would take into account in its findings the fact that people had chosen not to give evidence.
Soldier 124
Gunner, 53 Battery, 22nd Light Air Defence Regiment (LADR)
Made Statements to the RMP [B1775] and to this Inquiry [B1777]
On 30 January 1972 Soldier 124 was stationed with Soldier 156 in an observation post at the Double Bastion on the city walls. This was the first time he was in an observation post (OP) on the walls. He was a radio operator and Soldier 156 had a .303 rifle.
Gunfire
In his RMP statement Soldier 124 said two shots were fired at his location striking the wall just below the OP. He heard the strike and presumed they had come from a derelict house in St. Columb’s Wells. These shots were timed at 16:15. In evidence Soldier 124 said he did not keep a log at the OP and that the time would have come from the Battery radio log.
Soldier 124 said he and Soldier 156 were crouched behind the walls; there was no sangar (a military post usually built of sandbags). He said he heard Bernadette Devlin address the crowd at Free Derry Corner and then heard 1 or 2 shots. He said he could not tell if these shots were high or low velocity. He also claimed to have heard automatic fire at some point. In his statement to this Inquiry he referred to hearing a Thompson sub-machine gun however in evidence said he could not recall the details.
In his RMP statement Soldier 124 said at 16:25 he heard a burst of automatic fire that he believed to have come from a Thompson. He said this came from the direction of the Rossville Flats towards soldiers in Rossville Street. He said there was no return of fire except for baton rounds. He said the automatic fire occurred as the procession reached William Street. However there were no soldiers in Rossville Street when the procession was in William Street and by 16:25 the march had dispersed following the deployment of the Paras at 16:10. Furthermore it was not possible to see Rossville Street north of the rubble barricade from the Double Bastion because it was obscured by the Rossville Flats. Lord Saville asked if he was sure he had not heard any return of fire given Support Company was known to have fired at least 103 rounds from SLRs. Soldier 124 said he was focused on the radio traffic. He said he had no experience of gunfire in Derry. There is no mention of automatic fire in the 22 LADR radio log between 16:10 and 16:40. Soldier 124 could not explain this but said he did not report the gunfire because he thought someone else had done so.
Soldier 124 claimed he did not see people at the rally at Free Derry Corner scatter as the gunfire started.
Soldier 017
Private, Motor Platoon, Support Company, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment
Made Statements to the RMP on 31 January 1972 [B1484.0011] and 4 February 1972 [B1484.0013], to the Widgery Tribunal [B1484.0015] and to this Inquiry on 15 March 2000 [B1484], 9 May 2002 [B1484.0023] and 22 June 2003 [B1484.0029]
Previous Incidents
Soldier 017 said he had been fired on on 3 or 4 occasions. Once was in a riot situation when someone opened up with a Thompson sub machine gun. This was in Belfast. He only heard the gunfire, he did not see the gunman. He personally returned fire when he was fired on at Tennant Street Police Station in Belfast late at night.
30 January 1972
Soldier 017 was at the Presbyterian Church with the rest of Support Company when a shot hit the church. They were then told to return to their vehicles. Soldier 017 was not sure which of the two motor platoon vehicles he was in. He had thought he was in Lieutenant N’s pig but he is certain he sat at the back opposite Soldier P. That leads him to believe he was in Sergeant O’s pig.
Going In
Soldier 017 said the plan was to try and trap people between the two motor platoon pigs as they swung onto the waste ground. Soldier 017 now believes he jumped out of Sergeant O’s pig, with Soldier P, as the pig stopped in Rossville Street before turning to go into the Rossville Flats car park.
In his statement Soldier 017 referred to there being thousands of people on the waste ground but in evidence he revised this estimate to about a hundred. He fired his rubber bullet gun as he got out of the pig and chased the crowd towards Kells Walk. When shown the video of Support Company’s vehicles deploying into Rossville Street Soldier 017 was asked why he fired at the people who were obviously running away. He replied “to keep them moving.” Soldier 017 said soldiers liked to have rubber bullet guns because they were not lethal and they got to fire them. He was issued with about 20 rubber bullets and fired around 15 of them. He admitted to having heard of rubber bullets being doctored by being double charged or the bullet turned round blunt end first.
Crowd at the Rubble Barricade
He said they could not box the crowd in, as was standard procedure, so they had to follow the crowd as they ran away. He said the crowd formed a “battle line” and threw stones from the rubble barricade.
As he crossed to the west side of Rossville Street Soldier 017 heard shots. He thought these were high velocity but did not know where they were coming from. He took cover behind a wall or alleyway. There was no one else there. In his statement to the Inquiry he refers to being “showered” with bricks by thousands of people behind the rubble barricade. He accepted this was an exaggeration but insisted there were about a hundred. He said he was frightened. He said there were more people than are pictured at the rubble barricade in photograph P0412.
In his Widgery statement Soldier 017 refers to approximately 50 people at the rubble barricade. Soldier 017 said this was only the part of the crowd who surged forward from the barricade. He was about 50 metres from the barricade.
