1969 AD - 6 (August Continued)

    In  the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province by the British Imperial Government and still under the control of the Ascendancy Official Unionist Stormont Government on;

Friday; August 15th: The British Imperial Military Royal Regiment from Wales and another from the Queen's Regiment in England arrived into the Falls Road area, while the R.U.C. police and the non - Catholic mobs remained together in the Shankhill area. As the night fell the non - Catholics in the Ardoyne area attacked the Irish Catholics again with petrol bombs, setting house after house there on fire, and by the time the British Government Military forces arrived two whole streets of homes were burning. The non - Catholic mobs returned to their barricades, were they were supported by the R.U.C. police again, although some still stayed in the Ardoyne area where there were no British Government Military forces present until another British Government battalion arrived to drive back those among them who were using petrol bombs. The British Government Military forces then moved into other areas to surround and guard the Irish Catholic areas that were under siege, and although the non - Catholic mobs still continued to send off fire bombs near them they ignored them and refused to fire on them to make them stop .

 Friday night: The non - Catholic mobs continued their attacks on the the Irish Catholic areas where they were still wearing their white arm bands and were also well organized, and the R.U.C police had also told the British Government Military forces to keep out of certain areas in their armoured cars. Despite this the British Military forces during the night were instead, stopping the R.U.C. police themselves from going into certain Irish Catholic areas. The Irish Catholics there then began returning to their homes as the British Army Land Rovers appeared on the streets without firing one shot, although one soldier had been wounded. The British Military forces were by now all along the Irish Catholic areas where they were facing the non - Catholics head on who were now once again behind their own barricades. The British Military forces also put up barbed wire in the key positions that were held by the non - Catholics, and the R.U.C. police were now out of the Irish Catholic areas and back among the non - Catholics. By the morning Belfast was under British Military control.     

     The British Labour Government in England now sent 400 British Military troops from the 1st Battalion of the Prince Of Wales Own Regiment into surround the Derry region in Co. Derry, as the R.U.C. police and B Special police who had, had enough, pulled out, and things then quietened down. More British Army forces were then sent into the rest of the 6 Counties in Ulster Province within a week, which it seemed were now under the actual control of the British Labour Government, As it had been intended the Irish Catholic refugees were still fleeing across the artificial border to safety, and also out of the surrounding non - Catholic areas, and James Chichester - Clark the Official Unionist Prime Minster in the 6 Counties in Ulster then had the hide to accuse Jack Lynch the Prime Minister of the Irish Republic of interfering in the affairs of the 6 Counties in Ulster and appeared on T.V. saying that he would seek other help ?

      In the Irish Republic (26 Counties) Kevin Boland resigned from the political Fianna Fail Government, which was under the leadership of Jack Lynch, as he was totally disillusioned at the lack of action taken against the aggression on behalf of the people in the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, He had previously requested that something concrete had to be done to bring about a re - united 32 County of Ireland, which was the original policy of the political Fianna Fail Party. Eamonn de Valera the President of the Republic of Ireland intervened to get him to postpone his resignation for the time being to avoid a public crisis.

      Neil Blaney who was also a member of the Fianna Fail Republic of Ireland Government and a staunch Republican also, was in line for the leadership of the political Fianna Fail Party, as was Charles Haughey, and due to the pressure to do something about the whole sorry mess in the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, they had both became involved in the Arms Crisis. As he had personal control over the funds for the alleviation of distress up there in the 6 Counties in Ulster, between them, they were to contrive to obtain arms for the Irish Catholic 1/3rd minority there to try and assist them to defend themselves against the continuing ethnic and sectarian attacks.

      Dr Patrick Hillery the Minister of External Affairs in the Fianna Fail Republic of Ireland Government called on the British Labour Government in London, before going onto the United Nations, to try and first seek some positive action from them to alleviate the distress that was always occurring in the 6 Counties artificially partitioned by the British Imperial Government from the 9 in the Ulster Province.

       The IRA, was at this time not popular in the Irish Catholic areas in the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, as they had not responded in their hour of need, although the Northern IRA members had gone to the south to get help to defend themselves, but were refused guns and ammunition. They had been forced to return empty handed, and watch it all unfold and not really be able to do anything personally to protect the population there who were supposed to be under their care.

