New Lodge Six shooting
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In the late hours of 3 February and the early hours of 4 February 1973, six men, all of whom were Catholics, were shot and killed in the
New Lodge New Lodge may refer to: *New Lodge, Winkfield near Windsor, Berkshire, England *New Lodge, South Yorkshire, England *New Lodge, Belfast, an area of North Belfast, Northern Ireland *New Lodge, Billericay, association football ground in Billericay, E ...
area of north
Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
: * four (one
IRA Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...
member and three civilians) of them were shot dead at the junction at Edlingham Street by
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...
s, * the other two men were shot dead by the
Ulster Defence Association The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) is an Ulster loyalism, Ulster loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 as an umbrella group for various loyalist groups and Timeline of Ulster Defence Association act ...
(UDA), one IRA member and one Italian citizen, the owner of a local café. Three other men were shot dead on 4 February by what was believed to be
Loyalist paramilitaries Ulster loyalism is a strand of Ulster unionism associated with working class Ulster Protestants in Northern Ireland. Like other unionists, loyalists support the continued existence of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom, and oppose a uni ...
, to take the total death toll to nine on the 3-4 February. The six men killed in the New Lodge area became known as "The New Lodge Six". There have been allegations over the years that collusion took place between the British security forces and paramilitaries at the time. Northern Ireland's Attorney General in 2018 urged an investigation into the deaths of the New Lodge Six. The Director of Public Prosecutions decided not to ask the
PSNI The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI; ga, Seirbhís Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster-Scots: ') is the police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) after it was reform ...
to carry out an investigation, and relatives in 2020 launched a legal action in response.


Background

The Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...
broke out in August 1969 with severe rioting in Belfast and the British army was called in to restore order. Shortly after, the newly formed guerrilla movement the
Provisional IRA The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, fa ...
waged a campaign against the British of shooting and bombing. In response, Loyalist paramilitary groups such as the
Ulster Volunteer Force The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group. Formed in 1965, it first emerged in 1966. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former British Army soldier from Northern Ireland. The group undertook an armed campaig ...
and (UDA) waged a campaign of killings against the Nationalist community in
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 ...
and also bombed targets in the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
. The conflict was a bloody and bitter one with all sides carrying out massacres of civilians. The incidents included
McGurk's Bar bombing On 4 December 1971, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group, detonated a bomb at McGurk's Bar in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The pub was frequented by Irish Catholics/nationalists. The explosion caused the building ...
, which killed 15 civilians, was carried out by the UVF,
Bloody Sunday Bloody Sunday may refer to: Historical events Canada * Bloody Sunday (1923), a day of police violence during a steelworkers' strike for union recognition in Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia * Bloody Sunday (1938), police violence agai ...
, in which the British army shot dead 14 Catholic civilians and Bloody Friday, which killed 9 people (2 British soldiers, 1 UDA member and 6 Civilians) was carried out by the IRA. The New Lodge, on the edge of the city centre, with a history of active
Irish republicanism Irish republicanism ( ga, poblachtánachas Éireannach) is the political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland under a republic. Irish republicans view British rule in any part of Ireland as inherently illegitimate. The develop ...
and surrounded by Loyalist areas, saw much violence during The Troubles. Most of the remaining Protestant population left under intimidation in the early 1970s, to be replaced by Catholics intimidated from Loyalist areas of Belfast. As a stronghold of the Third Battalion of the
Provisional IRA The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, fa ...
's
Belfast Brigade "Belfast Brigade" is an Irish folk song, to the tune of "Battle Hymn of the Republic". Context The song is about the Belfast Brigade of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), and in particular the 1st, or West Belfast battalion, during the Irish War ...
, rioting and gun battles between the IRA and the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
and loyalist paramilitaries were almost daily occurrences during the early 1970s and other periods of high political tension such as the
1981 Irish Hunger Strike The 1981 Irish hunger strike was the culmination of a five-year protest during the Troubles by Irish republicanism, Irish republican prisoners in Northern Ireland. The protest began as the blanket protest in 1976, when the British government ...
, and occurred sporadically during the rest of that period. The area was vulnerable to attacks by Loyalist paramilitaries throughout The Troubles, particularly to
drive-by shooting A drive-by shooting is a type of assault that usually involves the perpetrator(s) firing a weapon from within a motor vehicle and then fleeing. Drive-by shootings allow the perpetrator(s) to quickly strike their target and flee the scene before ...
s.


Shootings

In the first four days of February 1973, fourteen people died and many more were injured in numerous gun attacks across the city. On Friday 2 February, the hooded body of 28-year-old Catholic, Patrick Bradley from
Andersonstown Andersonstown is a suburb of west Belfast, Northern Ireland, at the foot of the Black Mountain (Belfast), Black Mountain and Divis Mountain. It contains a mixture of public and private housing and is largely a working-class area with a strong Iri ...
, was found in a car in Maurice Street. An 18-year-old petrol pump attendant was shot dead in his café on York Road. Earlier in the day, ten people from the Beechmount area were injured when gunmen opened fire from a passing car. Undercover British army involvement was suspected in the Beechmount shooting. In Ardoyne, in a similar attack, residents escaped injury. Tension was high in Belfast on Saturday 3 February. The UDA had paraded from many parts of the city to the Laddas Drive RUC station to demand the release of two of its members who had recently been interned. This was the first time Loyalists were threatened with internment and there were many protests and rioting by Loyalists in Belfast because of it. The first shooting in the New Lodge area occurred at around 11.00pm when members of the UDA shot dead James Sloan (19) and James McCann (18), both IRA Volunteers, while they stood outside Lynch's Bar, in a drive-by shooting. The car drove down the
Antrim Road The Antrim Road is a major arterial route and area of housing and commerce that runs from inner city north Belfast to Dunadry, passing through Newtownabbey and Templepatrick. It forms part of the A6 road, a traffic route which links Belfast to Der ...
and fire was directed at a Chinese restaurant injuring others. After the initial attack, residents gathered on the streets after hearing the shooting, they soon came under a hail of gunfire from several positions.
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
soldiers fired a number of rounds at a crowd of people from Duncairn Gardens down Edlingham Street and from the top of Templar and Alamein Flats. For the first time in Northern Ireland the army were using their new 'Nitesights'. Four more people, Tony Campbell (19), Ambrose Hardy (26), Brendan Maguire (33) and John Loughran (35) were shot dead by British snipers.


Aftermath

The British Army released a statement after the shootings in which they claimed that between 23.45 and 03.00 there was a severe gun battle in the New Lodge area. In about 30 separate incidents, nearly 200 shots were fired at the security forces and fire was returned on most occasions. They said that seven of the people shot were gunmen and six of them died, eyewitness claims dispute these statements claiming none of those shot was armed at the time they were killed. The sister of Ambrose Hardy claims he was waving a white petticoat when he was killed. Six years later Ambrose Hardy's brother John Hardy (43) was killed by UVF gunmen while he was having dinner with his six children.


References


External links


CAIN – University of Ulster Conflict Archive
{{coord missing, Belfast Conflicts in 1973 1973 in Northern Ireland History of Belfast Massacres in Northern Ireland Massacres committed by the United Kingdom British Army in Operation Banner Military scandals Mass murder in 1973 Deaths by firearm in Northern Ireland Military actions and engagements during the Troubles (Northern Ireland) Terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom in 1973 1970s murders in Northern Ireland 1973 crimes in Ireland The Troubles in Belfast Terrorism deaths in Northern Ireland Terrorism committed by the United Kingdom Ulster Defence Association actions February 1973 events in the United Kingdom Terrorist incidents in Northern Ireland Mass shootings in Northern Ireland