William (Billy) Reid ( born William "Billy" Reid ; January 1, 1939 , Belfast - May 15, 1971 , ibid. [1] ) - Irish rebel, member of the Belfast "temporary wing" of the Irish Republican Army [2] . It was Ryde who killed Robert Curtis , the first British Army soldier to die in the Northern Ireland conflict. He himself later died during the British ambush attack.
| Billy Ryde | |
|---|---|
| English Billy reid | |
| Date of Birth | January 1, 1939 |
| Place of Birth | Belfast , Northern Ireland |
| Date of death | May 15, 1971 (32 years old) |
| Place of death | Belfast , Northern Ireland |
| Affiliation |  Ireland ( Republican Army of Ireland ) |
| Type of army | partisan troops |
| Years of service | until 1971 |
| Rank | volunteer |
| Part | Battalion 3rd Battalion |
| Battles / Wars | Conflict in Northern Ireland |
Biography
A native of Belfast, was born on Sheridan Street at Dunkern Gardens [2] . Grew up on Regent Street in Carrickhill in northern Belfast. He studied at the Catholic School of North Belfast, worked as a carpenter. He was also an amateur boxer who performed at the Holy Family Club [1] .
On February 6, 1971, Robert Curtis , gunner of the 156th battery of the 32nd Artillery Regiment, served during the riots and panic at the intersection of New Lodge Road and Lepper Street caused by a bomb explosion with nails. At the height of the fight, a line came from the Sterling L2 submachine gun, and one of the bullets ricocheted through Curtis’s body armor and hit his heart, causing his instant death. It is believed that the fatal shot was fired by Billy Ryde, who could have been at the Templar House, from where the shooting was fired. Curtis thus became the first British soldier to die in battle on the island of Ireland since the Anglo-Irish War [3] [4] .
The next day, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland James Chichester-Clarke officially declared that Northern Ireland was at war with the Provisional Irish Republican Army. The following week, when riots broke out in North Belfast at the IRA rebel funeral, the Northern Ireland government, which controlled the intelligence services in the country, banned members of organizations that are banned from wearing military uniforms [5] .
On May 15, 1971, on Ekademi Street in central Belfast , a skirmish broke out between the British Army foot patrol and the 3rd Belfast Battalion. The shootout killed Billy Ryde, who was 32 years old [3] [6] .
Memory
- Billy Ryde is the main character of the song “The Ballad of Billy Reid” by Brian Lyons, but the story of his death is described in a completely different way. The song was performed by Shibin, Terry O'Neill, Spirit of 67, The ShamRogues and The Wolfe Tones . The song was included in the songbook "Songs of Resistance 1968-1982" [7] .
- On the New Lodge Road in Belfast, one of the houses depicts consolidated portraits of Irish rebels - Billy Ryde, Sean McIlvenna, Rosemary Blackley and Michael Kane [8] .
- In Glasgow, one of the flutist orchestras supporting the IRA was called the Volunteer Billy Reid Republican Flute Band Republican Flute Orchestra [9] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Tírghrá. - National Commemoration Center, 2002. - P. 14. - ISBN 0-9542946-0-2 .
- ↑ 1 2 Lost Lives. - Mainstream Publishing, 2007. - P. 72. - ISBN 1-84018-504-X .
- ↑ 1 2 Taylor, Peter. Provos The IRA & Sinn Féin. - Bloomsbury Publishing , 1997. - P. 89–91. - ISBN 0-7475-3818-2 .
- ↑ "Soldiers, sashes and shamrocks: Football and social identity in Scotland and Northern Ireland" , physed.otago.ac.nz; accessed December 27, 2015.
- ↑ Eamon Phoenix. "35 Years Since First British Soldier Shot Dead In Troubles" , nuzhound.com; retrieved February 11, 2007.
- ↑ English, Robert. Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA. - Pan Books , 2004. - P. 137. - ISBN 0-330-49388-4 .
- ↑ CAIN Web Service - Extracts from 'Songs of Resistance 1969-1982 , cain.ulst.ac.uk; accessed December 22, 2015.
- ↑ CAIN Mural Directory
- ↑ Billy Reid band anniversary , republican-news.org; accessed December 23, 2015.