Category: Northern Ireland

Belfast,69 0n in order,The Troubles, The Irish Condition

A Near National Disaster In the 40’s, you would have thought Ireland was nearer Australia than Britain for all the majority of the residents of Britain knew about the place and, I’m afraid, when I was dispatched there by the Navy in ’42, I fell squarely into that category too. In fact I knew more… Continue reading Belfast,69 0n in order,The Troubles, The Irish Condition

Belfast, ’69 on, in order, The Soldiers In Belfast

Any right thinking person had to be sympathetic to the young men who were sent over here, whether they wanted to come or not, to become potential targets for hidden snipers. That was not all, their living conditions were apparently appalling and they were not permitted to mix with the Town’ people, for obvious reason… Continue reading Belfast, ’69 on, in order, The Soldiers In Belfast

Belfat, ’69 on, The Troubles, The Royal Ulster Constabluary, Part timers

I intended writing about the RUC sometime, but do so now, not as a rant, but to draw attention to the reports we had at the time of the Gulf War and currently of the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where my relatives and friends are being asked to fight without the proper means… Continue reading Belfat, ’69 on, The Troubles, The Royal Ulster Constabluary, Part timers

Belfast, ’69 on, in order,The troubles, The Royal Marines

The number of ironic stories attributable to the heightened atmosphere of the ‘Troubles’ are legion, this is just another. While you read what follows, bear in mind, if you will, that I was originally English, also Protestant, ex- Navy and a civil servant working in sensitive areas, and if I had been needed at the… Continue reading Belfast, ’69 on, in order,The troubles, The Royal Marines

Belfast, ’69 on, in order,The Troubles, The Farce at the Barrier

On the site of a large sewage works under construction in the 70’s I was telephoned from Head Office to be told that bombs were ‘on all the bridges’, this meant rail, road and river. I closed the site to give the men time to get home and tried to pick a route for myself… Continue reading Belfast, ’69 on, in order,The Troubles, The Farce at the Barrier

Belfast, ’61 on, The Period of the Troubles, James.

There is so much to Northern Ireland that is so enjoyable, so worthy, so beautiful, I must share it, but this inevitably means I have at some point, to mention those two incredible, euphemistic words, ‘The Troubles’, not in the context of politics, and rarely touching on the frustration and horror, more, about ordinary people… Continue reading Belfast, ’61 on, The Period of the Troubles, James.

Belfast, The Period of the Tooubles, An Overview.

In 1944, as an Englishman, I was welcomed into an Ulster Protestant family with liberal views, and if you read a piece entitled James, you will see the level of that liberalism. This is not a detailed sortie into Irish history, just a preface to the pieces concerning the Northern Ireland troubles which will be… Continue reading Belfast, The Period of the Tooubles, An Overview.

Belfast 1946 to ’50 in order, Ignorance is not bliss in Belfast.

In spite of having worked in Belfast for fifteen months I was ignorant of this country’s traditions. During the war local differences were dwarfed. Today English School children know ten times more than I did, as I had never seen an Orange Procession until 1946 I looked upon the Orangemen like I did the Scouts… Continue reading Belfast 1946 to ’50 in order, Ignorance is not bliss in Belfast.

Royal Navy 1941 to ’46 in order, Belfast Shipyard Part 1.

To those who hate technicalities I apologise for this entry, For me it records something gone and lost never to be recovered. Whether that is good is debateable. In ’43, I was drafted to Belfast to supervise the radio installations on the warships being built there. The shipyard was vast, there were at least six… Continue reading Royal Navy 1941 to ’46 in order, Belfast Shipyard Part 1.