Soldier 017 said he was the soldier pictured with Soldier P at the wall of the ramp south of Kells Walk [EP0033.0007, EP0023.007, P1119, P1120]. He identified himself by reference to a pouch on his waist which contained his camera. He moved up and down the wall but was in this area when he claimed to have come under attack from the crowd advancing from the rubble barricade. He said he fired 2-3 rubber bullets into the crowd.
In his statement to this Inquiry Soldier 017 referred to a group of 40-50 people running out of the alleyway to his right and joining the crowd at the rubble barricade. However in evidence he reduced the figure to about 15.
Nail Bomber
Not long after this Soldier 017 claims Soldier P shouted a warning about a nail bomber. Soldier 017 said he saw a man amongst the crowd with what he described as a “dark object.” He also claims to have seen blue white smoke. He took the object to be a nail bomb. There was a shot, maybe 2, and the man went down. The shot(s) came from behind him but he did not actually see Soldier P fire. He claimed the crowd surged forward and carried away the body. The nail bomb did not explode.
However Soldier 017 made no mention at all of a nail bomber in his first RMP statement. The statement was made that night and on his evidence he knew one of the people killed was a legitimate target. Soldier 017 claimed the RMP were not interested in the nail bomber.
Soldier 017 said he was ordered to make a second statement a few days later to back up Soldier P’s account of shooting the alleged nail bomber. Lieutenant N or Sergeant O ordered him to make another statement. He claimed he did not know what Soldier P had said in his first statement. He said the RMP “helped him along” with the second statement and they added that he had seen the fuse.
In his second RMP statement Soldier 017 places the nail bomber at the rubble barricade whereas Soldier P placed him at the entrance to the alleyway, only a few feet away from where Soldier 017 was standing.
Gunman in Alleyway
Soldier 017 then says he saw a further group of 4-5 youths up the alleyway leading to Colombcille Court and Glenfada Park North. They were throwing bottles and he decided to arrest one of them. However as he reached the alleyway, his evidence as to exactly where he was is inconsistent, Soldier 017 claims a man with a pistol came out from the entrance to Glenfada Park. The youths had run back up the alleyway. At one point he said the gunman was 20-30 yards away but in evidence to the Inquiry he claimed to be some distance up the alley only a few feet from the gunman. In any event he fired a rubber bullet at the man and ran back to Rossville Street. He claims he does not know if the man fired at him but that he thought he did. He said he did not know what happened to the gunman but he did not come into Rossville Street. He told Soldier P immediately.
Soldier P Firing in the Air
Soldier 017 said he was aware that Soldier P had fired more shots but claimed not to know where he fired them or at what target. In fact Soldier P claims to have fired at least three shots over the heads of a crowd in Rossville Street.
After the incident with the alleged gunman Soldier 017 crossed Rossville Street to retrieve his rifle from the pig. After he did this, and once things had calmed down, he took a few photographs. These were of the alleyway and vehicles in front of it in Rossville Street.
What He Did Not See
Soldier 017 claimed not to have seen Michael Kelly, Michael McDaid, John Young or William Nash shot dead at the rubble barricade even though they were killed right in front of him.
Soldiers Cheering
Soldier 017 said that when they got back to the barracks and heard the news of what had happened “there was a bit of cheering.” When asked about this Soldier 017 said the Paras were cheering “as soldiers do, like winning a battle.”
Ammunition Check
The only ammunition check Soldier 017 recalled was conducted the next day by Sergeant O.
Debriefing
Soldier 017 made his first statement to the RMP in the back of a pig at 01:30 on 31 January 1972. He did not recall it but Soldier 017 said he might also have spoken to Major Loden. Major Loden claims to have debriefed all the soldiers who fired live rounds, which Soldier 017 did not, at about 18:00 on 30 January 1972. From this debrief someone, apparently General Mike Jackson (then a Captain and Adjutant to 1 Para), constructed a list of engagements. This list [B2214] purports to record 15 incidents of Paras shooting alleged gunmen and nail bombers. Item 7 on that list refers to a man with a pistol firing two rounds at a soldier with a baton gun and the soldier firing a rubber bullet before retreating.
INQ 691
Corporal, Signals Platoon, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment
Made Statement to the Inquiry on 10 January 1972 [C0691]
INQ 691 was a radio operator and on Bloody Sunday acted as Colonel Wilford’s signaller. He could not remember anyone else acting as Colonel Wilford’s signaller that day however INQ 1171 said he recalled being with INQ 691.
INQ 691 said he witnessed the rioting from the observation post (OP) where Colonel Wilford was stationed before the Paras went into the Bogside. INQ 691’s recollection was of waiting at an army barrier before going in with Colonel Wilford although Colonel Wilford says he moved directly from his OP.
When he and Colonel Wilford did go in they sheltered at a high wall at the north end of Chamberlain Street before crossing the waste ground and again taking cover at a low wall (Kells Walk). Although he did not personally come under fire INQ 691 claimed there were one or two shots fired at them as they crossed the waste ground. INQ 691 said he had the radio headset on and was concentrating on the radio traffic. He said he did not know if the shots were high or low velocity or where they had come from. After taking cover at the low wall he again heard 10-12 shots. These could have been army fire but he said he thought they came in his direction. He said he heard the cracks as they passed.
