MEME MONDAY #87

A busy week for Karl, with migrant crime fuelling many of his efforts - from Southampton and Manchester, to Belfast and Dundee.

Mon 8 Jun - 65 shares

Mon 8 Jun - 319 shares.  This replaced an earlier version,
which erroneously stated that both brothers were 'free'.  In
actual fact, the younger brother is still remanded in custody
awaiting sentencing.  Apologies for the error

Tue 9 Jun - 17 shares

Tue 9 Jun - 2,510 shares

Tue 9 Jun - 2,160 shares

Wed 10 Jun - 229 shares.  Dave tied himself up in knots
during a round of interviews last weekend, admitting that he
would not 'take a knee' for Henry Nowak and failing to
coherently explain why his call for 'righteous anger' over
George Floyd's death was somehow justified, but Nigel
Farage's 'cold rage' remark in response to Nowak's death
is somehow abhorrent

Wed 10 Jun - 12 shares

Thu 11 Jun - 105 shares.  Both Healey and his underling Alistair Carns - who
resigned hours later - quickly moved up in the betting markets for Starmer's
replacement.  They both overtook Shabana Mahmood, with Carns
currently 16/1 and Healey 33/1 at Ladbrokes  

Thu 11 Jun - 1,716 shares

Fri 12 Jun - 60 shares

Fri 12 Jun - 11 shares

Sat 13 Jun - 67 shares.  Media outlets have reported that the culprits are simply
'Bulgarian nationals'.  That may be the case, but they are not ethnic
Bulgarians.  The brother and sister are Roma gypsies, a distinct and
separate non-Slavic group who largely reject authority and live outside the
norms of the mainstream societies they inhabit.  Of course, the main thing is
that the couragious Scots girl Sophie has been vindicated in defending her wee
sister from their advances

Sat 13 Jun - 131 shares

Sun 14 Jun - 25 shares

Sun 14 Jun - 325 shares

Sun 14 June - 155 shares.  Yes, we know the Argentines were largely conscripts,
but that doesn't change the outcome of the conflict.  It was a decisive and
hard fought victory in the face of greater numbers on both the ground and in
the air

Sun 14 Jun - 440 shares.  An astonishing amount of money, this ought to be a
national scandal

Sun 14 Jun - 53 shares.  When Spencer first posted this picture, attention was
drawn to her legs in various comments.  The incredibly knobbly knee, combined
with what appear to be varicous veins below it, are not a great advert for a
vegetarian diet - she is only 35 and has the anatomy of an old woman!

Karl had a busy week on Facebook Stories, showcasing six across our two Facebook pages.

Like what we do?  Want us to do more?  You can help by purchasing a couple of metaphorical pints here or by donating via PayPal.  This helps fund our campaign and serves as a vital morale booster.  We can't do this without your support.

Thank you.

ON THIS DAY IN 1971, CORBYN'S MATES...

The IRA shot dead three British soldiers in separate attacks across Northern Ireland.  A Royal Artillery sergeant was murdered in Londonderry, a member of the Queen's Regiment was murdered in Belfast and a member of the Light Infantry was murdered near Dungannon in County Tyrone.  All three soldiers were young men in their early twenties and from the mainland.

Sgt Martin Carroll was on duty at the Bligh's Lane army post in the Creggan area of Londonderry.  A perimeter fence was being repaired at the time and the army wanted to keep groups of people away while the job was completed.  At one point Sgt Carroll fired CS gas canisters to disperse a large crowd that was gathering.  While he was outside a single shot was fired from the direction of Eastway Gardens.  The sergeant's brother and half-brother were also serving with the army and were both nearby when they heard the shot.  They raced to his aid, but he lost consciousness and died a short time later from a gunshot to the chest.

The Official IRA later claimed responsibility and said it had acted in retaliation for army "brutality to young children on their way to school".  Earlier that day the principal at the local primary school had complained about the use of CS gas and claimed to have witnessed a Saracen being driven at schoolchildren.  A civilian was shot dead by soldiers outside the same post in the early hours of the next morning during disturbances in which two soldiers and two civilians received gunshot wounds.

