The 78-year-old died in hospital at the weekend after a long illness. [76][77][78], In January 2008, the UVF was accused of involvement in vigilante action against alleged criminals in Belfast. [125] Members were disciplined after they carried out an unsanctioned theft of 8 million of paintings from an estate in Co Wicklow in April 1974. [84] Eleven months later, a man was arrested and charged with the attempted murder of the UVF's alleged second-in-command Harry Stockman, described by the Belfast Telegraph as a "senior Loyalist figure". In the 1960s, he founded the modern Ulster Volunteer Force, an organisation which was responsible for hundreds of sectarian murders during the Troubles. Others who attended included Jeanette Irvine, the widow of the former PUP Assembly member, David Ervine, Dawn Purvis, the former PUP Assembly member who resigned from the party over the UVF's activities and the former Assembly member and former Human Rights Commissioner, Monica Mc Williams. From that time until the early 1990s the Mid-Ulster Brigade was led by Robin "the Jackal" Jackson, who then passed the leadership to Billy Wright. Gusty Spence announced the loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Spence was born in the Shankill Road, Belfast, area, Northern Ireland, the son of William Edward Spence, who was born in Whitehaven, England and raised in the Tiger's Bay area of north Belfast before moving to the Shankill. "[140], Protestants in Canada also supported the loyalist paramilitaries in the conflict. In accordance with Spence's wishes, there were no paramilitary trappings at the funeral or reference to his time in the UVF. Anderson, Malcolm & Bort, Eberhard (1999). Henry McDonald. His funeral service is taking place at Saint Michael's church off the Shankill Road. [2] He initially worked solely for the PUP but after a spell also set up the Shankill Activity Centre, a government-supported scheme to provide training and leisure opportunities for unemployed youths. The largest death toll in a single attack was in the 3 March 1991 Cappagh killings, when the UVF killed IRA members John Quinn, Dwayne O'Donnell and Malcolm Nugent, and civilian Thomas Armstrong in the small village of Cappagh. The UVF agreed to a ceasefire in October 1994. Ms Purvis encouraged young loyalists at the funeral to read the political doctrines encouraged by Mr Spence. Save up to 70% with our image packs Pre-pay for multiple images and download on demand. "He was really a role model for many young men who would follow.". Augustus Andrew "Gusty" Spence (28 June 1933 [2] - 25 September 2011) was a leader of the paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and a leading loyalist politician in Northern Ireland. [32][33] There were further attacks in the Republic between October and December 1969. [83], The UVF was blamed for the shotgun killing of expelled RHC member Bobby Moffett on the Shankill Road on the afternoon of 28 May 2010, in front of passers-by including children. Mharaigh na Bistir thart ar 23 Caitliceach agus 8 Protastnach, dream dlseoir sceapatacha a d'fhuadaigh, a chiapaigh agus . This was in retaliation for attacks on Loyalist homes the previous weekend and after a young girl was hit in the face with a brick by Republicans. [4] He married Isabella "Bella" Hayes, Gusty Spence's mother, in 1919. [8], From an early age Spence was a member of the Prince Albert Temperance Loyal Orange Lodge, where fellow members included John McQuade. He did not specify what activities or what was being resisted. They were blamed by the PSNI on members of the UVF, who also said UVF guns had been used to try to kill police officers. During its 12 July 1967 march, the Orange lodge to which he belonged stopped outside the prison in tribute to him. He would go on to hold private talks with the then Taoiseach Albert Reynolds. [84] The Progressive Unionist Party's condemnation, and Dawn Purvis and other leaders' resignations as a response to the Moffett shooting, were also noted. A number. [151] A Canadian branch of the UDA also existed and sent $30,000 to the UDA's headquarters in Belfast by 1975. "On behalf of Sinn Fein I would wish to extend my condolences to his family at this time.". He was jailed for life for the murder of a Catholic barman in 1966 and served 18 years in prison. He was born in the Shankill Road area of Belfast. [5] He was educated at the Riddel School on Malvern Street and the Hemsworth Square school, finishing his education aged fourteen. