Privates Fred Starrett and James Cummings died in an IRA bombing on Belfast’s Royal Avenue on February 24th, 1988. Both Orangemen, their deaths are commemorated every year by a parade from east Belfast to the city centre. Shown in today’s post are the panels from a new UDR commemorative wall in east Belfast.
The fourth panel is a collage of UDR activities (on the streets, on base, manning check-points, in boats, helicopters, with dogs) with a few pieces of republican signs as backdrop (Free Derry Corner, “Provies rule”, “Such is British justice – remember 9th August”) and the fifth shows soldiers searching for arms near some outbuildings.
The 100th anniversary plaque and board shown in this entry are on the spot of Bloomfield House (web), where guns from Clyde Valley were held for the East Belfast battalion of the Ulster Volunteers in 1914. See also: John Henry Patterson’s involvement in Operation Lion.
“When the 3rd Home Rule Bill was passed by Parliament in 1912, Ulster Unionists under the leadership of Edward Carson and James Craig realised that armed resistance was the only resort left to them to remain British. The Ulster Volunteer Force was formed in January 1913 and comprised of 100,000 men. East Belfast Regiment was the largest in the UVF with over 10,000 men divided into 6 Battalions: 1st. Ballynafeigh & Newtownbreda, 2nd. Willowfield, 3rd. Mountpottinger, 4th. Victoria, 5th. Avoniel, 6th. Strandtown & Knock. Major Fred Crawford was tasked with procuring weapons and ammunition. On 24/25th April 1914 he did just this when landed 25,000 rifles and 3,000,000 rounds of ammunition from Clyde Valley at Larne and Donaghadee in Operation Lion. These munitions were taken all over the country, and a consignment was sent to East Belfast UVF. Part of this consignment was concealed in the grounds of Bloomfield House, which stood on this location.”
“This plaque marks the occasion in early May 1914 when over 2,000 men of the East Belfast Regiment, Ulster Volunteer Force paraded to the grounds of Orangefield House for an inspection to celebrate the success of Operation Lion when weapons and ammunition were landed at Larne and Donaghadee. For God and Ulster.”
These three are next to (and the same black background) as the Orangefield memorial – see In All Theatres Of Conflict.
The “Jesus” tag at the corner of My Lady’s and London roads has been replaced with a WWI mural showing soldiers running through a field of poppies, and which is surrounded by plaques from the Poppy Trail with the details of some of those from the 36th (Ulster) Division who were killed.
By Mark Ervine in London Road.
For the four panels on the right, see Ulsters Brave.
Photographic portraits of four UVF members – Robert “Squeak” Seymour (east Belfast commander), Joe Long, Robert Bennett, James Cordner – on panels adjacent to a new Somme mural (shown tomorrow). Seymour died in 1988, the others in the early seventies. The same four are commemorated on a mural (and a plaque) on Ballymacarrett Road. “At Ulster’s call, they gave their all, a different war, on a different day, a bloody sacrifice, was the price to pay.”
A gallery of scenes from IRA bombings has been added around the Bayardo memorial arch, the centre-piece of which are two images from the 2015 Paris bombings (shown above). “IRA – Sinn Fein – ISIS no difference”.
New political party Saoradh (Fb) is advocating a boycott of the upcoming (March 2nd) Stormont election, claiming that Stormont espouses “the co-dependent ideologies of imperialism, sectarianism and capitalism”. The tarp shown above lists various problems and scandals (“Nepostism, fraud, corruption, phantom community groups, NAMA, sectarianism, jobs for the boys, Red Sky, RHI scandal”) and evokes the spirit of 1981 hunger striker Bobby Sands: “Everyone Republican or otherwise has their Part to Play.” Also visible are a board celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising (see versions in Andersonstown | Ardoyne | St James), an éırígí mural featuring Patrick Pearse, and a call for the release of the Craigavon Two (previously featured).
“This police force is after your hearts and minds. The true face of this force: harrasses [sic] and stalks Republicans and their families; works hand in glove withe MI5, NCA and British Army; uses informers to spy and up ‘Persons of Interest’; gives immunity to criminals in return for information. From RUC to PSNI – unchanged, unchanging, unchangeable.” IRSP poster in Oakman Street.
UDU (Ulster Defence Union) mural in Pine Street, Londonderry, vandalised with “IRA” graffiti. The mural has since been repaired. For the original, see Union Shield.
Extramural Activity 