The death of a soldier
At the time I was on duty in the Parlour Observation Post on the Antrim road, the O/P was named after its former use as a funeral parlour. It was an uninviting place that stank of embalming fluid and was absolutely infested with rats. When on duty at the actual observation slit the sentry was in complete darkness - armed with rifle, telescope, and sometimes a camera. The view from the slit looked straight down New Lodge road and either way down the Antrim road, just 50 or so yards to the left was the Phoenix Bar and Phoenix alley.
Picture of the Parlour O/P with anti-grenade nets, and the view from inside the building…
On Monday July 29th, our four-man section took over the Parlour O/P for our two-day stint. Nothing much happened throughout the day, but at approximately 1:00am on the morning of july 30th, a single shot was fired just a few hundred yards away from our O/P. From then onwards there was little to report. At 4:00pm I took over for my two hours at the observation point, and at 4:15pm I reported to BHQ that six to eight men had fled the local betting office and ran in various directions. A mobile patrol was quickly dispatched to the scene - but nothing untowards was found. At 4:47pm the radio crackled into life after reports of two shots being fired - I remember hearing something, but to me it just sounded like a couple of ‘popping’ noises, not anything like gunfire at all. The radio fell silent for a few moments, and then suddenly burst into life again as a sobbing voice came on the air pleading for help. The poor lad was absolutely distraught, he explained that his sergeant had just been shot and he needed an ambulance. In those days we had done away with the A42 manpack radio’s, and the NCO’s were using the police pocket radio’s. That poor lad had to go over to Bernie’s body and retrieve the radio from his flak-jacket before he could call for help.
Bernie’s patrol had been making it’s way along Hillman street and had reached the intersection with Edlingham street - the scene of many shootings over the years. It had a terrible reputation, and you had a feeling of dread every time you crossed it when on patrol. It ran as straight as an arrow from New Lodge road to Duncairn Gardens at the other end. There was an old chapel at the New Lodge road end which we used to call the ‘Buttes.’ The IRA would paint the wall white, and we would go over it with green paint. Every time you crossed at that point you felt like a target on a rifle range. Bernies patrol was at the other end and were just in the process of crossing Edlingham street when Bernie spotted the gunman in an alley, he dropped to one knee and shouldered his rifle - but it was already too late. Patrick C…….., armed with an American Garand rifle fired off two quick shots and Bernie fell to the ground. I then saw a man running, he came out of Phoenix alley and into the Phoenix bar - but at this point I wasn’t aware that anyone had been shot. It was only after the call on the radio from that poor lad that anyone knew it was a shooting.
A view of Edlingham street and an aerial view of the junction where Bernie was shot, the alley (passage) is visible between the buildings which are back-to-back…
Intelligence report into the shooting…
Shortly after the call for help from the soldier the MO turned up at the scene in an armoured ambulance Land-Rover. There was radio silence again for several minutes, and then the MO came on the air describing the wounds… "Two shots to the body, the first one entering just below the heart. The second shot hit him while he was falling - entering below the heart, coming out through his stomach and entering his leg." I was horrified at the clinical way he spoke over the air, and in truth I couldn’t understand why he chose to do that. What was the point? Did we really need to know the brutal details of how Bernie died? I duly recorded the incident in my diary…
We continued with our O/P duties and the death of Bernie was pushed to the back of my mind. On Saturday August 30th, there had been an incident in Hillman street and a soldier from 97 Bty was hit in the leg, our unit (13 troop) raced down there and started searching houses. The usual routine was hammer on the door and kick it in if they didn’t open up - speed was paramount when in hot pursuit of a gunman… On Monday september 2nd, shots were fired at a patrol from 97 Bty. The patrol spotted the gunman and gave chase, and one of them even managed to catch hold of him and wrestle the Garand rifle from his grip. The gunman took off, three shots were fired at him - but they all missed. There were three more contacts with gunmen that night, but at 9:20pm, Patrick C……. was captured by another patrol - but unbelievably they let him slip from their grasp again.
On Saturday September 7th, Patrick C……. was finally captured, and this time he didn’t escape. I had the good fortune of being at North Queen street RUC station where I took this picture of him when he was brought in for ‘questioning.’ A reception committee of several members of 97 Bty were waiting to greet him, Bernie had been a very popular man… C……. later admitted to several other shootings besides that of Bernie.
Patrick C……. after his capture…
It is this single incident which has caused me problems in recent years. I hear those voices on the radio and it can be quite distressing. I came close to getting the ‘chop’ on several occasions - none of that bothered me in the slightest, after all - a miss is as good as a mile. But the radio traffic that day, the things that were said - was truly awful to listen to.
Cheers,
Steve.