      James Callaghan the British Labour Government Home Secretary advised Harold Wilson the British Labour Prime Minister that the Ascendancy Official Unionist Stormont Government was requesting further British Government Military assistance in one of the 6 Counties partitioned from the Ulster Province, namely Derry in Co. Derry, as they had called up all of their B Special police a few hours earlier who were now not supposed to be used in sensitive areas, but had nevertheless already gone into Derry fully armed.

     The Rev. Ian Paisley the hard - line ethnic and religious extremist was also threatening to call out his U.V.F / Unionist Volunteer Force and create all out Civil War in the 6 Counties in the Ulster Province that were still under the control of the Official Unionist Stormont Government and the British Government. The British Government Military forces began carrying out patrols in the Falls and Shankhill Road areas there where many of the Irish Catholic families had previously fled from their homes near the non - Catholic areas, to the Falls Road area to be further in, and closer to the Irish Catholic area, for their own protection.

     The Official IRA's Central Body, in the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, was now under the leadership of Patrick Devlin who was a Labour Party M.P. in the Stormont Government there who had his office in Leeson Street in the Lower Falls area. The Official IRA under Cathal Goulding had taken no part in the any of the previous events as they were now pursuing their new found Socialist policy of mobilising all the working classes, both non - Catholics and Irish Catholics from both sides of the artificial partition border. It was now their policy to overthrow the Capitalist system, by using peaceful and democratic means, and the Irish Catholics who turned to them for assistance had been told that they were not now going to get involved, and this meant that the Irish Catholics there now had to set up their own defence organizations individually street by street there.  20 Irish Catholics were now also arrested by the Official Unionist RUC police there under their Special Powers Act.

August 16th: The British Labour Government sent over more British Military troops into Belfast in Co. Antrim, who were actually in reality still put under the control of the Ascendancy Official Unionist Stormont Government in the 6 Counties in the Ulster Province, and written on the walls there at this time, because of the IRA's Official policy, was "IRA / I Ran Away." The Official IRA in the Ulster Province had previously become nearly defunct, due to their new ideology of Socialism under their leader Cathal Goulding, who intended to bring about change by peaceful and democratic means, intending to recognize the 3 individual Parliaments now in control of the whole of Ireland. This particular motion had been passed by the members of the Official IRA, but not by a sufficient majority for their Constitution to be changed, when a member had moved that the IRA Army Council was already recognizing the Republic of Ireland's Parliament, and this should be endorsed. Those who disagreed had then walked out of the IRA in disgust to become the Provisional IRA named after Patrick Pearse's Irish Republican Provisional Government in the 1916 Easter Rising. Added to the aggravation of the members now of the Provisional IRA, was the British Labour Government's refusal to defend the Irish Catholic areas, and the newer members who were joining the Provisional IRA, were now  bringing in new recruits in defence of the Irish Catholic areas in the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in Ulster Province. The IRA and the political Sinn Fein Party was now also to split into 2 separate groups, with one becoming the Socialist Official IRA and also the political Official Sinn Fein Party under Cathal Goulding. The other became the Provisional IRA, which was their military wing and the Provisional Sinn Fein Party became their political wing, who in reality were to become the only actual defenders of the Irish Catholic population in the 6 Counties artificially partitioned out of the two split groups. They also openly condemned all things Marxist, and were for the Irish Nationalist approach of a United Ireland.

      The recent Troubles in the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, that were still under the rule of the Ascendancy Official Unionist Stormont Government, bought on by the demand for basic Civil Rights and democracy had certainly combined to bring forth and revitalize a new breed of IRA members who were to form under their own particular Northern Command. This momentum was to continue up until 1979, due to the lack of any further consistent Civil Rights ever being bought in there. Although the British  Government were to once again eventually finally assume total control over the Irish Catholic population there also in the 6 Counties in Ulster, nothing was to be done to bring about any further reform there. Despite this, these terrible ongoing Troubles and lack of any real attempt at bringing in further reform by the British Government had continued the cry for re - unification of Ireland once again and re - awakened the whole population of Ireland.