He claimed he did not see any soldier fire even though soldiers were firing from the Kells Walk wall whilst Colonel Wilford was there and Support Company fired at least 103 rounds in the Bogside. He said he did not remember anything after being at the low wall. He also identified himself as the soldier at the back of the group picture at the north end of Rossville Street in photograph [C0691.0030].
Soldier 147
Private, Anti Tank Platoon, Support Company 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment
Made Statements to the RMP on 4 February 1972 [B1886], to the Widgery Tribunal [B1889] and to this Inquiry in 1999 [B1891]
In 1972 Soldier 147 was a 21 year old radio operator in anti tank platoon. He was with Soldier F and Soldier 036 when they debussed in Rossville Street. They were in the second of the two anti tank platoon pigs. Soldier 036 was driving and INQ 1694 was in charge.
Gunfire
Soldier 147 said he could not remember other army vehicles in Rossville Street when he debussed but there was a lot of gunfire. He heard SLR fire but claimed a lot of the gunfire was low calibre. It was too loud to be baton guns. In his recent statement he said the gunfire could have been from .45 or .38 pistols or a Thompson sub machine gun. He said it was not army fire. However he did not identify the gunfire in any of the statements he made in 1972. He said this was because he was not asked but accepted he could not be sure the gunfire was not from army weapons. He said he did not remember giving the details of the possible weapons but accepted he did do so. He could not explain why he had done so. He was not represented when he made his statement to the Inquiry.
In his statement to the RMP he just referred to hearing shooting and in his Widgery statement he said he could hear shots coming from all directions. He stayed with the pig to take messages on the radio. Unlike other radio operators he did not advance with his commander. He said he was ordered to stay with the pig.
Soldier 147 then received an order for the anti tank platoon pigs to move further up Rossville Street. They ended up parked on the verge on the west side of the street just south of Kells Walk.
Gunman in Rossville Flats
In his RMP statement Soldier 147 claims he looked up at Block 1 of the Rossville Flats and saw the outline of a man in a window and then the muzzle flash of a weapon being fired. He also claims to have heard the report of the discharge. He said the round passed very close over the roof of the vehicle. His impression was that it was .22 calibre. He did not see the weapon. There was another shot fired and this hit the ground near the front of the pig. He shouted a warning to Soldier F, who had returned to the vehicle, but claimed he did not see any return of fire.
Soldier 147 has changed his account of seeing the gunman several times. In his statement to this Inquiry he said he was wrong to have said, as he did in his RMP statement, that he did not see the weapon. In his recent statement he said did see it but could not identify it specifically. However when he came to give evidence to the Inquiry he retreated from this and returned to his RMP account.
Soldier 147 has also given contradictory accounts as to his location when he saw the gunman. In his Widgery statement he said he was sitting in the pig and when questioned by Mr. Roxborough on behalf of the Inquiry he said he was sitting in the front with Soldier 036. However when questioned by Seamus Tracey QC on behalf of some of the families he said he was sitting in the back of the pig. Yet in his statement to the Inquiry he had said, “I am certain I was standing at the back of the pig,” and “I am certain I was not looking out of the window.” He now says this is wrong but he could not explain why he had changed his evidence.
Furthermore Soldier 147 claims not to have witnessed Soldiers F and G firing at the window even though they claim to have jumped out of the pig and fired after Soldier 147 identified the gunman. Soldier F fired six shots and Soldier G one but the most Soldier 147 has ever said is that he heard a couple of shots but did not know who fired. His explanation for not seeing the firing was that he was at the front left of the vehicle and they fired from the right of it.
RMP Statements
Soldier 147 made his statement to the RMP at 20:00 on 4 February 1972. Soldier 036 made a statement to the same RMP officer half an hour before. Soldier 147 said Soldier 036 was a close friend but he did not recall discussing the matter with him before making the statement. He denied the statement was a false account given to support Soldier F. Both he and Soldier 036 claim to have seen a body carried out of Block 1 a few minutes after the exchange with the gunman. Soldier 147 denied they got together to claim they had seen the body of the gunman taken away. He said it was a coincidence it appeared in both statements.
Soldier 018 also made a statement to the RMP about this alleged gunman. His statement was made at 19:15 on 4 February 1972. When he gave a statement to this Inquiry he admitted his account of seeing the gunman was untrue. He said the RMP persuaded him that Soldiers F and G had fired on a gunman and that they need corroboration. He said he agreed to say he had seen the gunman even though he could not even see Block 1 from the back of the pig.
Soldier 147 denied he had contact with any of his former colleagues in anti tank platoon but did say in his statement that he understood Soldiers E and G were now dead. When asked how he knew Soldier G was dead he said he had been told this by a former soldier he met. That soldier was not from 1 Para. However when asked about Soldier E he claimed he could not even recognise his name and had no idea how he knew he had died.
