Massacre victims remembered on 25th anniversary
by Joe Oliver
THE families of ten Protestant workmen killed in one of the IRA’s worst atrocities yesterday attended a commemoration service in south Armagh to mark the 25th anniversary of what became known as the Kingsmill Massacre.
They laid wreaths at the roadside spot where the workmen were lined up and gunned down.
Free Presbyterian minister, Rev Tomas Murray, said that those who died were killed simply because of their Protestant faith.
The Republican Action Force, a cover name for the IRA, admitted responsibility for the slaughter on the Whitecross Bessbrook Road on January 5, 1976.
The brutal murder of the workmen stunned the entire community and led the then Labour Government to introduce the SAS to South Armagh, as a counter terrorist measure.
The workmen were returning in a minibus from the Glenanne textile mill when they were stopped on the Whitecross Newry Road by masked terrorists waving a red light.
When the vehicle came to a halt, the gunmen ordered the occupants to get out, before lining them up on the roadside and asking their religion.
One worker, a Roman Catholic, was allowed to go free. The terrorists then opened fire on the defenceless men at point blank range with automatic weapons.
No one was ever charged in connection with the massacre.
Alan Black, from Bessbrook, was the only survivor, escaping death despite receiving 18 bullet wounds to his body.
The Kingsmill massacre is believed to have been carried out in retaliation for the killing by loyalist terrorists of six Roman Catholic men in separate incidents in 1975.
The families who gathered at yesterday’s service are also expected to attend a memorial for the victims in Bessbrook town hall on Sunday.
Mr Black’s mother in law, Ena Dodds, who laid flowers at the scene, said: “It took me back to that terrible night and all the people that were known to me and to everyone else.
“Young boys who lived in the street with me, I knew them all bar one.”
Victims group, Families Acting for Innocent Relatives, is raising funds to erect a permanent memorial at the spot where the men died.
Spokesman William Frazer said: “Nobody has been caught or prosecuted for Kingsmill even though it is believed the same gang has been responsible for up to 60 murders.
“But it is our duty to ensure that those who died are never forgotten.”
© Irish Examiner, 2000