     James Callaghan the British Labour Government's Home Secretary gave the order for the British Military forces to move on Derry in Co. Derry, one of the 6 Counties in the Ulster Province  still under their overall control, and the Prince of Wales Own Yorkshire Regiment now surrounded Derry, with full military battle gear, including sub - machine guns, and the fighting ceased. The R.U.C. police and the B Special police belonging to the Official Unionist Ascendancy Stormont Government withdrew from the area, while the Irish Catholics there began singing, "We have overcome." The British Military forces on the other hand never entered the Irish Catholic Bogside area and Bernadette Devlin was ready to negotiate with them, on behalf of the population there, if they did.

August 16th: Saturday; The British Military forces were patrolling the areas, while the Irish Catholics and the non - Catholics were strengthening their individual barricades, with the Paisleyites and non - Catholics blaming the Irish Catholics for the revolt against the R.U.C. police, while the Irish Catholics only required natural justice against their attackers, the R.U.C. police and the non - Catholics, and the British Military forces to protect them against any such further attacks. Meanwhile the Free Press was rolling all the time, and it was now all out there finally being recorded World wide for everyone to see and come to their own conclusions. In Armagh in Co. Armagh, which was another of the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, the Irish Catholic Cardinal Conway was calling for fairness to be implemented in the 6 Counties in Ulster to bring an end to the violence there. The non - Catholic hardliners wanted confirmation that calling in the British Government Armed forces would not effect their dominant Ascendancy position there in their Constitution, while the R.U.C. police was saying they had been provoked by the Irish Catholics there. The British Labour Government was saying that the Official Unionist R.U.C. police could not be allowed to return to the Falls Road or the Bogside area, and that peace must be maintained by the British Armed forces. There was now exchanges between the British Labour Government and the Official Unionist Stormont Government, on how many British Imperial troops were needed to keep order in the 6 Counties in Ulster. The Rev. Ian Paisley, the ethnic and religious extremist, came out berating the Irish Catholics for attacking non - Catholic property, although all of the damage had occurred in the Irish Catholic areas. James Chichester - Clark, the Official Unionist Prime Minister in the 6 Counties in Ulster, stated that it was a bunch of ruthless men who had attacked the R.U.C. police, meaning the IRA, which was basically still inactive at that time, but the continuing ramifications of what had occurred during the recent Troubles was to certainly change that.

      Jack Lynch the Taoiseach / Prime Minister in the Republic of Ireland had also mobilised the army reserve there in the 26 Counties.

    The Derry Citizen's Defence Committee in the 6 Counties in the Ulster Province, now wanted the Official Unionist Ascendancy Stormont Government abolished altogether, and the release of all those previously arrested by the R.U.C. police in the Irish Catholic Bogside area, and an Amnesty for all who had acted in defence of their homes, lives and property, and especially, the total removal of the Stormont Government's B Special police.  

August 17th: Sunday: James Chichester - Clark the Official Unionist Stormont Ascendancy Government leader called a press conference where he fully supported the actions of the R.U.C. police during the recent Troubles, inferring that it was actually the still inactive IRA who were responsible. The Civil Rights movements were also by now also demanding the release of all the political prisoners held under the Special Powers Act. On this day an attack was also carried out on the Crossmaglen police station just north of the artificial border. 

 August 18th: Monday: General Sir Ian Freeland the Commander in Chief of the British Military forces put out a press release from his H.Q. in Belfast in Co. Antrim, that by the end of the week there were to be 6,000 British Imperial Military forces and two squadrons of armoured cars patrolling the areas in the 6 Counties partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province.

August 19th: Tuesday: Major James Dawson Chichester - Clark, the Ascendancy Official Unionist Prime Minister in the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, was summoned to London to see Harold Wilson the British Labour Prime Minister and he decided on a statement affirming that the partition border was not an issue, as the 6 Counties in the Ulster Province under their control would remain part of the United Kingdom until the majority of the population there declared otherwise. It was also agreed that Terence O Neill's programme, that had been set in motion previously to bring about reforms was to be continued on, to create an equal society with a Commission to be set up under Lord Scarman to investigate the cause of the violence, and another under Lord Hunt to examine R.U.C. police tactics. 2 British Government Home Affairs officers were flown over from London to act as political advisors at the British Imperial Military H.Q.  Sir Ian Freeland was to be the British Military Director of Operations in the 6 Counties in Ulster over the Stormont Government's B Special police and the R.U.C. Riot Police. The British Military Army was now in control, and the Official Unionists and the non - Catholic protagonists were now limited as to their manoeuvres and agendas, but the Constitution was still in place and the Ascendancy Official Unionist Stormont Government was to continue on, with the position regarding their B Special police to be reconsidered. The British Military forces would be withdrawn when law and order was restored, and there was to be equal rights and protection for all of the population under the law for all of the citizens there in the 6 Counties in Ulster. 