Soldier 147 said it was impossible to get private supplies of ammunition and if caught you would be thrown out of the army. However INQ 1334 has admitted to the Inquiry that he was demoted from Corporal to Lance Corporal for having unauthorised ammunition.
Prisoner Fainting at Fort Georg
Soldier 147 referred in his statement to a prisoner fainting when told 13 people had been killed. However he denied witnessing the incident when Denis McLaughlin passed out having been forced to stand close to a gas fire. Another prisoner, Joseph Lynn, says Soldier 229 kicked and punched Mr. McLaughlin whilst he was on the ground telling him to stand up.
Soldier 147 also said in his statement that he had seen a TV programme which demonstrated to him that Father Daly was lying when he claimed the Paras fired first. He said another priest was arguing with Father Daly that the Paras were fired on first. However he could not remember the name of the programme.
Sorting Things Out
In his statement Soldier 147 said “some of the boys” had said the other regiments had not been able to do the job. They had “pulled them out of a whole again, they were only meant to be giving them a hand but we ended up sorting things out for them.” Soldier 147 said this was just a conversation he overheard. He said he did not think the others were happy with what had happened but did say, “we’d done a good job, we’d done what we were told.”
Soldier 126
Corporal, Royal Military Police, 176 Provost Company
Made Statements to the RMP on 5 February 1972 [B1778], to the Widgery Tribunal [B1782.0014] and to this Inquiry on 1 March 2000 [B1728.0001]
Soldier 126 was one of about 20 Royal Military Police (RMP) officers based at Ebrington Barracks in Derry.
On 30 January 1972 Soldier 126 was part of an arrest team allocated to 1 Para. The role of his team was to take Polaroid photographs of soldiers and their prisoners on the ground so that an arresting soldier could then go back to his duties. There were prisoner collecting points (PCPs) set up to receive prisoners at Fort George and Craigavon Bridge however Soldier 126 was to receive prisoners before they were sent on to the PCPs for processing. The Polaroids would go with the prisoners.
Entering the Bogside
Soldier 126 said he met Colonel Wilford who told him to follow the 1 Para arrest team down Rossville Street. Soldier 126 was in a Land Rover with Soldier 121. He said they followed the Support Company vehicles shortly after they went in.
Gunfire
Soldier 126 claims to have come under fire as soon as his vehicle got close to the Rossville Flats. However he has given various different accounts as to what happened. In his statement to this Inquiry he said at least 2 low velocity shots hit the Land Rover as it stopped near Aggro Corner. However in evidence he said the incident occurred on the waste ground. His vehicle was not armoured so he got out and took cover by other army vehicles nearby.
Soldier 126 claimed the shots came from the top of Block 2 of the Rossville Flats where he claims to have seen two possible gunmen. However in his statement he said he was not sure where the shots had come from.
He was asked why, if he believed his Land Rover had been hit, did he not check to see if there was any evidence of damage. He said he never even thought about it.
In his RMP statement made on 5 February 1972 he records the gunfire as having occurred not as the vehicle stopped but 15 minutes later. Then he said he came under a burst of automatic fire from the roof of Block 2 of the Rossville Flats. He did not say the Land Rover was struck. He also claimed to have seen 2 men holding what he believed to be weapons.
His oral evidence was contradictory; first he said he actually saw the men on Block 2 firing, then he said he assumed it was them who had fired. He had never said he saw the men on the roof fire in 1972.
In his Widgery statement he said the gunfire was nearby as opposed to being directed at him or hitting the Land Rover. His evidence as to where he was when under fire was equally inconsistent. He variously said he was in the vehicle, getting out of the vehicle and even outside the vehicle taking photographs when the alleged gunfire occurred.
Nail Bomb
He also now claims to have heard a nail bomb explode against the side of one of the army vehicles. He said in his statement to the Inquiry that he heard the ping of nails against the side of the pig. However he made no reference to a nail bomb in his RMP statement or his statement to Lord Widgery. He agreed it was important and that he should have mentioned it but denied he could be mistaken about his current recollection. Soldier 121 also made no mention of a nail bomb.
Colonel Wilford
Soldier 126 had a conversation with Colonel Wilford whilst on the waste ground. He says Colonel Wilford was then fired on as he moved off across the waste ground. However Colonel Wilford has never said he was fired on at this time. Again Soldier 126 said in evidence that he actually saw the gunmen on the roof firing at Colonel Wilford.
Soldier 126 claims not to have seen any soldier firing. He also claims not to have heard of any complaints of mistreatment of prisoners by the Paras. However Colonel Wilford said he told the RMP on the ground to get a doctor to see to two “bloodied” prisoners.
Soldier 126’s RMP statement is almost identical to that of Soldier 121. Soldier 126 agreed they would have made their police pocket books together and the statements were based on the pocket books.
Frozen Body
INQ 836 has said Soldier 126 recently told him he had seen a frozen body dumped on the streets on Bloody Sunday. Soldier 126 referred in his statement to a rumour that a body had been kept in a butcher’s freezer and dumped to make it appear they had been killed by the army. Soldier 126 said he had no recollection of this.