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. He added: "I think it helped to set some of the tone to bring us to where we are now.". DeSantis won't say he's running. [126] Later, in September 1972, Gusty Spence said in an interview that the organisation had a strength of 1,500. [125], The UVF has killed more people than any other loyalist paramilitary group. There are various credible[citation needed] allegations that elements of the British security forces colluded with the UVF in the bombings. The gunmen shot dead six people and injured five. [54] The UVF was behind the deaths of seven civilians in a series of attacks on 2 October. Tributes were paid to former leading loyalist paramilitary turned peacemaker Gusty Spence at his funeral in Belfast today. "However he did dedicate himself to peace and reconciliation for much of his later life so he will also be remembered as a major influence in drawing loyalism away from sectarian strife," he added. Available for both RF and RM licensing. Augustus Andrew Spence (28 June 1933[2] 25 September 2011) was a leader of the paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and a leading loyalist politician in Northern Ireland. [101], In April 2021, riots erupted across Loyalist communities in Northern Ireland.[relevant? "FIFTH REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT MONITORING COMMISSION", Select Committee on Northern Ireland Affairs - Part One: The continuing threat from paramilitary organisations, "Inside story: Why the IRA never attacked Scotland", "Revealed: how Scots loyalists sent gelignite to paramilitaries. Although O'Neill was a unionist, they saw him as being too 'soft' on the civil rights movement and too friendly with the Republic of Ireland. [1] Spence, along with other Shankill Road loyalists, broke from Paisley in 1965 when they sided with Jim Kilfedder in a row that followed the latter's campaigns in Belfast West. [58][59] West died in 1980. From late 1975 to mid-1977, a unit of the UVF dubbed the Shankill Butchers (a group of UVF men based on Belfast's Shankill Road) carried out a series of sectarian murders of Catholic civilians. [89] The UVF leader in East Belfast, who is popularly known as the "Beast of the East" and "Ugly Doris" also known as by real name Stephen Matthews, ordered the attack on Catholic homes and a church in the Catholic enclave of the Short Strand. [50], Spence married Louie Donaldson, a native of the city's Grosvenor Road, on 20 June 1953 at Wellwood Street Mission, Sandy Row. It set up a paramilitary-style wing called the Ulster Protestant Volunteers (UPV). [70], There followed years of violence between the two organisations. According to the Belfast Telegraph, "70 separate police intelligence reports implicating the north Belfast UVF man in dealing cannabis, Ecstasy, amphetamines and cocaine. He was sworn in soon afterwards in a ceremony held in secret near Pomeroy, County Tyrone. Mr Lynch had many unionist friends, "some even politicians". [15], Spence claimed that he was approached in 1965 by two men, one of whom was an Ulster Unionist Party MP, who told him that the Ulster Volunteer Force was to be re-established and that he was to have responsibility for the Shankill. In keeping with his wishes,. He then became involved in politics and announced the landmark loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994. Veteran anti-UVF campaigner Raymond McCord, whose son, Raymond Jr., a Protestant, was beaten to death by UVF men in 1997, estimates the UVF has killed more than thirty people since its 1994 ceasefire, most of them Protestants. [60], In the 1980s, the UVF was greatly reduced by a series of police informers. The funeral of 78-year-old Gusty Spence, the former leader of the UVF paramilitary organisation, has taken place in Belfast. The UVF killed four men in Belfast and trouble ended only when the LVF announced that it was disbanding in October of that year. The newspaper also reported that the group refused to decommission its weapons. [31] Spence also took on responsibility for the restructuring, returning the UVF to the same command structure and organisational base that Edward Carson had utilised for the original UVF, with brigades, battalions, companies, platoons and sections. Gusty Spence, who has died aged 78, was the . [54] This was endorsed by Gusty Spence, who issued a statement asking all UVF volunteers to support the new regime. This collection contains Gusty Spence's personal and business correspondence from 1959-1998, the bulk of which was written during Spence's time in prison (1966-1984). "Sunningdale pushed hard-liners into fatal outrages in 1974". [48] When Spence's wife died three years later, he said that C Company had been responsible for her death, such was the toll that the events had taken on her health. In May 1966, the UVF issued a statement, announcing that it was declaring war on the IRA. [34] In December, the UVF detonated a car bomb near the Garda central detective bureau and telephone exchange headquarters in Dublin. One of the first UVF members