Tag: Ballymurphy Massacre
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Kitson, Afghanistan and Iraq.
By David Burke. 1. The counter-insurgency gurus. From 1970 to 1972, Brigadier (later General Sir) Frank Kitson served as Brigadier of 39 Brigade in Belfast. Some argue he damaged relations between the British government and the Nationalist community more than any other individual in the British Army. This website has many stories about Kitson, and…
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‘EFGH’
By David Burke. 1. ‘No other perpetrator involved would be given anonymity, for some reason, Soldier F is a protected species.’ In 2021, Colum Eastwood MP of the SDLP was named ‘Soldier F ’ in the House of Commons, under privilege. ‘Soldier F’ had faced murder charges for his actions on Bloody Sunday, which…
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Kitson’s Private Army.
By David Burke. Brigadier Frank Kitson ran the 39th Airborne Brigade area, i.e. Belfast, as if he were a mob boss with the city ashis patch. He let the paratroopers under his command run riot in that domain. Some of the more decent and honourable British Army officers were aghast at their excesses and asked…
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Lying like a trooper.
By David Burke. 1. Where was the ‘EFGH’ Unit of Support Company of 1 Para during the Ballymurphy Massacre? Internment began on 9 August 1971. By the 11th, ten people had been murdered by paratroopers in Ballymurphy. Decades later, the coroner who oversaw the inquest for the victims of the Ballymurphy massacre confirmed that…
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Natural Born Killer.
By David Burke. Brigadier (later General) Frank Edward Kitson was responsible for the Ballymurphy massacre. He was the Brigadier of 39 Brigade – that is to say he was the officer in charge of all British soldiers in Belfast during the Ballymurphy massacre. His accomplice was Colonel Derek Wilford, the then commander of 1 Para.…
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Kitson’s foreknowledge of a third massacre.
New evidence has emerged about the UVF’s bombing of McGurk’s Bar in Belfast in December 1971. The explosion caused the entire structure of the premises to collapse, killing fifteen Catholic civilians – including two children – and wounding seventeen more. It was the deadliest attack in Belfast during the Troubles. Brigadier (later General Sir) Frank…
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Counterinsurgency war criminals.
The denial of justice for political gain. Next week will see the release of the long-awaited inquest report into the Ballymurphy massacre during which British soldiers killed and wounded a large number of unarmed civilians in Belfast. The atrocity took place after the introduction of internment in August of 1971. Adding insult to inqury, the…
