--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A very long list sadly. My old BSM's son was killed in NI in the 80s, his name doesent seem to appear, surname was Utteridge

** Top Man Coxy ** They need to and always will be remembered ** Best mate of mine was killed in 1974 in a moblie patrol accident in central Belfast ** When we departed the tour we left him fighting for his life in Belfast Hospital ** Kid never made it ** Couple of weeks into our return to Germany we got the bad news he had died ** GNR KEITH BATES 170 BTY / 45 MED REGT RA ** Great Kid But Never Forgotten in the pic Keith is on the right ** Gnr Richard Furminger was killed in 79 by a land-mine blast on the Armagh-Moy Road Armagh along with another lad who were acting as escorts for ATO (Felix) **** Sgt Martin Carroll was also 176 Bty/ 45 Regt ** In the 14-9-71 Londonderry Creggan incident with Martin (Molly) Carroll my brother Bernie was in a sanger in Blighs Lane only yards from where Molly was shot our Bernie said it was the classic opening and closeing of the hostile crowd of kids mothers ect when the sniper opened fire Martin was hit by one high velocity round our Bernie and others dragged him up a banking and into the back of a pig which bombed off at speed over the water towards the hospital in Derry *** Molly died in the back of the pig after a desperate fight to save him by a S/NCO ** Martin was just 23 ** His younger brother was only yards away when he was shot ** The same day Sgt Jim Black also 176 Bty was shot through the throat by a sniper in the same area The swift actions of a medic that day saved Jim by incerting a caseing from a ball point pen in the wound and giveing him air ** THE CREGGAN HAD LEFT ITS MARK ** PS For those of you who are interested have a chat with this guy Ken Wharton at www.squaddiesvoices.com Hes just brought out a great book called THE LONG LONG WAR squaddies voices fron their tours in NI Ive chatted with him at long length hes a great guy ex RGJ hes bringing a second book out in 09 and needs ex NI vets to contact him !!!!
[URL=http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=99&i=thinkitslundyampbasheryo6.jpg][IMG]htt

www.forcesmemorial.org...honour.asp Spanish Dave click on the link and fill in the form to find Gnr Utteridges NI details Regards Swainey

Gnr Terry Pritchard, wounded in the same incident where Joey Abbott and Spud Murphy were killed (24.10.76). Terry never got over this and hanged himself ten years later.

RIP Terry.

swainey wrote:

http://www.forcesmemorial.org.uk/roll-of-honour.asp Spanish Dave click on the link and fill in the form to find Gnr Utteridges NI details Regards Swainey

Yep thats him mate

My brother developed PTSD over his time in NI and this contributed hugely to his death last May

spanish_dave wrote:

A very long list sadly. My old BSM's son was killed in NI in the 80s, his name doesent seem to appear, surname was Utteridge

spanish_dave

I've added Gnr Utteridge to the list above

Thanks mate, sadly his dad has also gone now but his brother is a serving Gunner WO1

ive just see keith bates photo.........he was my mate too.....we served through boy service together..........i didnt know he was killed in action................ also missing off the list..... gnr jones died in lurgan 1975 ( 56 bty )

Hi Trackman Yes mate its proberbley going back around 35 years since you last say Keith ? Its been 33 since he died !!!! Keith blended in very well in 170 Bty when he arrived from Bramcote he did well at what ever was asked of him !!! Well mannered Well liked !!!! His Belfast accident was an odd ball affair !!! Their mobile was hit from the side at full force by a fully armoured RMP makrolon mobile patrol Keith and a young scouse kid called Mitchell where catipulted out of the rear and keiths body was smashed againts a heavy set of iron railings ( is body impact bent the railings ) He suffered terrible internal injuries and died in Belfast not long after we returned to Germany !!!! His mam and dad came out to the GCH as he was fighting for his life It was an awfull time for em both !!!!! At the inquest the RMP mobile was found not guilty of the accident !!!! But the story goes at the time they where in hot persuit of suspected gunmen at the time of the crash !!!! It was not a decision taken by us who new differant !!!!! But their we go !!! Like me i am honered you new Keith !!!! Attached is a pic of his name on the new War Momorial in Staffordshire !!!! Regards John

Divis Street, Belfast

One also needs to mention the notorious Divis Street and, of course, the flats which dominated it, a continuation of the Falls Road. It is a mixed area of post war Council multi-storey flats and areas like Leeson Street and Hastings Street which were, certainly back in the 70s, mirror images of the back-to-back terraced houses found on the Lower Falls. As one former squaddie said to the author, on seeing the flats for the first time: ‘Jesus Christ ! I didn’t know that you could stack shit that high !’

Leeson Street was the scene of one of the RGJ’s most epic battles, when their ‘R’ company fought a fierce gun battle with the IRA, killing two terrorists and where one of their Lance Corporals, Thompson, won the DCM. The major fire fight in Leeson Street on September 13, 1971, saw several hundred rounds expounded and was one of the first major exchanges between the Army and the IRA. It was also the scene of an IRA own goal, a year earlier in which four people, including three IRA members were killed. At about the same time, an IRA RPG attack on a Gloster PIG could have caused carnage but for the thin gossamer thread of fate.

