The mob killing of Corporals Wood and Howes, March 1988 in Belfast.

I think the fact that there was no direct intervention by british armed forces that day could have been for one of two reasons -

1 - After the Mike Stone attack on the funeral in Belfast a week area had left tensions running at an all time high, especially after the Gibralter incident and the execution of the three IRA on the rock.
Any intervention would have ignited a timebomb waiting to explode and probably would have led to many deaths had British troops had tried to interveen. With "bloody sunday" still very fresh in the mind of the government and on the streets of Belfast another incident of this type had to be avoided at all costs to stop the world looking at Northern Ireland and Britains role there.
Therefore it was a decision taken at a very high level to let what happened, happen and say that the two entered the zone at their own risk and without orders and the army would'nt have to answer any delicate questions. It was much easier to wash their hands of the situation. and leaving the two dead men with all the answers.

2 - The two men where in reality part of an intelligence operation that went way, way wrong resulting in what we all witnessed that day.
And as everyone knows, all intel ops that go wrong are automatically denied and whitewashed to protect those above in her majestys goverment from the inevitable # storm that will come their way.

I truly believe that everyone in Belfast at that time, knew the score. They knew that the funeral route would pass through that zone and everyone would have it very clear that if they did'nt want to die, then they would stay away.
I think they were they to see who would show up, who talked to who and maybe clock a few new faces, and take a few photos or car number plates.
But it all went wrong.

Anyone remember a fantastic series, HARRYS GAME.

reply to post by Credenceskynyrd

if they were SAS I would have expected a few dead baying republicans, they did not do this

They fired one round into the air in an attempt to hold back the mob, that they chose not to fire into the crowd shows remarkable restraint, perhaps indicating some sort of specialist training and discipline?
Or perhaps displaying something that can't be taught?

Nuala Cassidy touches on that in her letter - they chose not to fire indiscriminantly into the crowd and risk killing innocent people and thus sealed their own fate - something both she and her mother who witnessed it all found incredibly noble and moving.

reply to post by Freeborn


undoubtedly a noble act, very noble

Originally posted by Soloprotocol

If they weren't SAS they were undercover in some capacity....intel maybe..?

They weren't SAS.

We used to carry out duties all the time in S. Armagh out of uniform, much of the time we signed out a 9 millie to keep under the seat.

We weren't undercover.

Very much a case of wrong place at the wrong time. Sometimes soldiers would take newer lads on a tour of the places to note in an area that could be driven round, sometimes this involved risk and sometimes people didn't check where they should and shouldn't go on certain days.

As for why the army didn't intervene, i have no idea. Maybe they thought they were rival organization members?

There was indeed a lot of restraint shown that day by the soldiers, but i don't believe SAS would have made such a mistake.

CX.

Originally posted by CX

Originally posted by Soloprotocol

If they weren't SAS they were undercover in some capacity....intel maybe..?

They weren't SAS.

We used to carry out duties all the time in S. Armagh out of uniform, much of the time we signed out a 9 millie to keep under the seat.

We weren't undercover.



CX.

I would call being in civies carrying out duties in NI "Undercover"....and very dangerous..

Originally posted by Soloprotocol

I would call being in civies carrying out duties in NI "Undercover"....and very dangerous..

I can see how it may seem that way, but it's not as glam as it sounds for a lot of the time.

I guess it's the environment we worked in though, it was everyday stuff. I'm not saying it wasn't hairy sometimes, i don't mind admitting that it was often a tense drive through S.Armagh down those rural lanes, the prospect of an IVCP and the consequence of that kept you on your toes.

Luckily i worked in a little vlillage called Crossmaglen though, so it was too dangerous to drive. Heli's and foot patrols only.

Lovely place, lovely people, just a few troubles that spoilt it.

CX.

They were not members of the SAS, they were from a signals regiment. One of them was just posted from Germany and getting a tour of the area from the guy he was replacing, drove down the wrong road after leaving the radio rebroadcast station on the top of divis mountain and found themselves in the middle of the IRA funeral. A card marked Hareford was found in a wallet with a phone number to ring and this led to the roumer that they were SAS, the card refered to Hareford in Germany and was used to report movments of Russian/East Germans while out and about in Berlin.
The Army left them to be killed because they thought they were Loylists and didnt want to get involved in a shooting so soon after the Gibralter incident, personally if it was me in that car there would have been 14 other funerals soon after mine and thats only if I didnt get a mag change carried out.

a reply to: andy1972

Yes I remember it. The music was haunting.

Re the killing of the two Corporals,
from what I heard from a relative who was in N.I. On numerous occasions in the 80s and 90s your explanation isn't too far off.
The guys in the helicopter thought the NCOs were Loyalists trying another mad attack just as Michael Stone just had. By the time the crew realised it was too late and the IRA were about to murder them.
I watched on TV evening news at the time and I was sick to my stomach and so angry.
Believe it or not I was midway through the application process to join the Army with the Signals being the regiment I wanted to join.