Sergeant Martin Leonard Carroll, 23, served with the 45th Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery, and came from Abergynolwyn in north Wales.  His pregnant wife gave birth to their first child four months after his murder.  Speaking about his death some time later, she noted that Sgt Carroll was a Catholic and of Irish descent on his father's side.

An Official IRA gunman pictured in Londonderry's Bogside, 1972

Private Paul Carter was standing guard outside the Royal Victoria Hospital in west Belfast when he was struck by a burst of gunfire.  Pte Carter was guarding colleagues who were in the process of delivering medical supplies to the hospital.  He was struck twice in the chest by shots that appeared to come from the direction of Dunville Park.  The park was often used by IRA gunmen to fire on soldiers as it provided an easy escape route into the rabbit warren of side streets that backed onto the other side of the park.

The immediate aftermath of the attack on Pte Carter was mired in controversy for many years.  At the time it was claimed that no-one helped the soldier as he lay wounded and that some locals had even tried to steal his rifle.  However, the murder was one of many cases reinvestigated by the Historical Enquiries Team, a unit set up by the police in 2005.  In 2012 they concluded that in actual fact two local men had carried Pte Carter into the casualty department despite a second burst of gunfire while doing so.  The young soldier died from his wounds the following day with his family by his side.  The news that he was not merely left to die in the street gave comfort to his surviving family and his sister told reporters that they had been disappointed with the way in which the army had portrayed events.

Private Paul Carter, 21, served with 2nd Battalion, the Queen's Regiment, and came from Brighton.  His mother later campaigned for British troops to be withdrawn from Northern Ireland.

Private Paul Carter

Private John Rudman was killed in an IRA ambush at the village of Edendork, County Tyrone.  Pte Rudman was travelling along the main road in a convoy, having been despatched from Dungannon to investigate disturbances in Coalisland.  As the convoy passed through the village it came under small arms fire from both sides of the road.  The terrorists were armed with shotguns, rifles and a Thompson submachine gun.  Pte Rudman, who was travelling in the back of a truck, was struck in the back of the head.  Two other soldiers were wounded during the attack and a bomb was later found nearby and defused.

Private John Ronald Rudman, 21, served with 2nd Battalion the Light Infantry and came from Hartlepool.  His younger brother was also shot dead by the IRA a year later.  Following the murder of Private Thomas Rudman in north Belfast, a third brother serving in Northern Ireland was sent home and not redeployed to the province.  Their mother later described how she had premonitions about her son's deaths and described the man who shot John as having a scar.  She gave his name as 'Seamus'.  Two men were charged with John's murder, but acquitted.  One of them was Seamus Dillon, an IRA man later convicted of two other murders.  Shortly after he was released from prison in 1997 he was himself shot dead by loyalists.

Scene of the attack looking in the direction of the soldiers' travel

ON THIS DAY IN 1976, CORBYN'S MATES...

The Provisional IRA shot dead an elderly garage owner in south Belfast.  Four masked terrorists arrived at Creightons petrol station in Finaghy with two bombs.  Initially they attempted to rob the owner, 77-year-old William Creighton.  Mr Creighton resisted and became involved in a struggle during which he was shot.  Two customers who arrived at the pumps were then held at gunpoint until the bombs had been planted.  After the terrorists fled the customers pulled the wounded Mr Creighton to safety before alerting the police.

Around ten minutes later the bombs exploded.  The area was being cleared by security forces at the time and a police officer and four military police were injured by flying glass.  Windows in nearby houses were shattered and the resulting fire largely destroyed the garage.  It took firemen over an hour to extinguish the flames.

Mr Creighton had been looking after the garage while his son was on holiday and died on his way to hospital.  Locals were furious.  It was the second time the Protestant business had been bombed by the IRA.  Creightons was one of the targets during Bloody Friday in 1972, when the IRA exploded more than 20 bombs across Belfast.  No-one was killed at Creightons that day, although nine people were killed elsewhere.