Over the course of a 15 year period, beginning in February, 1972 and March, 1987, seven soldiers lost their lives in or around the Divis Street flats. That figure should be certainly increased by one, even if only unofficially; this was the site of Trooper Hugh McCabe’s death on August 13, 1969 which I shall deal with shortly.
The Glosters, as we shall see, fared badly in and around this part of Belfast. In addition, many times that number were injured in rioting and other forms of violence and, as one former Royal Regiment of Wales soldier said to me ‘I’ve never seen so many soldiers crying before; there were in agony at being hit by objects thrown from the upper floors.’ Squaddies joked that the insurance companies must have been left scratching their heads at the number of claims from the residents for televisions and fridges which had ‘fallen’ from their balconies.

The 16 storey flats were eventually put to good use by the Army and the large flat roof which was the residents drying area, was sealed off and used as an OP. The roof door to the steps and lifts were welded shut, and a sandbagged, armoured sangar was installed with listening and viewing equipment. Access for the soldiers was by helicopter only. The roof top OP was only removed in 2005 as the Army began to dismantle on a Province-wide basis.

Unofficially, it was the scene of the death of the first British soldier in the troubles. Trooper Hugh McCabe 20) of the Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars was home on leave from his unit in Germany, when he was killed. On August 15, 1969, the day after Harold Wilson sent troops into the Province, he was watching a riot from a balcony of the Divis Street flats. He was hit once by a large calibre round, probably fired by either the RUC or the out-of-control ‘B’ Specials. It must be stressed that Trooper McCabe was not taking part in the riots, merely watching. He received a full military funeral with all associated honours.

On February 1, 1972, Corporal Ian Bramley (25) of the Glosters, was opening a security gate in Hastings Street, near Divis Street when he was shot and died soon afterwards. This was during a period of heightened tension and frequent rioting, in the wake of ‘Bloody Sunday’ which had happened just 48 hours earlier.

Almost a year later, UDR soldier Corporal David Bingham (22) was abducted and murdered by the IRA in Institution Place, close to the Divis. His car was hijacked and he was shot by a gunman. In the Summer of that year, two more Glosters were killed, this time, actually inside the Divis Street flats. Privates Geoffery Breakwell (20) and his 21 year old companion, Christopher Brady triggered an IRA booby trapped device placed by the IRA on the fifth floor. Another soldier was partly blinded and several residents of the flats were injured. It gave a further lie to the IRA’s pious claim that they would avoid injuring civilians.

This incident, which took place on July 17, 1973, was a wake up call for the Army whose training techniques on booby trap devices had been somewhat amateur at the time. Nearly 250 soldiers had now died in Northern Ireland in just under four years, and now the toll had passed that of the Aden emergency in the 60s.

On September 16, 1982, over nine years and 300 military deaths later, the INLA placed a bomb on one of the landings of the Divis Street flats and detonated it as Lance Bombardier Kevin Waller (20) of the Royal Artillery walked past. The young soldier was terribly injured and died of his wounds on September 20.
On March 27, 1985, Lance Corporal Anthony Dacre (25) an Essex boy was killed in an explosion at the flats. The King’s Own Border Regiment soldier was patrolling in an area which was normally thronged with school children. On that day, the Head Master of a nearby school kept all the children inside, ostensibly because of the cold. A senior soldier told me that it was a widely held view among military personnel, that the IRA had warned the school of the impending attack. No intelligence was fed back to the Army, and Anthony Dacre was murdered, once the IRA were handed a free run.***** These details are in Ken Whartons New NI Book / Below is the bad arse Divis Flats ******

Swainy/trackman
iv'e just seen the dedication to the fallen comrades of our historic regiment, i hav'ent had the pleasure of meeting you trackman,but would gladly buy you a pint, i've got the opportunity to have a drink with all those great lads of the 74/76 tours we done in NI when we team up in Blackpool, and to pay special homage to Keith.............i'm that other squaddie who was catapulted out of landrover and survived.......just

kindest regards
scouse mitch

I did my tour, 1980, Divis Flats included, but reading these stories makes me feel humble, very humble.
A credit one and all to the Royal Regiment, their families and loved ones.

i noticed gnr jones hasnt been added to our list yet...( like keith bates,he was killed falling from a l/rover) his name is on the wall at the N.M.A...... cheers :: Surname
JONES

Forenames/Initials
Bernard Geoffrey

Rank
Gnr

Service
Army

Service Number
24283763

Regiment/Corps
RA

Place of Birth/Home Town
Bebington, Cheshire

Date of Birth
22 March 1955

Age
20

Date of Death
09 June 1975

Cemetery Name
Landican Crematorium

Cemetery Address
Wirral
Merseyside


Included on Armed Forces Memorial
Yes

Included on Roll of Honour
Yes

trackman wrote:

i noticed gnr jones hasnt been added to our list yet

Sorry for the delay Frankie

Gnr Jones, has now been added to the list ...R.I.P.