Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
. He was shot dead by members of the
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reu ...
(IRA) outside his home at Talbot Park, Derry as he returned from work on the evening of 2 February 1977.
Early life
Agate was the only son of Carlton and Ethel Agate. He was born in
Calcutta, West Bengal
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by ar ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
where his father was employed as an engineer. He had two older sisters, Theodora and Cynthia.
Educated in England, Agate achieved a BSc in Engineering.http://www.unithistories.com/units_index/default.asp?file=../officers/personsx.html ''Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939-45'' During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, he saw active duty on as a Temporary Lieutenant (E) in the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
. In 1957, he joined DuPont as chief engineer at the Maydown plant. He was promoted to plant manager in 1962 and later became Managing Director.
Murder
Agate was a well-liked and respected figure in both DuPont and the Derry community.
Raymond McClean
Dr. Raymond McClean (16 January 1933 – 29 January 2011) was an Irish nationalist politician and physician from Northern Ireland.
McClean was born in Coleraine but moved to Derry with his parents when he was six. His father had been in the R ...
wrote in ''The Road to Bloody Sunday'' that "Jeff Agate was an honest and just human being of the highest calibre. His assassination by the IRA left me in total disbelief and disgust.""Obituaries, Dr Raymond McClean" ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'', 21 February 2011 Agate's killing prompted an enormous outpouring of public grief that culminated in a mass protest at Guildhall Square in Derry and united people from all communities at a time of heightened sectarian tension.
His widow, Alice Vera Agate (née Dand) returned to her native
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
where she lived in relative isolation until her death in 1994. The Agates had no children.
Agate's murder was the first in a series of IRA attacks on businessmen. The IRA claimed that "Those involved in the management of the economy serve British interests. They represent and maintain economic interests which make the war necessary."
Eulogy
Jeff Agate's funeral took place on 5 February 1977. The eulogy was given by
Brian Faulkner
Arthur Brian Deane Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of Downpatrick, (18 February 1921 – 3 March 1977), was the sixth and last Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, from March 1971 until his resignation in March 1972. He was also the chief executive ...
, the
Prime Minister of Northern Ireland
The prime minister of Northern Ireland was the head of the Government of Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972. No such office was provided for in the Government of Ireland Act 1920; however, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, as with governo ...
, as follows:
“We are met this morning to honour the memory of one of nature’s gentlemen – true humility, personal charm, absolute integrity – all coupled with great humility. Those are the qualities for which most of us remember Jeff Agate. Some of us knew him best in Industry, and whether from his colleagues in the CBI (
Confederation of British Industry
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is a UK business organisation, which in total claims to speak for 190,000 businesses, this is made up of around 1,500 direct members and 188,500 non-members. The non members are represented through the 1 ...
), or from Trade Union Leaders in the
Irish Congress of Trade Unions
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (often abbreviated to just Congress or ICTU), formed in 1959 by the merger of the Irish Trades Union Congress (founded in 1894) and the Congress of Irish Unions (founded in 1945), is a national trade union centr ...
, or from his own workforce at Maydown, they gave him a loyalty which few men have the privilege to know and which came to him because all of these people, whether as groups or as individuals, trusted him absolutely.
And he never betrayed that trust. There was a most moving occasion the day before yesterday when, in pouring rain and a howling gale, virtually the whole workforce at Maydown came out and stood in silence for two minutes.”
Conviction
In 1979,
Raymond McCartney
Raymond McCartney (born 29 November 1954) is an Irish former Sinn Féin politician, and a former hunger striker and volunteer of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA).
IRA membership
McCartney took part in the civil rights march in Derry ...
Murder of Patrick Kelly
Pte Patrick Kelly (10 May 1948 – 16 December 1983) was an Irish Army private in the Defence Forces killed during the rescue of kidnapped supermarket executive Don Tidey. He was posthumously awarded the Military Star decoration.
Family life
...