Two men were later charged with Mr Creighton's murder, having been arrested during a siege nearby.  Creightons of Finaghy was attacked again in April 2019, when an incendiary device exploded causing damage to six vehicles.  The 'New IRA' claimed the attack and also threatened to kill company directors of 11 businesses it accused of working with the police (including Creightons).

Creightons of Finaghy as it appears today

ON THIS DAY IN 1972, CORBYN'S MATES...

The Provisional IRA murdered two British soldiers in the Andersonstown district of west Belfast.  The army had commandeered the Casement Park sports stadium almost two weeks earlier and were still working on improving its defences.  One of those killed in the attack was the base commander, Major David Storrey.  The new base was situated in the heart of a republican area and was under attack on almost a daily basis.  A soldier had been shot and paralysed by a sniper while working on the perimeter fencing three days before Major Storrey's murder.

It was the persistent sniper activity that led to a detachment of troops being sent out to monitor the housing estate beyond the Main Stand.  On the fateful morning, just after 9am, Major Storrey left the stadium to check on the patrol.  He had only just returned to active service after being injured and hospitalised in rioting a week earlier.  Accompanying him was a Royal Engineer by the name of Craftsman Brian Hope.  As they were crossing a small stream that ran behind the houses a bomb exploded, killing Craftsman Hope.  When other soldiers arrived they found Major Storrey lying next to the stream, still breathing.  He died two hours later in hospital.

The homemade bomb was thought to contain around 35lbs of explosives and had nuts and bolts packed around it.  The explosion shattered several windows in the surrounding houses.  Some locals discreetly voiced annoyance that the bomb had been left in an area where their children often played.

Soldiers amid the rubble of rioting near Casement Park on 6 August 1972

36-year-old Major David Anthony Storrey served with the 19th Regiment Royal Artillery.  He came from Ascot in Berkshire and was survived by his wife and three children.  Craftsman Brian Hope, 20, was affectionately known as 'Bob'.  He was a mechanic attached to Major Storrey's regiment.

ON THIS DAY IN 1981, CORBYN'S MATES...

The Provisional IRA murdered a young policeman in a rocket attack in west Belfast.  Constable Samuel Vallely was one of five officers travelling in a police Land Rover when the rocket propelled grenade struck the roof of the vehicle.  It was a Thursday night and the men were passing through the republican New Barnsley area.  A petrol bomb was initially thrown at the Land Rover in order to light it up and provide the trigger man with a target.  A Soviet-made RPG-7 was then fired, lifting the roof off the vehicle and showering those inside with shrapnel.  The driver managed to drive on and take his injured comrades to Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital.  Constable Vallely died from his injuries a short time later.  One of his colleagues was seriously injured, but survived.

Constable Vallely was the first member of the RUC to die in such an attack, despite many previous attempts by the IRA.  The terrorists had reportedly fired 182 rockets at security forces between 1972 and 1981, 124 of which missed their target.

DUP leader Ian Paisley condemned the New Barnsley attack: "It is wholly unacceptable to the law-abiding community that our security forces are expected to face this battle with their hands tied behind their backs.  The firing of a plastic bullet causes an outcry from republican apologists, but the republicans' use of rockets will not provoke not even a squeak of protest from these quarters".

Constable Vallely

Constable Vallely was 23 and lived in Glengormley, north of Belfast.  He joined the force in 1977.  At the time of his death his wife was pregnant with their second child.  They were planning to emigrate to Canada following the birth, due later that year.

A 37-year-old from west Belfast was later charged with Constable Vallely's murder.

ON THIS DAY IN 1979, CORBYN'S MATES...

The Provisional IRA murdered a British soldier in a bomb attack in west Belfast.  The lance-corporal was one of two soldiers providing cover to foot patrols in the republican Turf Lodge district.  They had gone to the top floor of a three-storey block of flats when the booby-trap device exploded, killing Lance-Corporal Andrew Webster instantly.

The IRA exploited the fact that soldiers frequently used the block of flats as a vantage point.  The device was planted in the roof space of the top floor and designed to explode downwards on top of the soldiers.  LCpl Webster's colleague was injured, although not seriously.  Following the explosion snipers fired a number of high velocity rounds into the top floor.  It was not clear how the device was triggered, although remote control was not ruled out.

