Northern Ireland 1st. Tour.
Falls road 1969
By a forma Royal Marine

Towards the end of Sep. 1969 the situation in Northern  Ireland  began to come apart at the seams and the unit spent all its time on four-hours standby.  I got my recall at the weekend where I was at home, when suddenly on the TV. screen up came  the message  “All members of  41Cdo report to their unit immediately”

It was Sept 29th  and all stores were already packed for such an emergency so it was only a matter of  being driven in a fleet of coaches down to Brize Norton.  Here after the usual formalities were waived  we found ourselves on VC10`s  and were shortly thereafter flown across to land at Belfast's Aldergrove Airport late on a cold, wet, dismal  night and then driven into the city to commandeer the Kings Hall Ice Rink, one day before it was due to flood the arena  and freeze it to form the ice. (So it was that we found ourselves as the first Royal Marine unit to go to N. Ireland for many years and be involved in the troubles which no one could have guessed would go on to last for over thirty years.)

The Falls Rd. and the Shankill were about a mile away and the escalating troubles there had been the cause of our sudden deployment.  The immediate area round the Ice Rink appeared to be quiet though the general situation was very tense, never-the-less we had to post armed guards and be prepared to deal with civilians. We found a space anywhere we could to bed down. Mine was close to one wooden edge wall to the rink and actually on what would normally have been the ice surface.

Others were spread out on the upstairs balcony and among the tiers of seats. After a fitful night, with not a lot of sleep, we awoke in the morning to explore our new surroundings. The place seemed deserted and there were empty stables near by and garages and the `galley` had been set up in an old café about four hundred yards away which was reached by skirting round a large grass show ground.

There were only twelve basins for the whole lot of us and no hot water. The food, as usual ,was made up from `compo` rations and pretty grim. We found that `G` Coy had  already been deployed to help strengthen a hard pressed Army unit.  We were actually inside the Belfast city limits and from the main entrance you could make out some of the taller buildings closer to the city centre.

We had by this time loaded all our magazines with live rounds and a certain amount of the gas was also broken out, though having read the yellow card of instructions on when you could open fire it was debatable how many petrol bombs or stab wounds you would have to receive before you could actually do this!

Since we, as members of `S` Coy. were to be the immediate reserve company we had to sleep fully dressed, boots and all, and be at a moments notice to go to a trouble area to back up the local police, and the RUC, who up till then were expected to contain any trouble by themselves.

On our second day we went on to 30-minutes standby at  2am in the early hours of the morning. Everything was laid out ready to be grabbed, the three-ton vehicles were parked outside and had been loaded with timber knife rests around which were wound rolls of Dannert wire. These could be used in an emergency to form a road block to control traffic.

There had been an issue of batons and shields to some men but not enough to go round. Obviously these men could not carry rifles and relied on the shield to keep missiles at bay and those with weapons had to protect them if things got nasty.  (In those days the shields were relatively short and would only protect the upper part of the body.)

Gas was in short supply with a few canisters being distributed and in some cases cartridges for a short barrelled pistol.  The use of gas was severely restricted. The hours ticked away and we were stood down since those on the ground had managed to sort out the problem.

On the 1st Oct the rink should have been frozen for use by the public and school parties. Members of the public turned up all day only to be turned away in great disappointment  with their skates slung round their necks. There had been no time to warn anyone that the rink was now closed to all but military personnel for the coming weeks.

Even teams turned up expecting  to play  ice hockey matches. We were briefed that we were going to relieve the Hampshire Regt. close to the barbed wire line that went under the name of `The Peace Line` in the area of Hastings St.  This was on the Falls Road  and formed the boundary between the two factions, this side being predominantly Catholic.

Intelligence reported that in that area, a week ago, a crowd had forced its way past the Army guards and in Coates St. had tossed petrol bombs into several houses and they had all been gutted leaving the occupants homeless.  The crowd had been Protestants and those burnt out had been Catholics.  The public, in this incident, had blamed the Army for not stopping it happening and claimed to have lost all faith in troops to control the situation.

Because of this and several other incidents the Catholic population were living in fear and had erected their own  barricades across streets effectively withdrawing into these `no go` areas as they called them. We continued to get verbal abuse all day from the would-be skaters, but since it was their countrymen who were causing the trouble then it was their tough luck.

By the 2nd we had had many false alarms without actually being called out and were starting to get restless. We were visited by various Army officers and the word was now that it was the policy to send in baton squads to try and snatch ring leaders `egging on` the crowds. I marked up my maps with the `peace line`, HQ sites for the different companies and the supposed `no go ` areas.
The maps were nicely marked in two colours already to designate which areas were predominantly each faction. (Something which today would be very non-PC.) But  at least it let us know which side was throwing the rocks.

