Bloody Sunday Massacre Of 1972

Sunday 30th January 1972 was a day when British Parachute Regiment soldiers attacked a Derry civil freedom march. These brave British militia units were fighting in the northern Ireland battle. Fourteen civilians were either killed or severely wounded, while two others were seriously injured. The same soldiers who carried out a similar attack in Belfast a few months before, killing eleven people and injuring two dozen more in what was known as the “Ballymurphy Massacre” in August 1971. British politicians and their officers praised their efforts in the previous massacre. And they did exactly the same in Derry. Like in Belfast, the Parachute Regiment war crimes did not increase local support for British military presence.

Provisional Irish Republican Army. [I.R.A] assisting in making a temporary conflict more permanent. Bloody Sunday was one instance of “The Troubles” that was most brutal. It saw a lot of Catholic citizens being killed by British army troops in full public view. It was the deadliest single shooting in the troubled Northern Ireland. Bloody Sunday was a catalyst for republican and Catholic hostility towards British Army. It also increased conflict. Provisional Irish Republican Army was supported by more people. This led to a surge in recruits, especially in Derry & Belfast. They chased the protesters down Rossville Street, both on foot and in armored vehicles, and into Bogside. Two people were killed by the British armoured vehicles. Brigadier MacLellan instructed only one set to send soldiers through the barriers, on foot. Also, they were not to chase people down Rossville Street. Colonel Wilford refused to obey this order. This meant that there was no separation of republican rioters from marchers.

The soldiers began to arrest people as soon as they disembarked. Many claims were made that soldiers beat people and fired rubber bullets at them close to the ground, threatened them with death, and shouted abuse. According to the Saville Report, soldiers used excessive force in arresting people and seriously assaulting them while they were held.

A large crowd was chased into Rossville Flats’s carpark. This area was similar to a courtyard. The three sides were surrounded with high-rise apartment buildings. Six people were also wounded by the soldiers’ fire. One civilian was killed. Jackie Duddy, the victim of this fatality, was running beside Father Edward Daly who was wounded in his back when he received a shot in both legs.

Many of the wounded were first treated by civilian volunteers. The wounded were taken to the hospital in either civilian vehicles or ambulances. At 4:28 p.m., the first ambulances arrived. British soldiers brought the three boys to hospital after they were attacked by rubble. Witnesses claim that the British soldiers drove the three boys to hospital by dragging their bodies out of the rubble barricade with their hands and feet. According to the Saville Report, this was an “accurate description” of what actually happened. Although it states that paratroopers might have felt they were at risk, this doesn’t justify them.

26 people were injured by British soldiers. The rubble that ran across Rossville Street, Rossville Flats Car Park (on its north side), Glenfada Park’s courtyard car parking lot, and Rossville Flats’ forecourt (on its south side) were the main areas where most of them died.

The soldiers who were responsible for the shooting insist that they shot at and hit bomb-throwers or gunmen. According to The Saville Report, none of the shot were armed and they did not pose any threat. It concluded that soldiers were not fired upon threats of attacks or gunmen by bomb-throwers, and no one was armed.

Treyteen people died and one more was injured. According to the British Home secretary, the official army position was that soldiers had reacted in a way that was consistent with the IRA’s gun and nail-bomb attacks. Eyewitnesses from all walks of life, including residents and British and Irish journalists were present to confirm that soldiers fired into unarmed people, or were trying to flee civilians and wounded. The soldiers themselves were not hit. There were no injuries or bullets found to support the claims of any British soldiers who were shot or wounded in gunfire. There were many Provisional and official IRA members at the protest. However, they were not armed as it was believed that British soldiers would try to “draw them all out”. Ivan Cooper was the March organiser. He had also been promised by MP that no armed IRAmen would approach the march.

The tribunal heard from one soldier that he was told by an officer to expect a shootout and that he wanted some kills. Father Edward Daly witnessed one man firing a revolver at paratroopers. This man, later identified as a member the Official IRA was photographed drawing his weapon but was not seen by soldiers. Saville Inquiry also received other claims from gunmen who were present on that day. This Sunday was dubbed Bloody Sunday. It was completely unnecessary. It seems that the Army was unable to control their actions that day. They were killing innocent civilians. They were shooting innocent people. It was unadulterated, pure murder. It was a killing.