At the time of the blast a nursery school was in progress on the ground floor of the same block.  The toddlers, aged five and under, were showered with dust and plaster, but there were no injuries.  The children were led out of the building crying and screaming.

LCpl Andrew Webster

Lance-Corporal Andrew Webster was 20 and from St Helens in Merseyside.  Known as Andy, he served with the 1st King's Regiment and was due home on leave a week later.  He was the third member of the regiment to be killed during their tour.

ON THIS DAY IN 1982, CORBYN'S MATES...

The Provisional IRA murdered three British soldiers in west Belfast.  The gun attack took place as soldiers of the Royal Green Jackets were travelling between bases in two army Land Rovers.  The men were transporting an RAF sergeant from their brigade headquarters on Springfield Road to another army base a short distance away on North Howard Street.  The IRA had taken over a house on Cavendish Street the previous night, holding its three residents hostage, including an 81-year-old woman.

The terrorists had taken up positions upstairs and downstairs and watched as the two Land Rovers turned up Crocus Street at 11:20am, facing away from them.  The back doors of at least one of the vehicles were open.  The IRA opened fire with sniper rifles and an M60 machine gun, hitting Rifleman Daniel Holland.  In the same vehicle the RAF sergeant was also hit, but the driver sped away.  The terrorists then concentrated their fire on the second vehicle which subsequently came to a halt.  Rifleman Anthony Rapley was struck in the head and killed instantly, while Rifleman Nicholas Malakos was struck in the stomach, neck and jaw.  Malakos and Holland died from their injuries a short time later.

The driver of the first vehicle, a corporal, made his way back to the scene on foot and ran towards the IRA positions while under heavy fire.  He managed to reach the front door of the house, but the terrorists escaped from the rear of the property.  A booby-trap device containing six-inch nails was left behind the house, but defused by the army.  The corporal later received the Military Medal for his bravery.

The attack came during a lull in violence and many people were out enjoying the sunshine.  Several civilians were injured, including a man shot in the leg as he was pushing his five-month old baby in a pram.  Another civilian reportedly pushed the baby to safety.  An RUC spokesman later alluded to the callous nature of the attack as it took place in a staunchly republican area and the terrorists appeared to give scant regard to members of its own community.

It was suggested that the IRA planned the attack in response to claims they were on the brink of collapse.  Recent defections had led to dozens of arrests and the loss of several arms caches.  A police statement prior to the Cactus Street attack said of the IRA: "There is no future for them and they offer no future for anyone else".  In claiming responsibility the terrorists said: "The attack, while not in direct response to British-inspired stories to the effect that the IRA is finished - all of which we have heard before - demonstrated that the struggle will continue until our objectives are achieved".

Northern Ireland Secretary James Prior argued that statements on IRA capability were counter-productive: "Every time that anyone in the press or anywhere talks about the demise of the IRA, it is an open invitation for them to come out.  That is why I think the less said about these things, the better".

The three dead Riflemen were the first full-time army fatalities of 1982.  Up to that point the army had sustained one loss, a part-time member of the UDR who was murdered while he was off-duty in January.  All three of the men murdered at Crocus Street belonged to the 2nd Battalion Royal Green Jackets who were due to leave Northern Ireland two days later.  Rifleman Anthony Rapley was 22 and came from Oxford.  His father said he had planned to go on a camping holiday with his friend Rifleman Holland, who also perished: "Tony just loved army life and he was soon bored when he was home on leave.  He couldn't wait to get back.  It's such a terrible waste, but at least he died a soldier's death, a good death".

Rifleman Nicholas Malakos was 19 and from Surrey.  He was pronounced dead on arrival at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital.  His mother said: "All the time he has been over there I have dreaded a knock at the door.  Just two days to go and I was on edge the whole time".  Rifleman Daniel Holland was also 19 and from south-east London.  He died shortly after arriving at the Royal Victoria Hospital.