We had been warned that a lot of the trouble started at weekends after people had  been paid and this particular weekend there was going to be a football match for good measure. The local rivalry between the two factions always led to trouble depending on which side won. Hoping for a draw did not seem to make much difference.!

The Rev. Paisley planned to open a new church in the area across the river and the long awaited `Hunt report` was due out. This had been set up to try and find solutions to the escalating problems. Any one of these three events could lead to trouble so we were put on heightened alert. Something else that the authorities had decreed was that there would be no such things as `no go` areas and Army engineers with diggers would make a start on dismantling all barricades across streets and cart the material away.

We noted in the papers that an Army major who had sanctioned the use of tear gas had been exonerated.  The public furor over this was tremendous. We wished he had used a lot more, after all it was a harmless tear producing gas that made the recipient want to get the hell out of the area. We were routinely subjected to it at least once a year as part of  our normal training.

The three main items that we expected to generate trouble passed without incident, but we had spent the whole day on five- minutes standby. The main thing now was to see who could be the first to get out in the morning to pick mushrooms from the large grass arena near by and give them to the chefs. Both the other two troops of the company were out much of the day waiting close to trouble spots but with no action. At one point a police car was stoned not too far away from us so we dashed out and loaded up.  It was reported a mob had formed so we then spent over an hour in the freezing cold in the back of the transport  before being stood down.

Two mobs were then reported, one being engaged by the Light Infantry and the other in the Woodstock Road area across the river.
At 1.45 am in the morning this seemed likely to require action so we drove over to the area and then parked round the corner in a garage and doused the lights.

We debussed and formed up in what was then the recognised `box formation` and prepared to seal off the nearby streets.  We got our first sound of what a mob on the rampage was like.  There was the sound of the fury and shouting and much breaking of glass and shop windows.

We started off up the street to be met by a veritable barrage of missiles mostly bricks and bottles. The plan then changed and it was decided we would try and come in from behind the crowd. This involved a detour  down another street  so we could assist some army personnel and police who had a cordon across the road. As we went, we crunched through millions of shards of broken glass glinting in the dim light and half bricks and it was very noticeable the amount of damage to property. Most of the  shop windows were gone, street lights had been vandalised and the traffic lights on the junction had only one working bulb left. Cars left against the kerb had been turned over and attempts to set them on fire were apparent.

As we formed up, the Army troops  gratefully withdrew  behind us  and so did the police since they had been taking the brunt for a while. We were in three lines and ready to start our push to clear the street.  The noise was pretty horrendous and the hail of missiles didn’t slacken from the mob, many of whom were obviously very drunk.

Suddenly there were two loud rifle shots and the word went round there was a sniper. Many of the civilians watching simply vanished and we were left with our thoughts. Standing out in the open in three lines didn’t  help. The police had been trying to negotiate with the crowd to disperse without further trouble but this just elicited the usual jeers and bad language.

After half an hour of this our patience was wearing rather thin, but then word went round that Ian Paisley had arrived to talk to the mob. He went through our ranks and then disappeared  into  the orange glow from what street lights were still working  to somewhere in our front.  I had not realised how big a man he really was, he must have been at least  six feet four.

The noise from the mob lessened momentarily and the missiles thinned out but they were in no mood for talking. In this early encounter we had to learn fast and on this memorable occasion in exasperation at the delay in trying to negotiate the dispersal of the drunken mob we gassed the lot.

I distinctly remember Paisley staggering back clutching his eyes and in his booming voice calling us all the names under the sun! The gas had the desired effect and the mob broke into small groups and at this stage the RUC went in to try and make arrests. We hung around till early morning and then returned to Kings Hall. It had been our first taste of what it was going to be like. What was very apparent was that things happened so fast that you could not afford to relax your concentration for a moment, and the situation altered very rapidly. Communication and knowing what was going on around the area was vital or you could get cut off very quickly.

A mob that rushes you can be on you in moments and you are not permitted to open fire unless it is a dire situation. We found out later that the two shots were fired in the air by a section cut off and in a tight spot. It had the desired effect but there was still an enquiry over this.  We then spent  the time learning how poorly prepared we were for live riot duties. Trying to work from a set of 1940`s manuals that the mobs had not read didn’t help either. Lack of proper equipment and not enough of it to go round, and a most ludicrous set of orders for opening fire were the least of our worries.

We spent all of our time fully dressed and at a moments notice to go to a trouble area to back up the local police who up till then were expected to contain any trouble by themselves. We had a sharp learning curve since the initiative was very much with the mobs and an incident soon got out of hand if not contained very quickly.

We spent more and more time rushing out to one incident after another getting less and less sleep, to go and stand in a street on the receiving end of a steady stream of missiles including bricks, bottles and anything that came to hand and could be lobbed pretty easily and in many cases could not!

