Andersontown News, August, 16, 2002, http://www.irelandclick.com/
Eight women lost their lives as the conflict tore through Ardoyne
Serialisation of Ardoyne: The Untold Truth
In the second of a series on the new book, Ardoyne – the Untold Truth, we
look at the lives of eight women who were killed.
Eight women lost their lives as the political conflict tore through Ardoyne,
leaving children without mothers, husbands without wives, mothers and
fathers without their precious daughters.
Though many woman took part in the conflict joining organisations to protect
their areas, it was the innocent women – going about their daily business –
that became casualties of the war in Ardoyne.
The first female victim was Sarah Worthington who was killed during
operation Demetrius, signalling the introduction of internment on August 9
1971. The 50-year-old Protestant woman lived in Velsheda Park and had nine
grown-up children. She was shot dead by the British army as she prepared to
leave her home along with almost 200 Protestant families who had moved out
and torched their former homes.
Sarah Worthington’s daughter Sarah Baillie said she arrived at her mother’s
house to find the horrific sight of her mother lying dead on the kitchen
floor.
“I immediately saw my mother lying on her back in the kitchen. Her head was
at the back door while her feet were at the living room door.”
The soldier who shot her was never subject to any internal or criminal
proceedings.
The second to lose her life was 20-year-old Margaret McCorry who was shot
dead by the IRA when it opened fire on a British army convoy on the Crumlin
Road – just five days before Christmas 1971.
The beautiful girl with the smiling eyes and winning smile was due to be
married the following year to an American boyfriend. She had been walking
along Butler Street and had been going to tell her aunt about her wedding
when gunmen firing from a house shot her.
Margaret’s surviving siblings said the death of their sister had shattered
their parents William and Catherine.
“We were told by my father that there was an apology sent to the family.
They should have given a written apology: that was the policy of the day and
we never got one. I don’t think if we got one now it would heal anything.
“My mum asked us all to forgive them because she forgave them, no matter who
it was. We were devastated by Margaret’s death, devastated, totally shocked,
very hurt. It wasn’t just a sister, it was the whole family circle
shattered.”
Elizabeth McGregor was a 76-year-old woman who was shot dead by a British
army sniper on January 12 1973.
She was fondly known as “a hard-working wee woman who liked a wee bet”.
Tragically her only son Barney died aged two and when her husband died she
never remarried.
She was shot at 11 in the morning as she returned from buying bread and a
newspaper. The British army sniper shot her in the head as she spoke to a
friend, and then as she reeled round, shot her again in the body.
Her nephew Anthony Fogarty said the British Army gave no explanation to her
family.
“They just said that they thought she was a gunman. My mother was very angry
and said to them. ‘What was she going to do, shoot them with a bit of
bread?’ The British Army did not come to the house and say this.
“My mother got a letter from the commanding officer of the section saying
that he was very sorry that it happened, but she was told nothing. My aunt
was shot dead and buried and that was it.
“It was put down that she was killed during a battle with gunmen, but there
were no gunmen.”
Martha Lavery was shot dead on August 5 1974 as she sat watching television
with her son and his six children – who she reared after their mother died –
during a gun battle outside her Jamacia Street home. It is thought the
exchange of fire was between the Official IRA and the British army. At her
inquest the RUC said the bullet that killed the 67-year-old was “probably” a
British army one. The Official IRA denied killing the grandmother. She
became another of the large amount of open verdicts of killings in the
Troubles.
Her grandson Gerard Lavery who witnessed his granny being shot dead recalled
the terrible events in the family livingroom.
“When the shooting started my daddy shouted to get down on the floor. Most
of the grandchildren were in the house at the time. Martha got on her hands
and knees and the next thing she said, ‘I’m hit’, and she fell flat on the
floor. The family all started screaming and pulled my granny into the middle
of the floor.
“We could still hear shooting. Some of the family ran out onto the street
screaming that Martha had been shot; they banged on neighbours’ doors to get
help. I tried to get out of the house. As I got to the hall there was a Brit
and he was hysterical.
