The assassination of three Scottish soldiers in Belfast

British troops were deployed to Northern Ireland as part of Operation Banner in 1969 to suppress the unrest prevailing there . The British Army was directly involved in the events at Lower Falls in July 1970. ^{[1] [2]}

The provisional Irish Republican Army appeared in December 1969 after the split of the Official IRA and proclaimed its goal a total offensive struggle against the British occupation ^[3] , and the leader of the IRA, Sean McStiven, said that this struggle would end only after the British completely left the island ^[4] . The IRA Military Council approved the conduct of operations against the British in early 1971: Robert Curtis , the first victim of the IRA, was killed on February 6, 1971 ^{[5] [6]} , two more soldiers were killed on March 10 ^[7] .

Brothers John and Joseph McCaig, natives of Era (ages 17 and 18), and Dugald McCoy, a 23-year-old native of Glasgow , served in the rank of privates in the 1st Battalion of the Royal Mountain Fusilier Regiment, which was based in the Bearwood Barracks in Belfast ^{[ 8]} . March 10, 1971 soldiers received a day off and left the base. The younger brother of Dugald, who served with the elder, did not receive this right. John, Joseph, and Dugald arrived at the Mooney Bar in Kornmarket (one of Belfast’s safest military districts of the time), where they spent most of their time. According to some evidence, a little later, all three left the bar and got into a car driven by a female republican - all of them supposedly were going to a party ^[7] .

By 18:30, all three did not return, and they were put on the wanted list. At 9:30 p.m. at White Brae, on Squires Hill, near Laigonail Road north of Belfast, local children found the corpses of all three soldiers ^{[5] [7] [9]} . Two of them were shot in the back of the head, the third was fatally wounded in the chest ^{[10] [9]} . Suspicion fell on the fighters of the Provisional IRA, but even the investigation conducted in August 1971 did not help restore the full picture. An examination showed that all three were shot point blank and traces of alcohol were found in the blood of the dead. The investigator, who led the case, called the incident one of the worst crimes that he had ever had to investigate ^[7] . Beer glasses were found near the corpses ^[11] .

The very next day, British Home Secretary Reginald Modling issued a statement in the House of Commons , stating that all security services were immediately checked about what had happened, and the killers, he said, had organized a provocation in order to disorganize the army.

The battle against terrorists that we entered into will be waged in full force and with full dedication. This is a battle against a small group of armed ruthless villains, whose strength lies not in numbers but in viciousness.

Original text

The battle now joined against the terrorists will be fought with the utmost vigour and determination. It is a battle against a small minority of armed and ruthless men whose strength lies not so much in their numbers as in their wickedness. ^[12]

The funeral of all three victims took place in Scotland: John and Joseph McCaigey were buried in Era together ^[9] , and their older brother, who served in the Marine Corps in Singapore, was present at the funeral. Commemorative events were organized on the same day in Belfast and Carrickfergus: 20 thousand people took part in them. About 10 thousand people gathered around the cenotaph in Belfast, including workers from factories, which led to the shutdown of all plants and the blocking of traffic in the center. According to eyewitnesses, no one hid tears, and some sobbed soberly. Ian Paisley was the organizer of this entire ceremony. Dozens of wreaths of flowers were laid at the cenotaph, after which the victims were honored with two minutes of silence and the performance of the national anthem ^[7] .

The deaths of soldiers led to a crisis in the Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland (the actual government) and calls for enhanced security measures. Paisley demanded that the government resign, saying that he was not going to endure the weakness of these politicians and would not wait "until the whole earth is covered with the blood of innocently killed men and women" ^[11] . On March 12, 4 thousand dockers took to the streets of Belfast with anti-government slogans ^[13] . In the end, James Chichester-Clark flew to London with a request to send additional troops, but was refused and immediately announced his resignation ^[14] . On March 23, 1971 , Brian Faulkner won the election in the Ulster Unionist Party and on the same day he was appointed prime minister ^[15] . After the incident, the British army raised the bar for military conscription to the level of 18 years, since the deceased John McCaig was 17 full years ^{[16] [17]} .

It was not possible to indict anyone. In November 2007, the Daily Mirror stated that three people were involved in the murder, two of whom were Martin Mien (died in 2007) and Patrick Macadory (killed in 1971). Mian was detained by the police, but no evidence was brought against him, and he died in 2007, and was never brought before a court ^[18] . Another suspect, Macadory, was killed in August 1971 in the Belfast quarter of Erdoin: he was also credited with the murder of Private Malcolm Hatton from the Green Howard ’s Regiment , which was committed a few hours before the death of MacAdory himself ^[19] . An additional audit was conducted by the Northern Ireland Police Service and its Historical Inquiries Team ^[20] .

The mother of the deceased McCaigues brothers visited the site of the death of their sons in May 1972 and proposed the installation of a memorial sign at the site of the tragedy, despite claims that it could be defiled. She later said that she was touched by the way her sons were escorted to the last journey and how they were commemorated in Belfast ^[7] . Royal British Legion in 2010 raised funds to erect a monument ^[21] . The symbolic stone was installed on May 28, 2010 at the crime scene with the support of relatives, friends and colleagues of all three dead soldiers. The next day, a 15-foot obelisk, which depicted photographs of all three, was opened on Ballisillan Avenue. The memorial ceremony was attended by 1,000 people, which included regimental orchestras; there attended the Lord Mayor of Belfast Naomi Long and Belfast’s representative in Parliament, Nigel Doddz ^{[22] [23]} .

July 23, 2011 at 9 pm and the next day at 8 pm the monument was desecrated by religious fanatics and nationalists who left graffiti and scattered commemorative stones. Commemorative wreaths were also scattered nearby, and the ribbons were torn ^[24] .

• Timeline of the Provisional Irish Republican Army
• The assassination of two corporals in Belfast
• The murder of three soldiers on Antrim Road

• Order of Service for the memorial ceremony (neopr.) . Royal British Legion. Date of treatment April 1, 2011.
• The 3 Jocks Memorial (Neopr.) . Shankill Mirror. Date of treatment April 1, 2011. (unavailable link)