The usual format was for a crowd to form and start abusing the police and if possible the Catholic population, who by this time out of sheer terror had barricaded themselves into their streets and houses. The local youths then started to hurl missiles and break up paving slabs for ammunition and overturn cars and set them on fire. There were instances of looting of shops and property and when their blood lust was up to start to throw petrol bombs. The situation escalated very rapidly and moved from one street to another with alarming rapidity. Once the police had effectively been overwhelmed it was then our turn to take the stick.

A piece  of paper had to be signed giving us the power to take over and deal with matters as we thought best to restore order. It was an exhilarating  baptism of fire to find yourself on the end of a hail of missiles, normally without a shield (which  were in very short supply at that time) standing in the open in a semi-darkened street because most of the lights had been smashed, and be under a veritable snow storm of objects coming out of the darkness, waiting for permission to fire teargas back.  We generally did not have flak vests but  wore steel helmets  without the drop-down visors at this time, and a limited supply of gas.

The visors, which were issued  much later, had a habit of producing glare and reducing visibility at night and it was usual to leave them tilted up to see what was going on until such times as prudence deemed it necessary to lower them. Some men carried  batons and a few had rifles but the main weapons used to try and break up these affrays were water cannon and teargas.  The cannons, although they did not last very long between top ups, could in the winter weather make life very uncomfortable for any one drenched by them. Their biggest give away to the crowd was when they `revved` their engines in preparation for getting the required pressure to fire the jet.

Once empty they relied on finding a fire hydrant near by to recharge their tank. The operator stood inside a small turret above the cab and had  protective screens all round to ward off the inevitable return barrage of missiles. Teargas was a two edged weapon and a shift in the wind could force you to have to don  respirators  which made visibility very limited. However given the right conditions then gas could be fired at two hundred yards to break up the initial mob and when the rest got closer canisters could be thrown as backup. Since this was invariably followed by snatch squads they had to have their respirators on by this time.  The effectiveness of teargas  varied from place to place though our impression was that they seemed to get used to its effects in time.  The usual practice for many to counter its effects  was to cover their mouths with wet or vinegar-soaked cloths with varying degrees of success.  Its main draw back was that it also affected innocent people by entering houses via windows and doorways.

Other weapons used against us in the days ahead were petrol bombs, firearms, air rifles, crossbows, catapults firing specially made lead balls with spikes sticking out, acid bombs, pub darts and any hard object that would fit in the hand. We managed to get about three hours sleep while still remaining on five minutes stand-by after the Paisley incident.

Then we were away again late in the morning, this time to intercept a planned march by Protestants who were going to the opening of a new church in the Newtonards area of the city by the Rev. Paisley. It was well known that any sort of march constituted an illegal assembly under the ground rules then in force, but it was obvious that the locals were going to deliberately flout this law and go ahead anyway. We knew there would be a band and possibly several hundred supporters following behind just to antagonise the Catholic population in the area.

We drove out across the river and into the streets along which we knew the intended march would have to pass. Here we got out and formed into the standard anti-riot box formation.  This caused quite a stir since the local population was going about its normal business and there were even some American tourists walking on the pavement.

I clearly remember one rather brash woman calling out to her husband  “ Gee, they wont believe this back in the States.”  To which I replied “If you take some pictures they will!”  So we stood around in our square formation and the officer tried to monitor the progress of the march by radio with a section who were watching its progress near by.  Although we could not see it we could faintly hear the accompanying band. We still had two men in the middle of our square carrying the prescribed furled banner on ten foot poles.  When confronted by the march it was their job to run to the front and unwind it to reveal first one side then if there was no reaction to spin round and reveal the reverse.

The front side declared in large letters “This is an unlawful assembly and must disperse immediately.”  On the rear was stated “If you do not disperse now we will fire tear gas”  Shortly after we  got the nod to move out and marched round the corner  and up the next street  for a  short distance before we stopped again.  By this time the band was definitely louder and the baton men in the front rank started to get more apprehensive.  It was going to be their job to be snatch squad to try and arrest members of the march. By this time there was a considerable crowd, many being children, just watching the spectacle from the pavements and from vantage points behind us. The march was actually coming down the next street to us and one of the other sections engaged them with gas.  The effect was pretty dramatic and large numbers of the following crowd split up. The rest turned right and came down towards us in some sort of disarray.  Having been warned by loud hailer to disperse or get further gas they still came on. They were led by a small band including a tiny drummer who was almost hidden by his large bass drum.  They were warned again to disperse or we would use gas. This provoked the usual response of two fingered salutes and missiles from those at the rear. The band continued playing.

At this point we heaved  several canisters in their direction.  We must have got a good batch because the result was instantaneous panic.  Some `legged` it and others just collapsed in the road. The band clutched at their throats and tried to protect their eyes and the accordion section trailed off in a ghastly wail. The last we saw were two flute players desperately trying to continue as they staggered  down a side street  following the little bass drummer who was weaving all over the road like a drunk and still trying to keep the time with his  Boom! Boom! Boom!  on his drum.