“He started to shoot towards the other side of the street. I was only a
child at the time and I was pleading with him to stop. As far as I can
remember no Brit even attempted to give medical assistance to my granny
while she was still in the house.”
Mother-of-eight Christine Hughes had just recently moved to Ardoyne after
loyalists intimidated her and her husband, Freddie Hughes, out of their
Greenisland home. The couple – originally from the New Lodge – moved to
Mountainview Parade where they raised their family of four boys and four
girls.
Described as a quiet woman, Tina as she was called, was devoted to her
family and was a deeply religious woman. Her husband Freddie was a manager
of the Star Club in Ardoyne. IRA gunmen entered the family home thinking the
occupant was a member of the security forces and shot Christine Hughes dead
as she prepared to make her home ready for Christmas with her children.
Her husband Freddie Hughes describes the death of his wife whom he hails as
“a quiet good woman”.
“Christine was killed on a Sunday night – December 21 1975. I had left the
house at about 6pm that day to go to my work at the Star. At about 8pm the
door of our home was bust in.
“Christine was painting the wee door in the hall. Apparently when the door
was pushed in she ran into the sitting room. It was there she was shot, just
standing at the fireplace. I think there was only one shot fired and there
wasn’t anything said that I was told.
“My children never said that there was any words spoken. My daughter ran out
of the house and right across the road. I had said to Christine that I would
be home early. So my daughter came flying in roaring and crying that her
mother was shot. Then I was brought to the Mater Hospital. The doctors were
with her and within about ten minutes they came out and said she had passed
away. Nobody claimed responsibility for her death. It was a very sore point
for me, that particular situation. I can only go by what other people have
told me and they said that it was the IRA that did it. I was never involved
in any confrontation or anything at any time, never in anything. I don’t
know why they came to my door and targeted my wife.”
The youngest of all the female victims of the Ardoyne Troubles was
14-year-old Geraldine McKeown.
She was the youngest child and only girl of Patrick and Patricia McKeown’s
four children and her father had fought in the RAF during World War Two.
Forced out of Rathcoole at the outbreak of violence, the family stayed in
other people’s homes until housed in Mountainview Gardens.
On December 6 1976 – a short time after her brother was arrested and was
being held on remand in Crumlin Road jail - two gunmen came to the family
home. Dena as she was known was waiting for her friend to call and she was
shot twice in the head as she looked through her window.
The little friend she was waiting for was Kate McCurdy. “Dena knew what was
going on around her, with her brother being inside. She was afraid of
something happening. I remember after she died, I slept in her house for a
couple of nights over the wake. I was up in her bedroom crying. I found
these letters of Geraldine’s saying,’I’m afraid to die. I’m afraid’,” she
said.
Colette Meek was shot dead by the IRA on August 17 1980. This weekend sees
her 22nd anniversary.
The mother-of-four was standing in her driveway when the IRA ambushed an RUC
patrol. The IRA later apologised for the killing of the 47-year-old.
Her daughter Claire Meek describes the loss of her mother who was a
supporter of the Peace People.
“There was a terrible emptiness after her death. It wasn’t quite real; you
were still always expecting her to come back in the door for a long time
after it. The IRA claimed responsibility. They said they were sorry and that
it wasn’t their intended target. It makes me angry..I never got to know my
mummy. I was deprived of her when I was growing up. She was the best in the
world; she was my mummy.”
The last woman to die was Isabel Leyland during a visit home from England.
She was killed when the IRA attacked a British army patrol in Flax Street.
Known affectionately as Ruby she had been staying in her mother’s house in
Northwick Drive. She had been going to collect photographs with her niece
Jolene McAllister who had turned 11 that day.
“Just as we turned the corner into Flax Street we saw Jim Clarke and Isabel
said, ‘hello’. Then I heard a bang and Isabel pushed me to the ground.
“There were another two bangs. I had never heard shooting before so I didn’t
know what it was. Then I heard, ‘I’m hit, I’m hit’, and a voice saying, ‘I’m
hit too’ and I looked up and there was blood coming out of Isabel’s mouth,”
said Jolene.
Journalist: Andrea McKernon, andrea@irelandclick.com