Doherty - The thin green line : a history of the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC, 1922-2001

Many people and organizations helped in the research and writing of this book and I would like to express my thanks to all of them. Without their help and encouragement the book would not have been possible. I am, therefore, indebted to: Mrs Agnes Adair BEM; Mr Richard Byrnes; Mrs Catherine Campbell (ne Whitsitt); Mr Paul Clarke; Mr Tony Crowe; Mr Ivan Duncan; Mr Neil Falkingham QPM MIRSO; Sir Ronnie Flanagan GBE MA; Sam Foster CBE FIRSO (Hon.); Sir John Gorman CVO CBE MC; Mr Charles Graham; Mr Norman Hamill MA; Mr Bobby Hanvey; Mr Luke Hasson MBE; Mr Alan Hawthorne; Mr Jim Herlihy; Sir John Hermon; Mr Douglas S. Hogg BEM FIRSO (Hon.); Mr Peter Leslie; Mr Michael McAtamney OBE LlB; Mr Peter McCandless; Mr Alan McConnell; Mrs Breege McCusker; Mr Bernard McGrath; Mr Sam Mitchell; Mr Albert Nicholl; Mr Herbert Ross; Mr Reggie Semple QPM; Mr Robin Sinclair MBE; Mrs Karen Stewart; Mr Stewart Tosh MBE; Mr Sam Trotter BEM; Mr Ronnie Trouton MBE FIRSO; Mr David Truesdale; Mr Jack Truesdale; Mr David and Mrs Florence Walker.

A word of thanks is also due to my good friend Joe McCready AFM for reading and commenting on parts of the draft. Several individuals also provided information or assistance but asked that their names should not be included in the book. Their request for anonymity is respected but I would like to express my special gratitude to them.

Among the organizations that helped me were: The RUC GC Foundation; The RUC GC Association; The RUC GC Historical Society and The RUC GC Widows Association from which I would like to thank Mr Jim McDonald LVO MBE KCSG KCHS JP DL, Chairman of the Foundation, Mr Hugh Forrester, Secretary and Mr Richard Abbott MBE, Treasurer, of the Historical Society and Mrs Iona Meyer MBE, Chairperson of the Widows Association, for their support. In addition I would like to thank Mr Terry Spence of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland and the RUC GC Benevolent Fund for his assistance and advice.

Institutional assistance was provided by the Northern Ireland Police Museum, the curator of which, Mr Hugh Forrester, was enthusiastic and energetic in his support; The Linenhall Library, Belfast, which tracked down some obscure books for my research; the staff of the Reading Room and the Search Room at the National Archives who were, as ever, highly professional and friendly; the British Library Newspaper Library, Colindale, London and the Central Library, Foyle Street, Londonderry. Mr Bob Catterson QPM, editor of the Police Service Gazette , formerly Constabulary Gazette , was another valuable source of information.

A number of quotations appear throughout the book and I am grateful for permission to use these from: Ivan Duncan for quotations from his book Insult to Injury ; Pen & Sword Books Ltd., Barnsley for quotations from The Times of My Life by Sir John Gorman and A Testimony to Courage , The regimental history of The Ulster Defence Regiment by John Potter; Gill and Macmillan Ltd., Dublin for quotations from Holding the Line by Sir John Hermon; The RUC GC Historical Society for quotations from The Women in Green by Margaret Cameron; The Sunday Times for quotations from Eoghan Harris; Blackstaff Press Ltd., Belfast for quotations from A Straight Left by Paddy Devlin and A History of Ulster by Jonathan Bardon. Every effort has been made to ensure that no infringement of copyright has occurred but if, in spite of these efforts, any copyright has been infringed the author would be pleased to make arrangements to rectify this at the earliest available opportunity.

Photographs appear by courtesy of the Police Museum; Mrs Agnes Adair BEM; J. J. McCauley; Mrs Evy McDonald; Mr Reggie Semple QPM; and Mr Bobby Hanvey.

Brigadier Henry Wilson of Pen & Sword Books was a stalwart support throughout the research and writing process as well as being very patient. My thanks are due to Henry and all the excellent team at Pen & Sword who made this book possible.

It would be most remiss of me not to mention a very special group of ladies who provided many cups of tea, friendship and support in what now seems to have been a very different age. Thank you to Vera, sadly gone from us, Agnes, Joan, Denise, Claire, Hazel and Mary, all of whom wore green with pride and brought much credit to the uniform.

Finally I thank my family my wife Carol, children Joanne, James and Catrona and grandson Ciarn for their constant support.

Richard Doherty

Co. Londonderry

September 2004