Memorial to the Royal Green Jackets at the National Memorial Arboretum in
Staffordshire.  In 2007 the regiment was amalgamated with three other infantry
regiments to form The Rifles

ON THIS DAY IN 1988, CORBYN'S MATES...

The Provisional IRA shot dead two British soldiers who had inexplicably interrupted an IRA funeral in west Belfast.  The incident became known as the 'Corporals Killings' and was caught on film by journalists at the scene and an army surveillance helicopter.  The murders of Cpl Derek Wood and Cpl David Howes were the final act in a series of killings that began in Gibraltar less than two weeks earlier.  Three IRA men were shot dead by the SAS, a joint funeral for which was to be held on March 16.  That funeral was attacked by a loyalist UDA gunman who killed three mourners, including IRA member Caoimhín MacBrádaigh.

It was MacBrádaigh's funeral three days later at which the corporals were captured and killed.  For reasons that have never been explained, the plain-clothed soldiers drove their unmarked car towards the funeral cortege and became trapped in it.  As they reversed at high speed in an attempt to escape, the mourners suspected that another loyalist attack was in progress and attacked the vehicle.  Wood drew his personal protection weapon, briefly scattering the mob, but they returned within seconds and overpowered the two men, dragging them out of the car and beating them.

Cpl Wood, weapon in hand, briefly forces the mob back

The soldiers were dragged into a nearby sports ground, stripped down to their underwear and searched by the IRA.  A military ID was found on Cpl Howes that referred to a military base in Germany called Herford.  In a cruel twist of fate the IRA misread this as 'Hereford', where the SAS is based.  Having concluded that the men were SAS, they were put in a black taxi after being severely beaten.  In actual fact the two soldiers belonged to the Royal Signals Corps.

A short distance away they were taken out of the taxi onto waste ground and shot dead.  Both men had suffered multiple injuries.  Cpl Wood was shot six times, but had also been stabbed four times.  A Catholic priest who had earlier tried to intervene in their capture ran to the scene of the shooting and tried to give CPR to one of the men who was still breathing.  Having realised both men were now dead he administered the last rites, a moment that was captured in one of the most famous images of the Troubles.

Father Reid administers the last rites to Cpl Howes

"I got down between the two of them and I had my arm around this one and I was holding this one up by the shoulder.  They were so disciplined, they just lay there totally still and I decided to myself they were soldiers.  There was a helicopter circling overhead and I don't know why they didn't do something, radio to the police or soldiers to come up, because there were these two of their own soldiers".

Father Alec Reid describes the moments before the soldiers were taken away

"How did we let it happen?  He [Cpl Wood] passed within a few feet of myself and dozens of other journalists.  He didn't cry out, just looked at us with terrified eyes as though we were all enemies in a foreign country who wouldn't have understood what language he was speaking if he called out for help".

Mary Holland, Irish Times reporter

Troops arrived at the scene three minutes after the corporals were shot, but by then it was 16 minutes after their car was initially surrounded.  An army patrol was seconds away throughout the incident, but those soldiers were reportedly told not to intervene.  The army later said it was wary of a larger IRA ambush and needed time to assess the situation.  During this period the security forces had adopted a relaxed 'hands off' approach to IRA funerals.  

Meanwhile, the IRA were still convinced they had killed two SAS men and released a statement to that effect a short time later, saying that the men had 'attacked' the funeral cortege.

Corporal Derek Wood was 24 and came from Carshalton in Surrey.  His grandmother had watched the attack on television, unaware her grandson was involved.  Corporal David Howes, 23, was from Northampton.  He had only arrived in Northern Ireland a week earlier, having previously served in Germany and the Falklands.  His fiancée also watched the attack on TV, but did not discover his involvement until she heard his name read out on the radio later that day.  He had previously told her he would be confined to an office during his tour and would not be in any danger.  Both men had joined the Army Cadet Force aged 13.  Margaret Thatcher was among those present as the bodies of the men were flown into RAF Northolt ahead of their respective funerals.