People continued to filter past cursing and swearing at us but the march was effectively at an end.  Once order had been established again we packed up and withdrew to our transport round the corner. The whole area reeked of gas and many people were suffering from its effects. It was out of this incident that there came a legendary story of Sgt `S` who was in charge of the section in the next street when the hostile crowd came face to face with the Marines. This was at a time when `Knock- Knock ` jokes were all the rage.
He called out through his loud hailer, "Knock-Knock", where upon some wag in the crowd shouted back, “Who`s there?” At this point  Sgt `S` called back, “It’s the gasman.” and they promptly unleashed a volley of teargas into the crowd.

Communications had broken down badly during this incident and we found ourselves out on a limb. Meanwhile we sat in the transport to await the march should it reassemble on the way back from the church and got ready to give them another rousing reception. But this time they had had enough and only came through in the prescribed small groups to filter away to their houses. It had been an unnerving experience to be so close to such an angry mob again but we had learnt several things.

Firstly it was best to fire the gas when they were from fifty to seventy five yards away, and then when it became necessary to use canisters to throw these well into the middle ranks or otherwise they kicked them back out again like footballs. Lastly we had let the crowd get so close that they had actually managed to rip off gas masks from some of our front rank in the struggles so incapacitating them as well.

In this case we were dealing with a totally Protestant mob but even though we had to show scrupulous impartiality it was not unknown for the two factions to stop fighting each other  and turn on us. After this  we ceased to be reserve troop and we were moved to positions along the `peace line` and had our headquarters in Hastings St.. just off the Catholic Falls Rd. Each road junction was now guarded by troops at the interface between the two factions to stop them getting at each other. I had three streets to look after.  Boundary St, Campbell Place and  Tomnsend St.  the latter being a very busy thoroughfare coming out from the city centre and led from a Catholic area into the predominantly  Protestant  Shankill Rd.

The routine now was to have 24-hr a day guards of two on and four off and rather than being mobile we were now static defences. One of the other troops was stationed in a mill just round the corner and had an observation position on the third floor where they looked out from behind a shutter and could see down into some of the back areas.  We were billeted in an old wooden shed alongside a brewery. It had no heating and no washing facilities and was very draughty and this was in the middle of a very bitter winter. Meals and washing had to be done at the base in Hastings St. some distance away. The area along  Divis St.  which led onto the Falls had all the shops smashed  to the west of us and all the streets to the south were barricaded off by the inhabitants including the infamous Divis Flats.  On the other side of the road was a boarded up and apparently derelict pub. Visible just up  the road was a large area of damaged tarmac  which showed  where some sort of flaming barricade must have been burning. We used to take some sort of cover from the worst of the weather in a derelict fish shop on the corner.  It stank strongly of its previous products and had two sloping tile covered counters near where the windows had  once been. It was down to us now to police all the streets we covered and we had limited powers of arrest.

So grateful were the Catholic inhabitants to at last have some sort of safety from the opposition that it very soon became customary for different people to bring us hot tea and biscuits all through the day and part of the night.  This was very welcome on the coldest of nights and we showed our appreciation for this kindness. It got so that some were trying to outdo each other and bringing slices of cake or sandwiches. The houses were predominantly red brick terraces just like Coronation St. and very small inside.

In the UK they would have been classed as only one level up from slums. They had no gardens and when you stepped out the front door you were straight onto the pavement.  Not far away up Townsend St. on the right hand side was Coates St. where only a couple of weeks ago mobs of Protestants had forced past Army troops and burnt out several Catholic houses and families. We had a look and found the street full of debris and burnt household items that had been thrown into the street, pathetic reminders that these had  once been family homes.

What was rather surreal at first was to be standing on a street corner with a loaded rifle and carrying a steel helmet and gas mask, watching the local inhabitants go about their daily business with hardly a glance, and then remembering that this was part of the UK. There were those out shopping, pushing prams and hurrying to get to work. Our first night we had to stand-to because a crowd of Protestants had formed near by and might cause trouble.  When this sort of incident happened every one had to get on the streets and regardless of duty pattern you could find yourself losing your only time to sleep till it was resolved. The Divis Flats and Maisonettes complex just down the road had their own `vigilante` groups so this helped police that area. They now  knew that the engineers are due to move in and start demolishing their home-made barricades.

It was at this time that a judicial inquiry  called the` Hunt Report` had come to the conclusion that to ease tensions  the part-time police force, or as they were called The`B` Specials, should be disbanded.  They were all Protestants and many went looking for a scrap.  We knew when this report came out the Protestant population would be unhappy since many looked on them as their private army. We had long lists of car indexes to try and keep a look out for and a wanted list of people who the police were interested in interviewing, but when cars were streaming past through the traffic light controlled junction it was almost impossible to tally each one.  However, one day I noticed a green mini in a long line of cars momentarily slow as it passed and then accelerate away towards the Shankill.

