IRA Blamed for Sectarian Slaughter at Kingsmill

[Myles Na G.]

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/ira-blamed-for-kingsmill-massacre-16012691.html

[HiMucker]

When I was growing up I never heard about any sectarian attrocities committed by the IRA but knew about all the others committed by the 'other side'.  Was horrified when by father told me about them and this is one that obviously stands out.  Even to this day I be amazed at how many mates are shocked when I tell them about it, normally after they have been on about some loyalist attrocity.

[deiseach]

Is it common for the apologists for the Provos to deny responsibility for this atrocity?

[AQMP]

Is it common for the apologists for the Provos to deny responsibility for this atrocity?

Not in my experience, but they often preface with a line about the murders of Catholics on the night before this incident.

[Hardy]

Is it common for the apologists for the Provos to deny responsibility for this atrocity?

Not in my experience, but they often preface with a line about the murders of Catholics on the night before this incident.

That and the "shouldn't have happened" weasel words.

[Evil Genius]

Is it common for the apologists for the Provos to deny responsibility for this atrocity?

Well obviously.

Remember, responsibility [sic] for this "operation" was claimed by the "Republican Action Force", so it couldn't have been the Provos... 

[Evil Genius]

Is it common for the apologists for the Provos to deny responsibility for this atrocity?

Not in my experience, but they often preface with a line about the murders of Catholics on the night before this incident.

Ah yes, the brutal, sectarian muders of the Reaveys and O'Dowds the night before.

In fact, the IRA Republican Action Force claimed that Kingsmills was in direct retaliation for the previous night's atrocities.

Which means that in less than 18 hours, they were able to:
1) Mobilise 12 gunmen;
2) Arrange for them to be armed and equipped from secret weapons dumps etc;
3) Ensure they were able to get off work unnoticed, and/or arrange alibis;
4) Confirm when the workers' van would be leaving the mill and by what route etc;
5) Brief the 12 gunmen about their "mission", including that they should not strike at the van until after  the driver had dropped off four Catholic workers at the previous stop at Whitecross;
6) Arrange transport to the scene (3? 4? 5? vehicles), and then get them away afterwards, before returning the gunmen to wherever they needed to be and concealing the weapons and evidence etc.

I must say, that is some feat of planning, in so short a time, by a hitherto little-known "micro group".

Unless, of course, it was carried out by another, larger organisation, which had planned it sometime in advance and which subsequently put it into action (or brought it forward?), when they had the excuse of the previous night's atrocities to "justify" what all decent human beings would designate as nothing more than calculated and sectarian mass murder... 

P.S. Having first been disclosed to the bereaved families, the full HET Report is due out tomorrow. I am given to understand that its findings will include the following:
(a ) When the van was stopped and the occupants told to get out on the road, the gang leader told any Catholics present to step forward. There was only one, the driver, but fearing that this might be a Loyalist murder gang, a (Protestant) workman next to him in line whispered to the driver to stay back. However, one of the gang recognised the driver and told him to clear off. Which means that if one or more of the gunmen knew the driver, he possibly knew some of the 10 murdered workers, since all were local. Further, it is likely that the gunmen (and/or the planners of the attack) will have known that none of the murdered men were in either the Security Forces or any Loyalist paramilitary organisation;
(b ) After the first volley of machine gun fire mowed the line of men down, the gang leader gave the order to "Finish them off", so that a further volley was unloaded at the bodies on the ground. This is known because, despite having been hit 18 times himself, one of the workers was miraculously to survive the massacre - apparently he was saved by the body of a colleague having fallen on him, thus shielding him from the second volley;
(c ) The weapons used in this operation had previously been used in nearly 100 attacks, involving over 30 murders, including a previous sectarian massacre, Tullyvallen: http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/local/kingsmills_six_named_in_het_report_1_2782872
(d ) Some of weapons used at Kingsmills were recovered five months later from an IRA gang which was intercepted trying to ambush a security forces patrol. Included in this gang was a certain Raymond McCreesh, later to become more notorious as one of the 10 fanatics who starved themselves to death in the Maze...

[deiseach]

Is it common for the apologists for the Provos to deny responsibility for this atrocity?

Not in my experience, but they often preface with a line about the murders of Catholics on the night before this incident.

Ah yes, the brutal, sectarian muders of the Reaveys and O'Dowds the night before.

In fact, the IRA Republican Action Force claimed that Kingsmills was in direct retaliation for the previous night's atrocities.

