Great Britain. Army - Northern Ireland: an agony continued: the British Army and the troubles 1980-83

Tribute to Anthony Sutton; killed in Northern Ireland in 1977

Share not this common earth with me, not yet;

But live to tell, of we who laughed and loved, then fell.

Remember me, in years of plenty

As a friend and comrade left behind

A random name and serial number

Bullet and shrapnel, torn asunder;

A home left wanting, dreams undreamt,

A choir of millions at historys door,

Not heroes all, but silent souls left cold

By the memory of an unwanted war.

So speak truly of me, and carry me well

For generations who will never know me

Tell them all that I am no statue

Raised to honour long distant dead.

No faded photograph can hold me

In the same regard we shared this day;

And when they ask you if you knew me

Smile, and laugh the past away.

Steve Hale

I did my duty

I did my best

I hid behind my bullet-proof vest

I walked the streets with gun in hand

I held the peace in a foreign land

People didnt want me there

They would often stand and stare

But my duty was to keep the peace

I tried to save a life, at least.

I saw men die

I saw men suffer

Life couldnt get too much tougher

Bombs and bullets played their tune

And forced me deep in to the gloom

My duty there was never done

I worked until the passing sun.

Then one day the years have passed

But memories would last and last.

No corner of my mind is safe

I am haunted by that foreign place.

I try to run

I try to hide

My demons always by my side.

Did I serve my country true?

Would I really die for you?

Did I do my very best?

Did I need my bomb-proof vest?

Did I see my colleagues die

Or is it just a wicked lie?

All I know is this you see

I can never be set free.

The Troubles they have left their mark

They keep me trembling in the dark.

So enjoy your freedom that I won,

For this soldiers work is done.

Stephen Carr

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Published by Helion & Company 2015

Designed and typeset by Bookcraft Ltd, Stroud, Gloucestershire
Cover designed by Paul Hewitt, Battlefield Design (www.battlefield-design.co.uk)
Printed by Lightning Source Limited, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

Text Ken M. Wharton 2015
Photographs from authors collection unless otherwise noted.

Maps of Belfast and Londonderry originally appeared in The British Army in Northern Ireland by Michael Dewar (1985) and are Weidenfeld & Nicolson, a division of The Orion Publishing Group (London).

Front cover: Belfast mural, early 1980s.

The opinions expressed in this book are those of the individuals quoted and do not necessarily accord with views held by the author or publisher.

The author would be delighted to receive comments about his writing or for future publications at

ISBN: 978-1-910294-39-0
EPUB ISBN: 978-1-911096-80-1

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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For my parents
Mark and Irene Wharton
I didnt appreciate you at the time but now that you are gone, I wish that I had

To the eternal memory of Sue Judge
19532013
Taken too early from this life
Wife of my comrade Dave Judge

To the loving memory of Royal Artillery Soldier, Sergeant John Haughey murdered by the IRA in 1974. To his lovely little girl Anita Bailkoski who became my very dear friend.

To the eternal memory of UDR soldier, Alfie Johnston, murdered by the IRA in 1972

DEDICATIONS

To every man and woman who served in Northern Ireland, irrespective of your Corps or Regiment, irrespective of your roles; you are my comrades and the honour of knowing you is all mine

To the innocent civilians on both sides of the sectarian divide who only wanted to lead a peaceful life, my empathy and my respect

To the late Ken B and Colour Sergeant Ken Ambrose, your passing has left a void in all our lives

To the 1,300 and more who never returned to their loved ones

To Steven McLaughlin, Darren Ware, Dave Hallam, Ken Pettengale, Gren Wilson, Dave Judge, Dave Pomfret, John Corr, Len Chappell and Tim Marsh; to the Royal Green Jackets, Celer et Audax

To Mike Sangster, John and Bernie Swaine, Mick Potter, Royal Artillery, Ubique

To Mike Day; for your inspiration and tireless help

To Mick Benny Hill, Steve Foxy Norman, Andy Thomas, Royal Anglians

To Mark C, James Henderson, BR, Haydn Williams, Glen Espie and the men and greenfinches of the Ulster Defence Regiment

To Mark and Allison Overson who started me on a long road

To Dave Parkinson, RTR

To JB, ATO

To Kenneth Anderson, Kev Wright, Tommy Clarke, Royal Corps of Transport

To Dave Slops Langston, Army Catering Corps

To Eddie Atkinson and Mick Brooks, Green Howards

To Tam Hutton and the Royal Highland Fusiliers

My cousin John Leighton, a Royal Artillery TA soldier

To the children and loved ones of our fallen: Anita Bailkoski, Scott Haughey, Tammy Card, Tracey Abraham, Stevie Rumble, Carol Richards, Mark Olphert

To my children: Anne-Marie, Anna-Martina, Jonathan, Jenny, Robbie, Alex and Nathan; love you all and always will

To my grandchildren: Sherriden, Kelsy, William, Sammy, Layla-Mae, Megan, Clara and Lydia; also to Morgan Addy

To Jeanne Griffin for your friendship and support

My dear friends Rachel Barnard and Sophie Sheldon on the Gold Coast

Finally to Adam Griffiths, Zoe Forrest, Andy Thomas, Fiona Addy and Dean Holmes, ever patient, ever persevering partners of my children

To my Aunt Ada who nagged me for years to put her name in my books

Bob Bankier, Dave Walker, Davie Card
I see your names and my tears fall, uncontrollably

Contents

List of Maps and Illustrations

Foreword

Steven McLaughlin

W hen Ken Wharton asked me to write the foreword to this, his eighth and latest book on The Troubles, I was profoundly honoured and puzzled. Honoured, because no one writes of Northern Ireland like Ken and merely to have ones name alongside his is a privilege; puzzled, because my six-month tour of Crossmaglen in 2004, during the dying days of Op Banner, hardly qualifies me as a troubles authority. And whilst its fair to say that South Armagh was still a scary place a decade ago, I would never dream to compare it with the hellhole it was during the period depicted in this book. Nonetheless it still felt strange and foreboding though. The grim history resonated through the fortress walls of our security bases and ubiquitous watchtowers, as if the troubles were merely yesterday and the whole time I was there I never let myself forget or disrespect that fact.

During 2004 I was based in the XMG security/police station and the Golf-One-Zero watchtower, overlooking a glorious green countryside that seemed ludicrously lush and verdant, given the bloody historical context of the times and troubles they represented. Before we deployed we were given long lectures from various old hands whod soldiered through the worst of the troubles and advised us to read-up and study on all that we could about Northern Ireland and Sough Armagh in particular. A dog-eared copy of Toby Hardens classic Bandit Country was doing the rounds of the battalion, but rather than wait my turn I impatiently bought a new one and devoured every word. Bandit Country was recommended reading because it brought us bang upto date with South Armagh as things stood then, from the late 90s post ceasefire peace to the early 21st century stalemate. The book gave us an uncomfortable pre-tour familiarisation with the then king of the hill, Slab Murphy, and his band of merry followers, many of whom Im sure are known in a more visceral sense to readers of Kens works. The closest I ever got to him and them was peering into their backyards scattered along the border or being glared at by them as they strode past our town-square patrols contemptuously ignoring us, so I tip my hat to Kens many readers who suffered an altogether closer experience, back in the day.