I made a note of the license plate and make and got some identification of three of the four occupants I could see and a camera that one of them had raised to take a picture of us. (An Olympus) I then radioed this to Company HQ and some `prat` asked couldn't I have got some more details?  (all in the two seconds of viewing) About an hour later while still watching long lines of cars negotiate this junction coming back from the other direction was this same mini.  I let it get close to the lights and then stepped out into the road to stop it.

The driver wound down his window and while he asked what the matter was I carefully unclipped the magazine for my SMG and put it on the gun.  Nobody liked to carry a loaded SMG because the mechanism lent itself to accidental discharges because it was spring loaded.  Having told him to get out of the car because it was illegal to take pictures of security forces I got someone else to drive it round to HQ with the three other occupants inside. I accompanied the driver on foot. When we got there the ID`s I had given  of all the occupants all tallied well and the fourth occupant was a girl who had been sitting on the far side.  Even the camera turned out to be an Olympus.

Intelligence talked to them and confiscated the film (which was  later found to be totally composed of street positions and troops on guard.) They were then released with a warning. What had raised some eyebrows during the questioning was that one of the men admitted to knowing about explosives since he claimed to work in special effects in the film industry. I think they might have thought they could try and sell the pictures to a local paper because they had driven up from Dublin and  they intended to return there.

The barricades started to be dismantled on the 8th around the Divis Flats.  These were pretty substantial and blocked all access roads and were made from ripped up paving slabs, pallets, crates, overturned cars shells, old furniture and even lorries. I had a chance to examine the far side of the road from us and running up a tall boundary  wall and even through a lamp post were a neat row of bullet holes, the result of recent troubles when a police Shoreland armoured Land Rover had opened fire. These were armed with a .303 machine gun in a small turret and one of this particular burst had entered a flat on the upper floor of the flats and after a ricochet had killed a child in its bedroom.

I don’t think I have seen so many drunks staggering about during daylight as here. The worst of the rioting seemed to be at weekends when they had time on their hands. We had to keep quiet about one incident when a Catholic woman returned to her home in a Protestant area and there was a fire that night in her house.

Examination of the incident revealed an unfortunate accident rather than a petrol bombing so tensions relaxed again. The `Hunt Report` came out on the 10th and immediately everything went up a gear and stand-by came down to five minutes. During one of my watches just up the road by the flats someone heaved some bottles over a wall at people passing on the other side. Because some had been drinking there was the need for instant retaliation. We called the vigilantes  and they managed to deal with it.

Later still a crowd on the Shankill had started to erect barricades across the road as a protest against the Hunt Report. Another crowd were forming south of us opposite an Army position in Devonshire St but at the time both crowds were non-hostile. On 11th Oct we had rumours all day and lots of small incidents to such an extent that the reserve troop was brought up. There were several sit-down demonstrations by Protestant groups demonstrating against the disbanding  of the `B` Specials.  What didn't help the situation  was Paisley inciting parts of the populace in a speech to object to this report. After a very tense day we settled down to await what night might bring.

At 2200 everyone was called out to the streets on immediate stand-by. We stood there in the bitter cold and heard and saw things unfold. We could see at the top end of Tomnsend St. about two hundred yards away the line of the police cordon across the road in Peter's Hill Rd. These were backed up by ambulances and troops in the rear. There was a very large crowd in hostile mood and the noise was like the roar from a football match.

The police were, as usual, the first line of defence and had linked arms to try and move up the street to clear it. Further crowds had formed to our left but out of sight in Percy St. and were busy breaking up pavements for ammunition.  As the police advanced, shots suddenly rang out from somewhere in the crowd.  Three officers went down injured. One of these, Constable Arbuckle, had been hit in the head and died shortly after, to become the first officer to die in the current troubles.

Tear gas was then fired to disperse the mob but incoming sniper fire intensified. The first crowd moved back up the Shankill and withdrew to the next street to us Dover St.  then they were forced back till they joined  those at Percy St. making numbers up to about a thousand strong. Their blood lust was up and shop fronts were smashed and looting started. Then as usual  petrol bombs were seen arching out of side streets.

By this time the situation was rapidly getting out of hand and despite several warnings to  disperse the wanton damage continued. The police had by this time withdrawn and our patience was exhausted and the orders went out to shoot selected targets.

At 0110 hrs troops at the top end of Boundary St. shot and killed a petrol bomber.  The crowd sensed we meant business this time and split up and some went down side streets to watch events. Shortly after further incoming sniper fire was heard and troops took cover and lay in the road. Then a large red glow which reached up to the clouds was visible to our left. This was from a hijacked bus which had been set on fire.