Two Belfast IRA members were later found guilty of the murders and sentenced to life in 1989, although the actual gunmen who fired the shots were never found.  The convicted pair were released nine years later under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.  Several other men were charged in relation to the attack, but as of 1998 they had all been released.

ON THIS DAY IN 1976, CORBYN'S MATES...

The Provisional IRA bombed a pub in south Belfast, killing a 55-year-old civilian and seriously injuring several others.  The car bomb was parked outside the entrance to the Klondyke Bar in the loyalist Sandy Row area.  The pub, built in 1872, was devastated by the explosion and it was a miracle there wasn't more loss of life.  It was Friday night and no warning was given.  Several customers lost limbs and a barmaid lost an eye.

The Klondyke Bar bombing

Two men were jailed in relation to the bombing.  Frank McGreevy spent 17 years in prison for various terrorist offences including the murder of John Smiley, the man who died in the Klondyke bombing.  In 2008 McGreevy was himself murdered.  Beaten to death at his home in west Belfast, the murder was not terror-related, although he was still given a Provo funeral at which Gerry Adams gave a eulogy.  Adams said he had known the bomber since the early 1970s.  McGreevy was 51 at the time of his death, four years younger than Mr Smiley was when he was blown up.  Mr Smiley's daughter later told a newspaper that she had forgiven McGreevy for her father's murder, but felt that the attention given to McGreevy's death detracted from many of those who perished in the Troubles, including her father.

ON THIS DAY IN 1983, CORBYN'S MATES...

The Provisional IRA shot dead a Catholic judge as he left a church service in south Belfast.  Judge William Doyle had been attending midday mass at St Brigid's in the affluent district of Malone.  The 56-year-old father of two had offered a lift to an elderly worshipper and they had just got into his Mercedes when two men approached.  One of them tapped on his window before both men opened fire as he wound it down.  The judge was struck five times and the 72-year-old woman in his passenger seat was seriously injured.

Judge Doyle's daughter described him as a "Republican who had grown up on the Falls Road".  Despite this, he was reportedly targeted because the IRA saw him as 'working for the enemy'.  Although he received a police escort when travelling between his home and the courthouse, he declined the service at all other times, even after being told he was a potential target.  Prior to his appointment as a judge in 1978, he was a high profile QC and despite his Republican upbringing he represented defendants from both sides.  In 1966 he defended the infamous UVF leader Gusty Spence over the murder of a Catholic civilian.

William Doyle QC and, right, his funeral

The following year the IRA attempted to murder a Catholic magistrate outside the same church in Malone, again following midday mass.  The magistrate survived the attack, but his 22-year-old daughter was killed.

ON THIS DAY IN 1979, CORBYN'S MATES...

The Provisional IRA ambushed a joint army/police patrol as it left Springfield Road police station in west Belfast.  Several armed terrorists had taken over a house on the corner of Crocus Street and held the family hostage prior to their attack.  They lay in wait for around an hour for a patrol to emerge.  A Land Rover then backed out of the police station under the direction of a policeman, with Warrant Officer David Bellamy providing cover.  As they clambered into the back of the vehicle the gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons.

The gunmen fired from upstairs windows and into the back of the Land Rover while its door was still open.  Some fifty rounds were fired and all three occupants in the back of the vehicle were hit.  Warrant Officer Bellamy was killed instantly.  Two policemen were seriously injured, one of whom - Constable John Davidson - died three weeks later from his injuries.  He had been struck in the head and neck and was on a life support machine prior to his death.  The other policeman survived despite being hit seven times.  A female occupant of the house, five months pregnant, was treated for shock.

Warrant Officer David Bellamy

Warrant Officer David Bellamy served with the Duke of Wellington Regiment and came from Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire.  The 31-year-old was survived by his wife and two children.  He had been due to give evidence at an inquest into the death of an Official IRA member shot dead in west Belfast in 1975.

Constable John Gerald Davidson was 26 and came from south Belfast.  He was also survived by a wife and two children.

ON THIS DAY IN 1972, CORBYN'S MATES...

