The Springhill Massacre Massacre [1] is a shootout that occurred on July 9, 1972 in Springhill, Belfast. British civilians were shot dead by five civilians.
| The Springhill Massacre | |
|---|---|
 Poster with the names and photos of the dead | |
| Overview Information | |
| Place of attack | |
| date | July 9, 1972 |
| Attack method | shooting |
| Weapon | sniper rifles |
| Dead | five |
| The wounded | 2 |
| Organizers | british army snipers |
Content
Events
According to the IRA
Three years after the start of the conflict in Northern Ireland, the number of victims was estimated at hundreds: Irish nationalists fighting for civil rights and the unification of the two Ireland entered into a confrontation against the British Army [2] . According to representatives of the IRA, on July 10, British snipers took Corry and strengthened their positions with sandbags, from where they opened fire on two passing cars. One of the cars dodged the shots, the second slowed down and stopped. Several people jumped out of the cars and the snipers continued firing: the first of those who ran was wounded in the neck, and a man ran up nearby and was shot in the arm. Two more ran up there - the brother of the wounded man in the neck and his friend - and both were mortally wounded. The shots killed a 13-year-old girl, a local priest in a white robe, and a passerby (both tried to pick up the girl, but were killed by a single bullet that pierced both their heads) [3] None of the victims were armed, but everything was killed that day 10 people [3] .
UK version
According to representatives of the army, IRA militants fired at British snipers who violated the ceasefire. One of the military said that all the dead civilians were the victims of ricochets of bullets and came under fire by accident, and the snipers did not intentionally shoot one of the civilians. On July 10, British army officials officially denied rumors of the intentional killing of civilians and stated that only terrorists were killed [3] .
The Dead
- Margaret Gargan (13 years old), shot in the head
- John Dagal (16 years old), shot in the chest
- David McCafferty (15 years old), shot in the chest
- Patrick Butler (39 years old), shot in the head
- Father Noel Fitzpatrick (40 years old), shot in the neck
Consequences
- In May 2005, Michael Norman, a former SAS soldier, was found dead with photos of the massacre. The circumstances of the death have not yet been clarified whether he committed suicide or was killed [4] .
See also
- The Ballymurfy Massacre
Notes
- ↑ RTE News. "Springhill survivors demand independent inquiry." 2 August 1999. Retrieved March 22, 2011
- ↑ English, Richard. Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA. - Pan Books , 2003. - P. 136. - ISBN 0-330-49388-4 .
- ↑ 1 2 3 Irish News 5 May 1999
- ↑ Sunday Mirror, 8 May 2005
Links
- CAIN - Sutton Index of Deaths - July 9, 1972
- CAIN - Memorials - Springhill Massacre
- Relatives for Justice - Springhill Massacre, July 1972
- "The Springhill massacre: Adams demands an inquiry" - An Phoblacht
- "British military campaign ends but questions remain unanswered" - An Phoblacht
- "Springhill survivors demand independent inquiry" - RTÉ News
- McLaughlin, C. 'Recording Memories from Political Violence', Intellect Books, 2010. (English)