By 0125 the mob were breaking up paving slabs in Dover St. to use as ammunition. Then the `heavy squad` advanced up our street and turned left in front of our road block with the intention of getting to Dover St. to make arrests and force the mob back.  Several arrests made shortly after.  The smell of gas was now apparent and blowing in the wind down to our location.

We waited at our position with our steel helmets  on to await results. Sniping could be heard all around mostly small calibre from the sound of it. Orders had now gone out to shoot to kill.

At 0240 hrs some bastard started to snipe from the street two to our left into the main road. We heard the crack of a .22  rifle, and then the smack and whine as the bullets ricocheted down our street.  I ordered everyone to take cover and if a good target was seen to return fire.  Since `Jock` `D` and I were the two best shots I also asked for target location  so we could try to neutralise it.  We didn’t have night vision sights so it was somewhat difficult to see in the poor light.

Most took cover in doorways but I squatted down  behind the traffic light control box at the edge of the kerb.  I can remember the strong smell left by repeated visits from local dogs.  From here we peeped out to try and locate the shooter. (I made a special effort to write down on a small piece of paper events as they occurred)

Persistent fellow fired regularly at anything which moved as long as it was military. We could do with sending a couple of men to try and winkle him out but were forbidden to move from our corner. Over the period of about an hour he must have fired at least 20 to 30 shots.

Suddenly we heard two much heavier bangs and all was quiet.  Maybe someone got him or just scared the hell out of him. Then to our front more sniping. The next road block down took cover.  Then more shots further away to our left, and then some from the area to our rear. 0310hrs. We thought there must be at least four or five men sniping in this immediate area. By this time it had been necessary to stop and redirect all traffic coming into these streets to prevent civilian casualties.

At times we thought shots were coming from the upper floors of Divis Flats, a highly useful vantage point of at least fifteen stories. We had an OP on the roof with a powerful searchlight and when I thought I spotted a muzzle flash from the roofs down the road I went round to HQ to try and get a message through to them to swing the lamp downwards so it shone on the rooftops and we could possibly see a target.

However for the rest of the night it remained switched off. (I found out later that they were taking  incoming sniper rounds and were reluctant to put their heads above the parapet which would have been necessary in order to aim the light)

0315hrs.A single shot up the top of our street. Our friend to the left opened up again at a running Marine.  I distinctly heard the smack and the whine as the bullet hit a lamp post and ricocheted up the road. It looked like this one was somewhere up Boundary St. He only fired when someone crossed the bottom of the road and since the road had a dogleg he must be near the far end and high enough up to see over the wall of the back gardens.

0316 hrs.  Further shots this time to our right, sounded more like a shotgun. Shortly after this a vehicle came down the road with a suspected captured sniper in the back.  He was unceremoniously dragged out and taken round to HQ while the Land Rover went back up towards the Shankill.

So the battle raged on all night, we could hear the mob getting fainter as they were pushed back and slowly dispersed. Once in a while the heavier bang of an SLR as opportunity targets were engaged.

0530hrs  Wont be long now till dawn starts to break. The sniping eased off but one very persistent chap to our left continued to have a go at anything that crossed his line of sight. We were out of view of him because of the row of houses fronting  the street. The glow from the burning bus had gone, presumably once the fire brigade could safely get there to put it out.

0540 hrs. Crowd heard chanting from the area of Durham St. to our rear several hundred yards away. These were stopped by an Army roadblock from coming up towards us, never-the-less we strengthened our block by adding further knife rests, which during the day were stored on some waste ground across the road.

As daylight came then the last of the snipers fell quiet and we prepared for another day. We were all desperately tired having had no sleep for over 28-hrs. It was pretty obvious that the night's mayhem was caused by Protestants and the Catholic population sat back and revelled in it knowing they were getting a hard time from us.  The one or two opportunists had probably done some of the sniping in the confusion and got away with it.

It was obvious to all that the violence was totally directed against security forces and not the old enemy. Daylight revealed the state of devastation in the streets affected and it looked something akin to a war zone and not part of the UK. One or two petrol bombers and snipers had been accounted for but several bodies were seen being loaded into vans at the height of the riots to be buried quietly and without fuss.

Amazingly there were no fatalities among troops, just some gunshot wounds and the usual cuts and bruises from receiving half bricks on the head or shins. The next day there was a major clear up operation and a tight cordon and search on the Shankill and this turned up a multitude of petrol bombs and some arms and ammunition.

The mob now knew the `ante` had been upped and any serious trouble would result in severe casualties for them.  The days of kid glove tactics  were definitely gone. I noticed in the paper the next day in the obituary column two names.  George Dickie and  Herbert Hawe, both `died suddenly the result of gunshot wounds`. I couldn’t help but think you couldn't get much more sudden than that!  (Probably sniping or petrol bomb throwing.) There was no exact number of casualties since some bodies had been taken away but estimates ran as high as seven.