Which means that in less than 18 hours, they were able to:
1) Mobilise 12 gunmen;
2) Arrange for them to be armed and equipped from secret weapons dumps etc;
3) Ensure they were able to get off work unnoticed, and/or arrange alibis;
4) Confirm when the workers' van would be leaving the mill and by what route etc;
5) Brief the 12 gunmen about their "mission", including that they should not strike at the van until after  the driver had dropped off four Catholic workers at the previous stop at Whitecross;
6) Arrange transport to the scene (3? 4? 5? vehicles), and then get them away afterwards, before returning the gunmen to wherever they needed to be and concealing the weapons and evidence etc.

I must say, that is some feat of planning, in so short a time, by a hitherto little-known "micro group".

Unless, of course, it was carried out by another, larger organisation, which had planned it sometime in advance and which subsequently put it into action (or brought it forward?), when they had the excuse of the previous night's atrocities to "justify" what all decent human beings would designate as nothing more than calculated and sectarian mass murder... 

P.S. Having first been disclosed to the bereaved families, the full HET Report is due out tomorrow. I am given to understand that its findings will include the following:
(a ) When the van was stopped and the occupants told to get out on the road, the gang leader told any Catholics present to step forward. There was only one, the driver, but fearing that this might be a Loyalist murder gang, a (Protestant) workman next to him in line whispered to the driver to stay back. However, one of the gang recognised the driver and told him to clear off. Which means that if one or more of the gunmen knew the driver, he possibly knew some of the 10 murdered workers, since all were local. Further, it is likely that the gunmen (and/or the planners of the attack) will have known that none of the murdered men were in either the Security Forces or any Loyalist paramilitary organisation;
(b ) After the first volley of machine gun fire mowed the line of men down, the gang leader gave the order to "Finish them off", so that a further volley was unloaded at the bodies on the ground. This is known because, despite having been hit 18 times himself, one of the workers was miraculously to survive the massacre - apparently he was saved by the body of a colleague having fallen on him, thus shielding him from the second volley;
(c ) The weapons used in this operation had previously been used in nearly 100 attacks, involving over 30 murders, including a previous sectarian massacre, Tullyvallen: http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/local/kingsmills_six_named_in_het_report_1_2782872
(d ) Some of weapons used at Kingsmills were recovered five months later from an IRA gang which was intercepted trying to ambush a security forces patrol. Included in this gang was a certain Raymond McCreesh, later to become more notorious as one of the 10 fanatics who starved themselves to death in the Maze...

At whom is this post directed?

[Denn Forever]

Does it have be directed at anyone?

Only new it as a name, not the details.

[deiseach]

Does it have be directed at anyone?

Only new it as a name, not the details.

Well, yes. It only makes sense in the context of someone disputing that the Provos carried out the massacre

[AQMP]

Does it have be directed at anyone?

Only new it as a name, not the details.

Well, yes. It only makes sense in the context of someone disputing that the Provos carried out the massacre

EG likes to let off steam now and again...it saves him strangling kittens.

[Minder]

I thought I heard/ read the other day that one of the gunmen was believed to be involved in the Omagh bombing.

[Denn Forever]

Who was disputing that it was carried out by the IRA on this thread?

[heganboy]

tough not to see where EG is coming from here.

the fanatics comment is quite funny in an odd sort of way, was surprised nobody rose to the bait.

[Evil Genius]

Does it have be directed at anyone?

Only new it as a name, not the details.

Well, yes. It only makes sense in the context of someone disputing that the Provos carried out the massacre

The point is that the Provos  denied responsibility (apparently it couldn't have been them since they were "On Ceasefire" at the time)

Beyond that, several Provo sorry, SF supporters on this Forum like to claim that the IRA never used sectarian murder as an element of their campaign for National Liberation etc. This gives the lie to that claim.

Moreover, there is at least one other poster on this Board, a certain "Ulick", who from the evidence of the following post on another forum in January may, shall we say, be less than unequivocal in his condemnation of Kingsmills (if only from an "Ends Justifying the Means" point of view):

"The perpetrators of Kingsmill achieved what they set out to do in that it put an end to the tit-for-tat sectarian killings which in happening in the area as Neill has outlined above. Frank Aiken as I remember used the same tactic in the same area for the same purpose in 1922 and it also worked then. Kingsmills was obviously a horrendous incident but if it had not happened would we have seen a continuation of the previous attrition rate with maybe 40 or 50 innocents killed in low impact incidents over a period of months? Probably."
http://sluggerotoole.com/2011/01/05/35-years-after-kingsmills-het-report-due-next-week/