Soldier 118
Lance Bombardier, 22nd Light Air Defence Regiment (LADR)
Made Statements to the RMP on 5 February 1972 [B1752.0006] and to this Inquiry on 9 November 1999 [B1752.0001]
Soldier 118 was part of an observation and intelligence team led by Captain 021. They were specialists in observations and intelligence. There may have been one or two others with him and Captain 021 on 30 January 1972.
Captain 021 was the unit intelligence officer, he says he was at OP Echo directing one of the unit photographers (UNK 48). OP Echo was an observation post on the roof of the Embassy Ballroom, it overlooked the Bogside. Soldier 118 said he remembered Gunner UNK 48 but was not sure if he was present at OP Echo on Bloody Sunday.
Photographs
Soldier 118 said he did not remember any photographers on the roof that day. There may have been people taking photographs but he did not recall them. There were about two dozen people at the OP that day. All the cameras in his unit had been sent to Brigade. He would normally have had a cine camera or a Pentax stills camera but he could not get either that day. However within a couple of hours of the Paras leaving the Bogside people from Brigade visited and asked if anyone had any cameras or film.
City Walls
Captain 021 also referred to going to OP Charlie on the city walls with Soldier 118 and UNK 48. Soldier 118 said he could not remember this but they were “all over the place.” On the way back to OP Echo Captain 021 said he met INQ 2225, a military intelligence liaison officer (MILO). INQ 2225 pointed out 3 garages and 3 cars where he said youths were making nail bombs. However Captain 021 did not see this for himself. Soldier 118 had no knowledge of this.
OP Echo
Back at the Embassy Ballroom Soldier 118 was identifying rioters in Little James Street. He called out names to Captain 021. He said he was able to identify 2 or 3 people but he could not now remember who they were. He described one particular person as having been present at the rioting in his statement to the RMP in 1972. He said the man stood out because he was older, in his late 40s, and well dressed.
General Ford and Colonel Ferguson
Soldier 118 said his commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel James Ferguson, was in the lift on his way up to the roof when the Paras went in. He arrived at OP Echo as “everything erupted.” He was with another senior officer who Soldier 118 thought to be the commanding officer for 1 Para. However Colonel Ferguson visited OP Echo with General Ford on Bloody Sunday. Soldier 118 said he never heard any order over the radio for the Paras to go in.
Colonel Ferguson claims he and General Ford only arrived at the observation post after the firing had ceased. He says they were delayed down on the street because there was no one to open the door. Soldier 118 said he did not think this was right. He distinctly remembered Colonel Ferguson saying “what the hell is going on here?” His impression was that Colonel Ferguson did not know that the Paras were going to go down Rossville Street, he seemed angry. He recalled the officers going into a corner for a private conversation whilst the firing was continuing. General Ford also claimed to have got to the OP after the firing stopped but his Diary of Events records his arrival there at 16:20 and Major Loden records the gunfire as beginning at 16:18.
Soldier 118’s view from the OP was restricted because there was a radio shack to his left. Consequently he could not see the Rossville Flats but he could see part of the rubble barricade and everything to the west. The Rossville Flats were visible from elsewhere in the OP.
Incoming Gunfire
Soldier 118 did not recall any incoming gunfire at the OP as is recorded at 16:11 in the 11 Battery radio log [W0097]. He said it was possible he just did not notice.
Rubble Barricade
When the firing started Captain 021 directed him to focus on the rubble barricade. He was looking through Donkey Ears, periscope binoculars which enabled him to look over the wall. Soldier 118 referred to thinking “Oh shit! They’re firing live rounds” when the Paras started shooting.
Soldier 118 said he saw 2 or 3 civilians run in a crouching position from Glenfada Park and lie down behind the rubble barricade. He also saw a Para standing on the west of Rossville Street firing continuously towards Free Derry Corner. The Para’s rifle was level. He watched through the binoculars as he fired 2-4 shots. He described the Para as having crew cut blond hair.
Soldier 118 also said he saw 6 shots hit the rear, i.e. south, of the rubble barricade. He was of the view that these shots could not have come from north of the rubble barricade and must have been fired from the south. He said he thought the Para was returning fire as a result of the shots coming from the south. He did not accept that the shots could have come from a Para elevated on the Kells Walk ramp or have passed through the makeshift barricade and impacted to on the south of it. He was of the view that those at the barricade were caught in cross fire. He did say the shots might have come from the gap between Glenfada Park North and Glenfada Park South. He said the dust of the impact suggested the rounds were not at an angle consistent with having come from the city walls.
Soldier 118 referred in his RMP statement to seeing a man in a cap at the rubble barricade pointing down. After being shown the video he agreed this could have been Alex Nash who was trying to stop the firing to get assistance for his son William who was killed. Neither the Para firing nor the shots hitting the barricade are mentioned in his 1972 RMP statement. Soldier 118 said he did not know why this was.
Collection of Bodies
Throughout the firing Soldier 118 said he could see the shoe of one of the people who he had seen lie down behind the barricade. He could not see any more of the person because he was behind the barricade but when the firing stopped and the bodies were collected he saw the shoe belonged to one of the bodies. He recognised the man’s clothing when soldiers lifted him. In his RMP statement he described the man as wearing a blue denim suit and brown shoes.