The  Shankill was patrolled all day by scout cars and an increased troop presence but remained very subdued. They had had a nasty shock. However later that night a lone sniper opened up again which resulted in all the street lights being turned off. This caused him to creep away in the dark. Because of this sudden change in  tactics by the mob, we were now all issued with flak jackets for duties on the barriers.  These were semi-bullet proof and would stop much of the  incoming rounds and missiles. They were quite heavy and a little cumbersome and made bending over awkward but gave added confidence to the wearer. There was relative quiet for the next few days with one or two crowds dispersing without trouble. The police officer who had been murdered was buried and the area of the Boyne Bridge put out of bounds to traffic because it seemed to generate a lot of incidents.

We also had a rumour that a few `Starlight Image Intensifiers` might be used in trials.  These were basically a sight for the rifle that enhanced the view during  night or poor light  conditions, something that would be very useful for trying to spot snipers at night.  They work on the principal of magnifying what little light is available and to give a better picture of the target.  If there is too much light they suffer dazzling. On the 16th we became reserve troop and moved temporarily to HQ at Hastings St. Searches by troops and us had discovered large quantities of petrol bombs made up and ready for use. The government announced on the radio that for the time being all pubs would shut at 7 pm. at weekends.  This was very welcome since it was patently obvious that a large number of the mobs were obviously the worse for drink. One of the more enjoyable tasks for us was that since we were stationed alongside a brewery, owned by a Protestant who happened to have his premises in a Catholic area, he donated a crate of Guinness every day to us. A small price to pay for not getting petrol bombed  or looted.

We spent much of the time on ten-minute standby since there had been rumours that a Catholic crowd was going to try and cross the Boyne Bridge and infiltrate snipers. Our designated area to be deployed would be Grosvenor Rd. and several streets round there. When the pubs threw out, every one at what to them was an unusually early hour, there was in fact very little trouble. There was a small crowd in the Shankill and a vigilante was beaten up.  One of our road blocks stopped and searched a car and the two men in it.  They discovered they were both carrying revolvers under their jackets. It turned out they were both `B` Specials and should have handed their weapons in, so they could standby for a rollicking. We started to take sandbags up to the roof of the  Divis Fats via the lift. You could get to the top floor but then had to take stairs to get on the roof. A small protective wall was built and on the parapet so that they could use their search light in a bit more safety.  The whole area was very quiet and nobody could fathom out what was going on. The only demonstration was by those who objected to the pubs closing early, mostly composed of women!

We had an incident round the corner when there was a house fire and a Marine, on duty, managed to rescue two small children from inside.  The worst part was that the two he couldn’t reach burnt alive. By the 21st Oct. police foot patrols were again on the Falls  and the Shankill. Reaction was very favourable. By this time there were either sandbagged emplacements or corrugated positions on many corners, a bit like bolting the door after the horse has fled.  Most of the barricades were already gone giving some semblance of normality again to people out shopping. The weather took another turn for the worse and it became extremely cold. The back of the rioting seemed to have been broken. We moved temporarily to a mill across the road since it was warmer than our shed  but still without  any heating at all. We had one woman who came in claiming her husband had jumped bail and could we help her. This was a job for the police not us.

The move, although to a better location, has produced one bad side effect. A lot of men had gone down with diarrhea. Not sure whether the food or the water was the cause. We noted that the two factories that were gutted in the August troubles had now been demolished  professionally.  They were just shells and the steel girders inside were twisted by the extreme heat from the fires.  I went round to `E` Coy on business and since they were in an active mill I ordered two shirts. On return to our base I came across a green budgerigar in the street which we couldnt look after so I gave it to a willing member of the public.

We have been told to be ready to move back to the  brewery shed again so I needed to get over to the mill to pay for my shirts. On 28th Oct. an ex-boxer was shot in the Springfield Rd. area and the whole area was therefore sealed off.  This is at the far end of the Falls Rd. to us so not an immediate worry. Three Army soldiers from a Guards Regt. were court martialled today. Seems they complained of doing too many guard duties, not enough food and poor conditions. Poor bastards! Everyone else, including us, were living in first class hotels!

It seems the guards had a habit of complaining going by the recent well publicised case about excessive `bull` at Pirbright. On asking the men who had slept in the shed, it seemed I was not the only one to have been bitten. It would appear we have been invaded by fleas or some sort of bed bugs. Nasty bites appeared which itched like hell and came up like mosquito bites. These lasted a couple of days and then went down.

On 30th Oct we again moved back to the brewery shed. The weather was so cold it tried to snow. Someone produced an old TV from somewhere but it did not have an aerial. So true to form we tried to improvise. We found a piece of bamboo pole and with the help of a length of wire and a coat hanger we actually got a picture. A bit snowy but at least a picture.