The Provisional IRA murdered a British soldier and a civilian in west Belfast.  The terrorists targeted an army sentry post at Vere Foster School in the republican Springfield Road area.  A member of the King's Regiment was about to take up guard duty when he was hit in the neck by a sniper's bullet.  Kingsman James Joseph Jones, 18, was the 100th soldier to die during the Troubles.

Kingsman Jones came from Kirkby near Liverpool and had been in the army eight months.  A Catholic, he was buried with full military honours in his hometown.  His father, unable to come to terms with the loss, hanged himself three weeks after his son was shot dead.

Around an hour after the attack which killed Kingsman Jones, the body of a nightwatchman was discovered at the Finlay's factory on Ballygomartin Road.  50-year-old Thomas Mills, a local man, had received a gunshot wound to his right side.  The police concluded that Mr Mills was struck by a bullet during the earlier attack on the army post at the school.  Finlay's factory was close to the school and the shot had been fired from high ground in line with both murder scenes.

A republican memorial dedicated to local civilians killed during the Troubles can be found on the Springfield Road.  Thomas Mills's name is not on it.  He was a Protestant.

ON THIS DAY IN 1987, CORBYN'S MATES...

The Provisional IRA murdered a civilian in a car bomb attack in central Belfast.  Nathaniel Cush had spent more than half his life in the British Army, but had left ten weeks prior to his murder.  The 47-year-old worked at the post office in Tomb Street and was leaving work when the bomb exploded.  Having left the army Nathaniel probably didn't check under his car and when he turned on the ignition the bomb exploded.  He was killed instantly.

Nathaniel Cush was a colour sergeant when he left the Ulster Defence Regiment.  He had a total of 24 years service under his belt, 15 of which had been spent in the UDR, and was buried with full military honours.  The funeral took place the day before he was due to have a farewell dinner arranged by his former comrades.  Nathaniel came from west Belfast and was survived by his wife and two children.

A tree dedicated to Nathaniel Cush at the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas in Staffordshire

ON THIS DAY IN 1972, CORBYN'S MATES...

The Provisional IRA murdered a British soldier in the Ballymurphy district of west Belfast.  Private George Lee was on foot patrol when he was struck down by a single sniper's bullet.  The gunman had taken up position in a house on Whitecliff Parade and Pte Lee was killed almost instantly after being shot in the neck.

The 22-year-old from Leeds was a member of the Duke of Wellington Regiment (1st Battalion) and had signed up five years earlier.  His parents later wrote to the Lord Mayor of Belfast to say they felt no ill will to the people of the city and wanted to express their gratitude to the Catholic priest who had donated towards a wreath for their son.  In 2010 Pte Lee's mother was presented with the Elizabeth Cross, an award given to the next of kin of Armed Forces personnel killed on operations.

Cap badge of the Duke of Wellington Regiment (1702-2006)

ON THIS DAY IN 1976, CORBYN'S MATES...

The Provisional IRA shot dead a policeman outside the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.  Detective Constable Ronald McAdam was not on duty when he was murdered, having taken his girlfriend to the hospital for a medical appointment.  After dropping her off he told her he was going to place a bet on the Derby and would be back to collect her in about an hour.  He returned as planned and the pair walked out to his unmarked car.  As DC McAdam was getting into the car he was approached from behind and shot in the back three times.  He died on the operating table inside the hospital, the second RUC casualty to die in the Royal Victoria that day.

The hospital was located on the Falls Road, a republican stronghold, but it was not clear how the IRA knew the detective would be there.  A local man was later convicted of DC McAdam's murder, and that of another policeman shot dead in the same area five months later.

DC McAdam was 31 and came from the Cregagh estate in east Belfast.

DC McAdam

ON THIS DAY IN 1981, CORBYN'S MATES...

The Provisional IRA murdered a policeman in a rocket attack in west Belfast.  Constable Samuel Vallely was travelling in an armoured Land Rover along with four colleagues, through the Catholic New Barnsley district, when a rocket-propelled grenade struck the vehicle.  The shoulder-launched Soviet-made RPG-7 was launched after the Land Rover was lit up by a petrol bomb.  The RPG hit the side of the vehicle and blew off the roof, but the driver managed to continue and get his injured colleagues to the Royal Victoria Hospital.  PC Vallely died a short time later.  He was the first police officer to be killed by the IRA in a rocket attack on a police vehicle.