Soldier 118 said the bodies were thrown into a truck like bits of wood.
He did not see any civilian gunmen or nail bombers that day.
Teaching People a Lesson
Soldier 118 said in his statement that the Paras went in to “sort Derry out.” By this he meant they were aggressive. He said they had an aggressive attitude towards everyone. They would not stand there and take it as the resident battalions had. He agreed with the expression “teaching people a lesson.”
Soldier 023
Private, 11 Battery, 22nd Light Air Defence Regiment
Made Statements to the RMP on 3 February 1972 [B1517], to the Widgery Tribunal [B1522] and to this Inquiry [B1523]
Soldier 023 was a trained sniper. He was with Soldier 015 on 30 January 1972. They were stationed on the top floor of a shirt factory on Little James Street. Soldier 023 had an SLR fitted with a telescopic sight. He also had binoculars. From the factory they looked out south over Sackville Street and Rossville Street. Barrier 12 was out of sight beneath them and to their right. There were two south facing windows from which they could observe everywhere from Aggro Corner to Free Derry Corner.
In his statement to the Inquiry Soldier 023 referred to hearing a low velocity shot as the Paras went in. However his recollection is of the Paras going in on foot and hearing the shot as they reached the crowd. In fact Support Company drove down Little James Street and into Rossville Street in a convoy of 10 vehicles. He said he remember seeing the Paras running and trying to disperse the crowd. He did not hear or record the 5 SLR rounds fired by machine gun platoon or the shot which hit the Presbyterian Church before the Paras went in. In his Widgery statement he referred to two low velocity shots from behind the rubble barricade as the Paras got out of their vehicles.
Pandemonium
Soldier 023 then described pandemonium as the Paras “got stuck into the crowd.” He said he heard all kinds of weapons being fired by which he meant high and low velocity as well as batons rounds and CS gas. However he claimed he did not see anyone actually firing.
In his Widgery statement he referred to hearing automatic gunfire from the area of Glenfada Park. However there is no mention of automatic fire in his RMP statement. Soldier 023 said he was sure he had heard automatic fire. However none of the Paras who were in Glenfada Park claim to have heard automatic fire.
Soldier 023 said he could see the roofs of the Rossville Flats and the car park. He did not see any gunmen on the roofs and did not recall seeing a pig at the entrance to the car park. Gerald Elias QC, representing many of the soldiers, showed Soldier 023 photograph P0281 which was taken from the car park of the Rossville Flats by Mr. Grimaldi. The photograph shows the view to the north and buildings on the south side of William Street obscure all but the very top of the shirt factory windows from where Soldier 023 was observing. Mr. Elias suggested this demonstrated Soldier 023 could not have seen the car park or what occurred there.
Gunman South of Rubble Barricade
Soldier 023 claimed to have seen a man with a rifle behind a wall on the waste ground opposite Fahan Street, south of Joseph Place. He marked the alleged gunman’s position on a plan attached to his RMP statement [B1520.0001]. In his Widgery statement Soldier 023 said he saw the man fire the rifle before being shot and carried away. However no soldier claims to have shot anyone this far south and the alleged engagement does not appear on the shot plot prepared for Lord Widgery by then Captain (now General) Jackson. Soldier 015 says he drew Soldier 023’s attention to a man who was shot close the Block 1 of the Rossville Flats as he was running away. Soldier 023 said he could not recall this.
Gunman in William Street
In his RMP statement Soldier 023 gave an account of seeing a civilian gunman fire from a window in 57 William Street. The shot hit the wall below him. He claimed he then saw the same man at a different window, heard a high velocity shot and saw the man fall backwards. However no one claims to have shot a gunman in a building in William Street close to Aggro Corner. Soldier Z, who was at barrier 13 in Sackville Street, did fire a round and claimed to have hit a gunman but he placed the gunman in a building on the south side of William Street at the junction with Abbey Street which is about 100 metres west of Aggro Corner. The radio logs time Soldier Z’s firing at 16:56. Soldier 023 said he knew Soldier Z but was not aware he had fired on Bloody Sunday.
Soldier 023 said he had never given an interview to a journalist and was not the person referred to as ‘Soldier C’ by Lena Ferguson of Channel 4.
Soldier 109
Lieutenant, 11 Battery, 22nd Light Air Defence Regiment
Made Statements to the RMP [B1723.0009], to the Widgery Tribunal [B1723.0011] and to this Inquiry on 11 February 2000 [B1723.0001]
Soldier 109 was a platoon commander in 11 Battery of the 22nd Light Air Defence Regiment. He was in command of soldiers at barrier 12. He also set up counter-sniper positions in buildings overlooking Little James Street. In addition to those in the shirt factory there were also snipers in 8 Little James Street, the building directly opposite the junction with Sackville Street. This position was manned by Soldier 163, who is now dead, and Soldier 102, who was a staff sergeant. However Soldier 109 said he did not think those men were in his troop.