August 20th: Brian Faulkner the hard - line Official Unionist, stated that there would be no way the Ascendancy Stormont Government's B Special police would be disbanded as to the Ascendancy in the 6 Counties in Ulster they represented power, while to the Irish Catholics they only represented oppression.

August 21st: In the 6 Counties in Ulster, an inquiry was begun into the activities of the R.U.C. police in their armoured cars by Lord Hunt, and a Tribunal of Inquiry under Justice Scarman was begun to investigate the riots in July and August, and in regards to the sabotages carried out previously in April with James Callaghan the British Labour Government Home Secretary to go over personally to the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province and see for himself.

August 22nd: Bernadette Devlin flew to New York to tour America to obtain funds from the Irish - Americans to assist those disadvantaged in the riots in the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, while the Rev. Ian Paisley the extremist hard - liner was demanding, "No comfort or aid to the enemy." Sir Ian Freeland ordered all of the B Special police to hand in their weapons to be re - issued for duty only, and the Rev. Ian Paisley came out and stated publicly that they were the first line of the Unionist defence and the teeth of the Ascendancy Official Unionist Stormont Government. The Official Unionists sent off 2 of their M.P.'s to America to counter the success of Bernadette Devlin there with no success. The Unionists then published a bitter, crude pamphlet to be spread in England, which was so embarrassing that it was even criticized by Justice Scarman, and they also tried to enlist the Conservatives in Britain to their cause and also Edward Heath who was the leader of the Conservative Opposition there. The T.V. images of James Chichester - Clark the Ascendancy Official Unionist Prime Minister of the 6 Counties were not impressive either, and the rantings of the Rev. Ian  Paisley came across as a truly gruesome personality, with others seemingly frightened to be moderate, and also frightened of the Ascendancy hard - liners.

August 27th: James Callaghan the British Labour Government's Home Secretary was to be in Belfast or 3 days in Co. Antrim, one of the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province by the British Imperial Government in 1922. He spoke with all involved there, including the Rev. Ian Paisley who he found intractable and he brushed him aside, and also met with Cardinal Conway, and viewed all of the devastation. On behalf of the British Labour Government he then offered 250,000 pounds towards alleviating the distress in the 6 Counties in Ulster under his control. There were still some spasmodic outbreaks in Derry in Co. Derry, but the Irish Catholic Bogside area that was surrounded by the British Military forces was quiet, while in Belfast in Co. Antrim guerrilla warfare was continued on. The Falls Road community was under the control of the Belfast Citizen's Defence Committee led by James Sullivan and they manned the barricades at night and negotiated with the British Imperial Army forces, as the Irish Catholics in the area brought them tea, while the non - Catholics there only continued to throw stones and verbal abuse. There were now 6,000 British Government forces, in the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, who did not have enough weapons, and those they did have were kept loaded at all times. Radio Free Belfast operated from the Citizens Defence building, while among the opposition the non - Catholics protagonists had 3 stations, Radio Orange, Radio Loyalist and Radio Shankhill, and they used these to taunt the British Military forces as being allies of the Irish Catholics, while the Rev. Ian Paisley, the hard - line extremist, was still screaming verbal abuse. As time went by the non - Catholics protagonists who were feeling more enforced became even more daring at testing the British Military forces at the barricades. The British Government Military forces were to maintain a truce in the Irish Catholic areas for 3 weeks, and the non - Catholics in the Shankhill Road were to remove nearly all of their barricades.

August 29th: A Points System for Public Housing was finally approved in the 6 Counties artificially partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province.

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