23-year-old Constable Vallely was married, with a 16-month-old daughter.  The family home was in Carnmoney on the outskirts of north Belfast.  At the time of his death, Mrs Vallely was pregnant with their second child and gave birth to a boy later that year.  The couple had been planning to emigrate to Canada.

A 37-year-old local man was later charged with the murder of Constable Vallely.

ON THIS DAY IN 1972, CORBYN'S MATES...

The Provisional IRA shot dead a British soldier on foot patrol in the Lower Falls district of Belfast.  Private John Ballard was providing cover for colleagues at the junction of Sultan Street/Osman Street when he was hit in the neck by a sniper's bullet.  The 18-year-old was serving in the Royal Anglian Regiment (3rd Battalion), along with his older brother.

Pte Ballard was the son of a Grimsby fisherman, one of eight children.  His parents thanked the people of Belfast for the many letters of condolence they had received.  A photograph of Pte Ballard appeared in newspapers at the time, taken three days earlier and just 300 yards from where he was shot.

Pte Ballard pictured three days before his murder

ON THIS DAY IN 1973, CORBYN'S MATES...

The Provisional IRA murdered a British soldier in north Belfast.  Royal Marine Graham Cox was travelling in one of two Land Rovers on patrol in the Catholic New Lodge area.  As the vehicles slowed down for security ramps IRA gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons from a vacant property.  Mne Cox was hit in the chest and killed almost instantly.  A colleague was hit in the leg.

Ironically the security ramps had been placed there to deter loyalists from driving car bombs into the area.  The ramps were subsequently removed by soldiers in the early hours of the following morning.

19-year-old Mne Cox was serving with 42 Commando and came from Emsworth in Hampshire.  His parents expressed gratitude to the people of Belfast and the Lord Mayor for their sympathy in the wake of their son's murder.

A man from the local area was charged with the murder of Mne Cox, but the charges were later dropped.

RUC notice appealing for information on Mne Cox's murder

ON THIS DAY IN 1980, CORBYN'S MATES...

The Provisional IRA murdered an RUC reservist at Glenbank Industrial Estate in north Belfast.  Reserve Constable Bernard Montgomery had been employed there part time by his brother.  Two IRA gunmen walked into the office and spoke to the victim briefly before shooting him several times in the back as he turned away.  A 63-year-old colleague was also struck by a bullet, but survived.  The murder was witnessed by R/Con Montgomery's grandfather who was also in the office at the time.  The terrorists escaped in a taxi that had been hijacked in the Ardoyne area, where it was also found abandoned later that day.

R/Con Montgomery was 33 and came from Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, where he had lived with his wife and four-year-old son.  He had been working for his brother while waiting to join the full time RUC reserve just a few weeks later.  He had been a part-time reservist for just over a year.  R/Con Montgomery was buried in a Presbyterian service at Ballyclare, Co Antrim.

The entrance to Glenbank Ind Est as it looks today

ON THIS DAY IN 1976, CORBYN'S MATES...

The Provisional IRA attempted to murder two teenagers on the Highfield estate in West Belfast.  The attack was a disaster.

The gunmen were unaware of a nearby army patrol and were spotted as the attack was in progress. The IRA's James McGrillen had leapt from a car and shot both teenagers, but before he knew it he had been shot himself, by the British soldiers.  As the terrorists tried to escape they crashed into a garden.  The soldiers exchanged fire with a second gunman who exited the vehicle and managed to escape on foot.  McGrillen was found inside the car with a fatal head wound.  Two other occupants, both youths, were later jailed for unlawful wounding.  The Protestant teens who had been targeted were both seriously injured, but survived.

McGrillen came from a hardline republican family and was a second cousin of Bobby Sands.  His daughter was also shot dead by the army, 14 years later, after the stolen car in which she was travelling sped through a checkpoint.

Ballygomartin Road, scene of McGrillen's death