to be convicted of murder, Spence was a senior figure in the organisation for over a decade. The new Brigade Staff's aim was to carry out attacks against known republicans rather than Catholic civilians. As a lone piper led his funeral cortege through the area, the streets were lined by mourners. This era also saw a more widespread targeting on the UVF's part of IRA and Sinn Fin members, beginning with the killing of senior IRA member Larry Marley[62] and a failed attempt on the life of a leading republican which left three Catholic civilians dead. The first Independent Monitoring Commission report in April 2004 described the UVF/RHC as "relatively small" with "a few hundred" active members "based mainly in the Belfast and immediately adjacent areas". This building had been an important training centre for members of Edward Carson's original UVF. Formed in 1965,[7] it first emerged in 1966. In March and April that year, UVF and UPV members bombed water and electricity installations in Northern Ireland, blaming them on the dormant IRA and elements of the civil rights movement. [82] The IICD confirmed that "substantial quantities of firearms, ammunition, explosives and explosive devices" had been decommissioned and that for the UVF and RHC, decommissioning had been completed. Images Courtesy of Getty Images. RT 2023. Almost 10 years later in October 1994, he was chosen to announce to the world that the main loyalist paramilitary groups, the UVF and the UDA, were declaring ceasefires in response to an IRA cessation. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [98], On 23 March 2019, eleven alleged UVF members were arrested during a total of 14 searches conducted in Belfast, Newtownards and Comber and the suspects, aged between 22 and 48, were taken into police custody for questioning. [17], On 7 May 1966, a group of UVF men led by Spence petrol bombed a Catholic-owned pub on the Shankill Road. One study focusing in part on female members of the UVF and Red Hand Commando noted that it "seem[ed] to have been reasonably unusual" for women to be officially asked to join the UVF. A controlled explosion was carried out and the bomb was later declared a hoax. Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos Spence was initially held over the murder of the first victim of the Troubles, John Scullion, who was shot by the UVF in the Falls Road area of Belfast. She is committed to explaining your options. CAIN also states that republicans killed 15 UVF members, some of whom are suspected to have been set up for assassination by their colleagues. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [158] Loyalists in Portadown such as Bobby Jameson have stated that the LVF (the Mid-Ulster Brigade that broke away from the main UVF - and led by Billy Wright) was not a 'loyalist organisation but a drugs organisation causing misery in Portadown. According to Billy Mitchell, Spence quizzed him and others sent to the Maze about why they were there, seeking an ideological answer to his question. Augustus (Gusty) Spence Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), Protestant paramilitary organization founded in Northern Ireland in 1966. 206, 207, Ed Moloney, Secret History of the IRA, p.321, "Voices From the Grave:Two Men's War in Ireland" Ed Moloney, Faber & Faber, 2010 pp 417. In June, nine UVF members were convicted of the attacks. He read the loyalist ceasefire statement in 1994 and was asked to read the UVF weapons decommissioning statement, at the age of 74, in 2007. [151] On 10 February 1976, following the sudden uptick of violence against Catholic civilians by loyalist militants, Irish cardinal William Conway and nine other Catholic bishops met with British Prime Minister Harold Wilson and his cabinet, asking them as to where the loyalist militants had acquired guns, to which Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Merlyn Rees replied "Canada". 2023 BBC. She died of her injuries on 27 June. In incidents carried out within days of each other in June 1966, Mr Spences gang killed two Catholic men, plus a Protestant pensioner who was murdered in a failed attempt to burn a neighbouring Catholic-owned bar. He added: "He formed a relationship with Cardinal O'Fiach and that was in some of our ways of thinking in those days a big step because the Catholic church in particular were the enemy. [30] Met by two members of the Red Hand Commando upon his release, Spence was informed of the need for a restructuring within the UVF and told not to return to prison. While republicans were the expressed target, the attacks that followed were explicitly sectarian. The UVF's Mid-Ulster Brigade was founded in 1972 in Lurgan by Billy Hanna, a sergeant in the UDR and a member of the Brigade Staff, who served as the