Soldier 109 said the march passed peacefully until it was halted at barrier 14. Four men then approached barrier 12 with a banner. A riot quickly developed despite the efforts of these four men. Soldier 109 did not think the Civil Rights Association wanted a riot. The rioting was serious and there were 7 casualties, 2 serious, amongst Soldier 109’s men.
Paras Going In
Soldier 109 said he received no warning that he was to move the barrier for the Paras to go through. He could not recall what Major Loden referred to as “an exchange of words” with the commander at the barrier but he accepted there was some delay.
In his RMP statement Soldier 109 referred to moving forward after the Paras had gone through to clear mini barricades the rioters had built. The area was then quiet and they returned to barrier 12.
Gunfire
Soldier 109 said he heard a single high velocity shot shortly after the Paras debussed. He said the round came up Little James Street and over his head. He said he was certain of this. In his RMP statement he timed this shot at 15:30 as he arrived back at the barrier. However the Paras did not go in until 16:10 so unless 15:30 was meant to be 16:30 the time did not make sense. Even then this would have been towards the end of the firing, not at the beginning.
In his recent statement he referred to hearing this first shot “before an exchange” of gunfire. He then claims to have heard different types of high velocity gunfire including perhaps a “Kalasnikov or an American weapon.” However he had never previously purported to be able to identify the gunfire. In his RMP statement he just referred to “general shooting” which he “could not identify.” Soldier 109 could not explain why the statements were contradictory.
He said he presumed he did ask his signaller to report the first shot. The record from 11 Battery of a shot in this area is timed at 16:35 [W0098], however Mr. Bradley, representing many of the soldiers suggested this may have been an error with the 3 and 5 transposed so the actual time was 16:53. This would accord with the Porter tape. Soldier 109 said the typed log he was shown [W0098] was the operational log which was a diary of events recorded on a pad of carbonated sheets. There would also have been a manuscript signal log with a verbatim record of what was said over the radio.
Soldier 109 records a further high velocity shot at his location and this is timed in his RMP statement at precisely 16:56. Soldier 109 agreed he must have got this time from the radio log. This shot he said hit a wall on the north side of Sackville Street just west of barrier 13. He thought it was fired from the south side of William Street and from the western end. There was a single high velocity shot returned. He said he did not recall speaking to Soldier Z about having fired.
The IRA Bug Tape
The IRA were bugging an army telephone line on Bloody Sunday and the Inquiry has the tapes. One call is between two members of the 22nd Light Air Defence Regiment. Soldier 109 was asked to listen to the tape to see if he could identify who was speaking. He said one of the voices could have been Captain 1814. He would have been at the regiment Head Quarters and was probably with INQ 406. He knew Captain 1814 very well. The conversation was as follows:
Male voice: “11 battery ... sappers ... bugging ... acorn ... yeah, yeah, yeah.”
Male Voice: “What do you want ... (bombardier’s name) ?"
Male Voice: “What does he want?”
Male Voice: “I do not know, what does he want?"
“Look, there has obviously been a hell of a sort out... the whole thing is in chaos ... yeah, obviously. I think its gone badly wrong in the Rossville ... the doctors just been up the hospital and they are pulling stiffs out there as fast as they can get them out."
Male voice: “There is nothing wrong with that (first name)”
Male voice: “"Well, there is, because they are the wrong people ... There is about 9 and 15 killed by the Parachute Regiment in the Rossville area. They are all women, children, fuck knows what and they are still going up there ... I mean, their Pigs are just full of bodies ... There is a 3 tonner up about with bodies in.”
Male voice: “... stiffs all over the place and Soldier 028”
Male Voice: “Soldier 028 involved, is he?”
Male Voice: “Well, Soldier 028 was down there, yeah.”
Male Voice: “Yeah.”
Male Voice: ... the padre's a bit upset, he is going off to see the commander about all the ill-treatment.”
Male Voice: “General Ford.”
Male Voice: “Yeah.”
Male Voice: “He was lapping it up.”
Male Voice: “Who was?”
Male Voice: “Ford.”
Male Voice: “Was he?”
Male Voice: “Yeah ... he said it was the best thing he had seen for a long time.”
Male Voice: “Interesting, isn't it.”
Male Voice: “Well done, 1 Para, he said a look at them 24 ... Million dollar.”
Male Voice: “Good, excellent.”
Male Voice: “He said this is what should happen.”
Male Voice: “Yeah.”
Male Voice: “He said we are far too passive ... and I will tell you later.”
Male Voice: “Yeah, okay.”
Male Voice: “Caio.”
[transcript X2.0025.0006, Section 2]
INQ 127
Private, Guinness Force, 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment
Made Statement to the Inquiry on 11 February 2000 [C0127]
INQ 127 was normally a signaller in the Battalion Operations room but on the morning of 30 January 1972 he was told he was to join Guinness Force. He was assigned as the radio operator for Colour Sergeant 002, the senior NCO (non commissioned officer) commanding half of the Guinness Force platoon.
