So, like, there was this whole thing about the Kingsmill Massacre, right? It happened back in January 1976 in Co Armagh, where ten Protestant dudes got shot dead by republican gunmen pretending to be British soldiers. These killers were like, “Hey, what’s your religion?” before opening fire on the bus they were on. The only Catholic guy on board was told to run away before the shooting started. Crazy, right? One dude, Alan Black, got shot 18 times but somehow survived. No one has ever been convicted of these murders, which is pretty messed up if you ask me.
Recently, this old dude Alan Black, who’s in his 80s now, went to the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, Marie Anderson, in Belfast to get her report on the Kingsmill Massacre. He was with some relatives of one of the guys who died in the attack. Marie Anderson looked into the original police investigation by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and found a bunch of screw-ups. She said they didn’t use enough resources to catch the killers, didn’t arrest or interview suspects, and missed out on linking the bullets to other attacks. Basically, they dropped the ball big time.
According to Marie Anderson, the investigation back then was a total disaster. They only had one detective leading the case with a small team. And get this, they only got some extra help for a few weeks from the RUC’s Regional Crime Squad. Talk about being unprepared! Alan Black felt like he was finally proven right by the ombudsman’s report. He respected the cops from back in the day but thought the investigation was a total joke. He said, “The death cries of his friends” kept him going in his fight for justice. Dude is determined to keep pushing until he gets some closure.
The IRA denied being behind the Kingsmill Massacre, and some other group claimed responsibility. But last year, a coroner said it was definitely the IRA who carried out the attack. The 10 men who died were all just regular dudes going about their day when this horrible thing happened to them. It’s a tragic story that still haunts the families and survivors to this day.
So, yeah, that’s the deal with the Kingsmill Massacre. It’s a messed up part of history that still needs to be fully addressed. The lack of justice for the victims is just not right. Hopefully, this report will help shine a light on what really went down that day.