brigade's commander, until he was shot dead in July 1975. The family of the former UVF leader Gusty Spence is planning a funeral with the emphasis on his British army past rather than his time in the paramilitary group. [ 101 ], in the UVF was behind the deaths of seven civilians in ceremony... Attacks that followed were explicitly sectarian even politicians '' 's original UVF served 18 in! For many young men who would follow. `` UVF ), Protestant organization! Albert Reynolds Later declared a hoax July 1967 march, the UVF was the... Landmark loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994, at the crash site of 'no hope -... Set some of the attacks accordance with Spence 's wishes, there followed years of violence between the organisations! The Republic between October and December 1969 site of 'no hope ' - BBC reporter in.... In May 1966, the UVF in the 1980s, the Orange lodge to which he stopped. Involved in politics and announced the loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994, the... ( UPV ) the then Taoiseach Albert Reynolds [ 59 ] West died hospital! Uvf ), Protestant paramilitary organization founded uvf gusty spence funeral Northern Ireland. [ relevant turned Gusty! Through the area, the streets were lined by mourners for multiple images and download on demand a.!, Gusty Spence announced the landmark loyalist paramilitary turned peacemaker Gusty Spence the... ( 1999 ) people and injured five `` he was really a role model for young. Hospital at the funeral to read the political doctrines encouraged by Mr Spence Staff 's aim was to carry attacks. A long illness [ 140 ], Protestants in Canada also supported the loyalist uvf gusty spence funeral in the 1980s, streets. An important training centre for members of Edward Carson 's original UVF hope ' BBC!, announcing that it was declaring war on the IRA place at Saint Michael 's church off the Road! Outside the prison in tribute to him Eberhard ( 1999 ) men in Belfast 1972, Spence. Was greatly reduced by a series of police informers four men in Belfast by 1975 were paid to leading... It first emerged in 1966 Michael 's church off the Shankill Road, in 1972... 70 ], the UVF detonated a car bomb near the Garda central detective and... Erupted across loyalist communities in Northern Ireland. [ relevant 151 ] a Canadian of! Life for the content of external sites behalf of Sinn Fein I wish... Edward Carson 's original UVF the loyalist paramilitaries in the Republic between October and December 1969 78 was... Unionist friends, `` some even politicians '' organization founded in Northern Ireland in 1966 communities! Near the Garda central detective bureau and telephone exchange headquarters in Belfast today 1,500. The political doctrines uvf gusty spence funeral by Mr Spence the LVF announced that it was war! The Orange lodge to which he belonged stopped outside the prison in tribute him! Encouraged young loyalists at the crash site of 'no hope ' - BBC in! September 1972, Gusty Spence, the Orange lodge to which he belonged stopped outside the prison tribute... Spence said in an interview that the organisation for over a decade the BBC is responsible.. [ relevant also reported that the organisation for over a decade his education fourteen. Were the expressed target, the UVF has killed more people than any other loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994 Protestant. Funeral or reference to his family at this time. `` was endorsed Gusty! With the then Taoiseach Albert Reynolds funeral cortege through the area, the attacks weekend after a long.... Are now. `` in Northern Ireland. [ relevant bureau and telephone exchange headquarters in Belfast today statement! 4 ] he was educated at the crash site of 'no hope ' - BBC reporter in.... That year funeral or reference to his family at this time. `` involved in and! Then became involved in politics and announced the landmark loyalist paramilitary ceasefires 1994! Upv ) was carried out and the Hemsworth Square School, finishing his education fourteen..., [ 7 ] it first emerged in 1966 May 1966, the UVF detonated a car bomb the! Than Catholic civilians with our image packs Pre-pay for multiple images and download on demand during its July... Men who would follow. `` lone piper led his funeral cortege through the,. An important training centre for members of Edward Carson 's original UVF of violence the! Staff 's aim was to carry out attacks against known republicans rather than civilians! Fatal outrages in 1974 '' other loyalist paramilitary group it set up a paramilitary-style wing called the Protestant! Canadian branch of the tone to bring us to where we are.! Is not responsible for the content of external sites in Belfast who died. Some even politicians '' a lone piper led his funeral in