It was worth it just to see the look on the face of the TV maintenance man when he turned up later to install a proper aerial. This was the first day I could recall seeing a shop with lights on in the windows to show up the goods that were for sale. Because the 31st was Halloween, the drinking hours were relaxed by the Government. We had a string of children walking up and down the street all dressed up in various made up costumes enjoying themselves despite the cold. There was a fire close to the Boyne Bridge but at least the brigade got there to put it out without too much interference. We had, by this time, acquired a friendly one-legged pigeon which came down on  to the  pavement for food. Everyone felt sorry for it so he did rather well on handouts. A more serious matter in an adjacent area. An SMG and twenty rounds was stolen from the back of an Army three-ton lorry. Two men were being sought. Then later in the afternoon, while I was on guard, at about 1740hrs,the very distinctive sound of shots. This later turned out to be from a private in the Paras about two streets away who had gone on the roof of a building and fired four shots before he could be coaxed down. Apparently he had cracked up after only a week over here.

This warmed our hearts no end but did not manage to make the papers for a few days. First the Guards and now the Paras, it was fast becoming more dangerous from your own side than the `Micks` The stolen SMG was handed in by a vigilante which produced great sighs of relief all round. It was also reported that the Navy was being deployed to try and cut off arms supplies coming in round the coast and the border areas were on heightened alert. Several shots were fired at police guarding a wireless station and a bomb explosion damaged a memorial to some of the figures in the 1919 uprising. No prizes for guessing which side did that!

The daily routine didn't not alter, and we continued to spend hours in the cold as a buffer zone between the two factions and really only looked forward to the short time we could spend out of the cold, back in the shed. By the 4th Nov. the weather was again bitterly cold and it only took minutes for your feet to freeze. We were basically tethered to our street corners so we could not walk too far to keep the circulation going.

What did not help was an icy wind and hail. Some local woman came in ranting and raving saying that her son had been picked up by the police and was being beaten up in the  Hastings St. station. It turned out later that he had absconded from borstal and despite probably needing a good beating up was in fact totally unharmed.

We were told that some Paras were to take over this area and we are to go to Kings Hall again on reserve prior to embarking for the UK. The company in fact moved to Albert St. mill, not far from the Falls Rd. and we were delegated a piece of concrete to call our own. This mill was completely empty and awaiting demolition, unlike the other one we stopped in before, which was going full bore making textiles. When the other one had been working the noise during the day, while all the looms were running, meant you could not hear yourself speak. In fact many of the operatives, who were predominantly women anyway, had to wear ear protection and they seemed to converse by lip reading through the noise. They were kind enough to give us each two reels of brown cotton which they were winding onto spools. This was very useful and turned out to be exceptionally strong. The sudden  change at five o'clock when everything was shut down to absolute quiet was indescribable. There was an explosion in the area of the docks during the morning. It seemed that a gas storage tank had gone up and the fire brigade were hosing down others close by to prevent further explosions. Whether this was sabotage or not was not revealed.

The IRA, which is an illegal organisation, is behind most of the bomb blasts. They seem to take delight in blowing up extremely soft targets such as power lines and electricity transformers in remote places. Shots were fired at police from a moving car in one incident but there were no reports of any injuries. Our list of wanted cars and people who the police wished to interview grew by the day. Two cars were wanted in connection with carrying arms. From the roof of this mill it was possible to see right across into the area where we were a few days ago. Long rows of Coronation Street type terrace houses, all belching smoke from their chimneys and further over taller factory chimneys also producing smoke which in the cold air drifted down to ground level and covered everything in smog.

There was no hot water available in this complex since all the power had been disconnected. It was still desperately cold outside and there was not much we could do other than wait for the next callout. We moved back to Kings Hall on the 8th Nov. and I managed to finish my book, which was about the Titanic. I had no idea that it had been built in the yard not far from here which even today still builds and repairs ships.  The dominating feature over the yard is the extremely large yellow crane that trundles along on rails with the letters H & W on the side. It can be seen from quite a considerable distance away.  The world famed Harland and Wolff. It was announced in the press and on the radio that full drinking hours were now back in vogue, so we were kept ready. The suspected area that might cause problems was called Riverdale and not that far away. On the 9th Nov we returned all the equipment we had drawn for the emergency. Camp beds, parkas, flak vests, medical kits with morphine, gas canisters and live ammunition. On the 10th we embarked on a ferry for the overnight crossing to Liverpool. After our hurried interruption to training before we came over, we were about to leave a somewhat more peaceful Belfast for the equally cold climes of the UK.

One story, which rather summed up the Irish mentality, and was quite true, concerned the aftermath in a riot area. As the rioters dispersed from the street it was noticed that one man was walking away with difficulty and with a pronounced limp. The police stopped him and carried out a search, and down his right trouser leg they  found a three foot brass Victorian poker. On being questioned about this he replied, “My poor old Granny is sick in bed and I was on my way round there to stoke up her fire !”