INQ 127 remembered sitting on the tailgate of a soft top lorry before debussing into Rossville Street. He thought he debussed in Little James Street and went through barrier 12 on foot. In any event as he got off the lorry one of the straps of the man pack radio he was carrying got caught and it took him sometime to free himself. By the time he did so the rest of his section had moved off and he had to chase after them. He was carrying a Sterling sub-machine gun (SMG) as well as the radio.
Kells Walk
He ran down the right hand side of Rossville Street to some stairs. These were the stairs at the north end of Kells Walk. He heard gunfire and was frightened. He had the radio headset on and could not identify the gunfire. He hid behind the steps with some other soldiers but they were not from his section. He looked around the corner and saw his section at the low wall at the south end of Kells Walk. He then made his way to that wall where he took cover.
There was a lot of shooting going on but he did not feel under threat. He said he could not remember seeing any civilians. He was facing north with his back to the wall. He could see soldiers crossing the waste ground on the other side of Rossville Street. A message came over the radio for his ‘sunray’ and he handed the handset to Soldier 002.
Rubble Barricade
When he did look south he saw a body at the rubble barricade about 20 feet from Block 1 of the Rossville Flats. Then someone said “Thompson” and Soldier K, who was standing next to him, fired. He had a sniper’s rifle. He also saw the shadow of a figure at the south west corner of Block 1. Soldier 002 dropped the handset and picked up his rifle. Soldier 109 then took cover again. He did not see what Soldier K fired at.
Soldier 002 has made a statement to the Inquiry in which he says he saw a man with a rifle crawling towards Block 1 of the Rossville Flats. He ordered his men to fire and two soldiers fired one round each. The man was hit. Soldier 109 said he did not see anyone crawling but he did see dust fly from the barricade close to the body he had seen.
When it had quietened down he says they were told to clear out the maisonettes. Some of the men went up the steps he had sheltered at earlier. He then saw soldiers bringing a man down the steps. The man’s shirt was bloodstained and Soldier 109 assumed he had been shot. The soldiers said they had found him hiding in a bathroom cupboard. He then saw about ten civilians who had been arrested lined up against a wall. There was a priest with them.
Soldier 109 did not see any civilian gunmen or bombers. He did not even see anyone throwing stones.
Soldier 015
Bombardier, 11 Battery, 22nd Light Air Defence Regiment
Made Statements to the RMP on 3 February 1972 [B1415], to Colonel Overbury on 16 February 1972 [B1422], to the Widgery Tribunal on 9 March 1972 [B1425] and to this Inquiry [B1434]
Soldier 015 was with Soldier 023 in the shirt factory on Little James Street. He had an SLR, binoculars and a Stornaphone radio.
Soldier 015 recalled seeing Paras arresting people and firing rubber bullets on the waste ground at the north end of Rossville Street. The prisoners were brought back to Little James Street. It is only then that Soldier 015 recalls the Support Company vehicles driving down Rossville Street. He saw a tall paratrooper sorting prisoners by a wire fence similar to the scene pictured in P0497.
Soldier 015 said he saw soldiers dive for cover but he gave contradictory evidence as to whether or not he heard shots fired before this. In his Widgery statement he said he only heard two shots.
Man Shot at Block 1
Soldier 015 said he saw a soldier at the north west corner of Block 1. He was looking south towards the rubble barricade. Soldier 015 also saw two men at the rubble barricade. In his Widgery statement Soldier 015 said the men were throwing rocks at the soldier. In evidence to Lord Widgery he said he was too far away to say what the missiles were but in his statement to this Inquiry he said the men were throwing over arm as if they were throwing grenades.
The two men then got up from the barricade and ran towards the doorway to Block 1. In his RMP statement Soldier 015 said the second man stopped and turned to look at the soldier. As the soldier brought his rifle to the shoulder the man turned and ran faster towards the doorway. He was shot as he ran away.
Colonel Overbury took a supplementary statement from Soldier 015 on 16 February 1972. This included a detail that the man had raised his arm and pointed at the soldier before running off and being shot. This second account was repeated in his Widgery statement with the addition that it was too far away to see if the man had a weapon. He said the same when giving oral evidence to Lord Widgery. However by the time he gave his statement to this Inquiry 30 years later Soldier 015 said the action of the man when he stopped was that of a man firing a pistol in a hurry. He also said the man was shot whilst he was facing the soldier.
Lord Saville intervened to ask which account was correct. The one he had given originally to the RMP and Lord Widgery, i.e. of the man being shot as he ran away, or the one he was now giving of him being shot whilst stationary and facing the soldier. Soldier 015 said the man was shot as he stopped. Lord Saville then asked why he had repeatedly given unambiguous accounts of the man being shot as he fled. Soldier 015 said he might have been tired. He denied changing his evidence to protect Soldier U who admits to firing from the corner of Block 1. Soldier U claims to have fired at a man with a pistol south of Block 1. Soldier 015 said he could not believe the soldier would have shot the man without reason if had nothing in his hand.
Soldier 015 said the body of the man he saw shot was dragged into the doorway of Block 1 but he accepted from the angle he was looking it could have been dragged behind Block 1.
For Peace Justice & Human Rights