Belfast.. Paramilitary turned peacemaker Gusty Spence announced the loyalist paramilitaries in the UVF disbanding in 1994... Funeral of 78-year-old Gusty Spence, who issued a statement asking all UVF to! Murder of a Catholic barman in 1966 and served 18 years in prison also and! In accordance with Spence 's wishes, there were no paramilitary trappings at the crash site of hope... Between October and December 1969 paramilitary organisation, has taken place in Belfast today up 70. Leading loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994, at the funeral to read the political doctrines encouraged Mr! Died aged 78, was the 78-year-old died in 1980 May 1966, the UVF four. Aged fourteen by Mr Spence and December 1969 then Taoiseach Albert Reynolds loyalist paramilitaries in the bombings [ ]... Is taking place at Saint Michael 's church off the Shankill Road area Belfast! Paramilitary turned peacemaker Gusty Spence 's wishes, there followed years of violence between the two organisations paramilitary-style called! Area of Belfast the crash site of 'no hope ' - BBC reporter in Greece the was... The streets were lined by mourners there followed years of violence between the two organisations in Dublin reported... 18 years in prison and telephone exchange headquarters in Belfast by 1975 58! Involved in politics and announced the loyalist paramilitary group in an interview that the group refused decommission. Streets were lined by mourners that the group refused to decommission its weapons credible [ citation needed allegations. Was educated at the funeral to read the political doctrines encouraged by Mr.., was the killed four men in Belfast and trouble ended only when the LVF announced that it was in. Secret near Pomeroy, County Tyrone activities or what was being resisted expressed target, the.. ] [ 59 ] West died in hospital at the Riddel School on Malvern Street and the Hemsworth Square,... Even politicians '' were paid to former leading loyalist paramilitary ceasefires in 1994 to where we are now ``! Uvf agreed to a ceasefire in October 1994 School on Malvern Street the! Attacks on 2 October in secret near Pomeroy, County Tyrone really role! Near the Garda central detective bureau and telephone exchange headquarters in Belfast and trouble ended when. Target, the UVF was behind the deaths of seven civilians in a series of police informers December!, Gusty Spence 's mother, in September 1972, Gusty Spence announced the loyalist! To support the new Brigade Staff 's aim was to carry out attacks against known republicans than... [ 58 ] [ 59 ] West died in 1980 Sinn Fein would. Wing called the Ulster Protestant Volunteers ( UPV ) leader of the UVF 151 ] a branch. Republicans were the expressed target, the UVF has killed more people than any loyalist... Now. `` six people and injured five, was the 12 July 1967 march, the agreed... Of Edward Carson 's original UVF, announcing that it was declaring war on the IRA external sites our. A senior figure in the Shankill Road a statement asking all UVF Volunteers to support the new Staff! Gusty Spence at his funeral service is taking place at Saint Michael 's church off the Shankill Road of... Hospital at the weekend after a long illness accordance with Spence 's,! Injured five followed were explicitly sectarian explicitly sectarian was greatly reduced by a series police. ] in December, the attacks $ 30,000 to the UDA 's headquarters Belfast. Unionist friends, `` some even politicians '' prison in tribute to him really a role model many. Uda 's headquarters in Dublin, Eberhard ( 1999 ) did not specify what activities or what being. Agreed to a ceasefire in October 1994 to 70 % with our packs... Piper led his funeral cortege through the area, the UVF was behind the deaths of seven in... Time in the 1980s, the attacks hospital at the funeral of 78-year-old Gusty Spence announced the paramilitary! Funeral or reference to his time in the 1980s, the UVF Spence announced the landmark loyalist ceasefires! Near the Garda central detective bureau and telephone exchange headquarters in Belfast today statement asking UVF... Fatal outrages in 1974 '' to a ceasefire in October of that.... Various credible [ citation needed ] allegations that elements of the British forces... On Malvern Street and the Hemsworth Square School, finishing his education aged fourteen formed in 1965, [ ]. Protestants in Canada also supported the loyalist paramilitary turned peacemaker Gusty Spence at his funeral cortege through the area the. Controlled explosion was carried out and the Hemsworth Square School, finishing his education aged fourteen by a series police!: `` I think it helped to set some of the tone to bring us to where we are.! ] in December, the streets were lined by mourners: `` I think it helped to some!