William Smith (loyalist)
Encyclopedia
William Smith is a Northern Irish
Loyalist
former paramilitary and politician. He has been involved in loyalism in various capacities for at least forty years.
character Little Plum
. He was raised in a working class
home where his parents sent him to Sunday school
and taught him to respect the law. Like many of his contemporaries from similar backgrounds on both sides of the divide the outbreak of the socio-political and religious conflict that came to be known as The Troubles
in 1969 saw him become involved in paramilitarism
in 1971 Smith worked for a time as an orderly in Crumlin Road Gaol
where he served 6 months for rioting against the British Army in the Highfield estate. Unbeknownst to the prison authorities Smith was actually a mole
for the imprisoned Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) leader Gusty Spence
, passing on information about the conditions in which the internees were being held.
Around this time Smith was a member of the vigilante group and was part of a group within the SDA that later became the Red Hand Commando., including founder John McKeague
, who decided to form a new, more active organisation. In 1972 Smith was a founder member of this new group, the Red Hand Commando, which quickly became an elite squad augmenting the UVF.
On 1 July Smith was one of two armed RHC men to meet Spence when he was released from prison to attend the wedding of his daughter to Winkie Rea
. He took Spence to a meeting of the UVF leadership where a plan was hatched to keep Spence out of prison. A few days later when Spence was being returned to jail by his nephew im curry] their car was stopped on Belfast's Springmartin Road and Spence "kidnapped" by UVF/RHC operatives.
Soon after this incident Smith was himself arrested for his part in the attempted murder of Catholic civilian Joseph Hall, a drive-by shooting that Smith would later admit was motivated by "pure sectarianism and bigotry". Smith was handed a ten year prison sentence for the shooting.
, David Ervine
and Billy Mitchell
, Smith was one of those UVF members sent to the Maze prison in the 1970s to be won over by Gusty Spence to his newer, more politicised, way of thinking. This cadre of Spence-trained political figures would go on to play a leading role in bringing about the UVF ceasefire in 1994 as members of the Progressive Unionist Party
(PUP).
The Combined Loyalist Military Command
(CLMC) ceasefire was announced on 13 October 1994 at Fernhill House, Glencairn when Gusty Spence
read out a joint statement of ceasefire flanked by Smith and Jim McDonald of the PUP and Ulster Democratic Party
representatives Gary McMichael
, Davy Adams and John White
. Smith was the chairman of the press conference at which Spence read out the statement. For a time he had served as Chairman of the Progressive Unionist Party itself.
Smith would go on to devote his attentions to community work with the Ex-Prisoners Interpretive Centre although he has remained a spokesman for the PUP.
In 2009 Smith was strongly critical of the report issued by the Consultative Group on the Past, as chaired by Robin Eames
and Denis Bradley
. He criticised the work of the Historical Enquiries Team, which investigated unsolved incidents from the Troubles, arguing that it was opening "a can of worms" and preventing "closure". He compared any attempts to reopen investigations and bring about criminal proceedings to the Nuremberg trials
.
that offences committed before 1998 could not be prosecuted due to a general amnesty. Soon afterwards Smith claimed that a document released by the British
and Irish
governments proved that the deal was in place as he claimed. In support of his stance Smith even gave evidence at the trial of Gerry McGeough
, arguing that the republican should not have been tried for the 1981 attempted murder of Sammy Brush because of the supposed deal being in place.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
Loyalist
Ulster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...
former paramilitary and politician. He has been involved in loyalism in various capacities for at least forty years.
Early life
Smith was born in Mountjoy Street on Belfast's Shankill Road into a poor Protestant family of 3 sisters and a brother. There was rumoured American Indian ancestry in his family; therefore in his youth he acquired the lifelong nickname "Plum" after The BeanoThe Beano
The Beano is a British children's comic, published by D.C. Thomson & Co and is arguably their most successful.The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. During the Second World War,The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink...
character Little Plum
Little Plum
Little Plum is a fictional character in the UK comic The Beano.The eponymous hero and his friends Chiefy, Pimple and Hole-in-um-Head are members of the "Smellyfeet" American Indian tribe, who spend much of their time clashing with their rivals the "Puttyfeet" tribe. Other characters include Dr...
. He was raised in a working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
home where his parents sent him to Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
and taught him to respect the law. Like many of his contemporaries from similar backgrounds on both sides of the divide the outbreak of the socio-political and religious conflict that came to be known as The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
in 1969 saw him become involved in paramilitarism
Move to loyalism
Following the introduction of internmentInternment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
in 1971 Smith worked for a time as an orderly in Crumlin Road Gaol
Crumlin Road Gaol
HMP Belfast, also known as Crumlin Road Gaol, is a former prison situated on the Crumlin Road in north Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the only Victorian era prison remaining in Northern Ireland and has been derelict since 1996...
where he served 6 months for rioting against the British Army in the Highfield estate. Unbeknownst to the prison authorities Smith was actually a mole
Mole (espionage)
A mole is a spy who works for an enemy nation, but whose loyalty ostensibly lies with his own nation's government. In some usage, a mole differs from a defector in that a mole is a spy before gaining access to classified information, while a defector becomes a spy only after gaining access...
for the imprisoned Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) leader Gusty Spence
Gusty Spence
Augustus Andrew "Gusty" Spence was a leader of the Ulster Volunteer Force and a leading loyalist politician. One of the first UVF members to be convicted of murder, Spence was a senior figure in the organisation for over a decade but later renounced violence and joined the Progressive Unionist...
, passing on information about the conditions in which the internees were being held.
Around this time Smith was a member of the vigilante group and was part of a group within the SDA that later became the Red Hand Commando., including founder John McKeague
John McKeague
John McKeague was a prominent Ulster loyalist who founded the paramilitary group the Red Hand Commando in 1972. Authors on the Troubles in Northern Ireland claim that McKeague, a homosexual, was a paedophile who abused young boys during the Kincora Boys' Home scandal and was a long-time agent of...
, who decided to form a new, more active organisation. In 1972 Smith was a founder member of this new group, the Red Hand Commando, which quickly became an elite squad augmenting the UVF.
On 1 July Smith was one of two armed RHC men to meet Spence when he was released from prison to attend the wedding of his daughter to Winkie Rea
Winston Churchill Rea
Winston Churchill Rea , known as Winkie Rea, is the former leader of the Red Hand Commando loyalist paramilitary organisation in Northern Ireland....
. He took Spence to a meeting of the UVF leadership where a plan was hatched to keep Spence out of prison. A few days later when Spence was being returned to jail by his nephew im curry] their car was stopped on Belfast's Springmartin Road and Spence "kidnapped" by UVF/RHC operatives.
Soon after this incident Smith was himself arrested for his part in the attempted murder of Catholic civilian Joseph Hall, a drive-by shooting that Smith would later admit was motivated by "pure sectarianism and bigotry". Smith was handed a ten year prison sentence for the shooting.
In the Maze
Along with the likes of Billy HutchinsonBilly Hutchinson
Billy Hutchinson is the leader of the Progressive Unionist Party in Northern Ireland. He was elected to Belfast City Council in 1997 and to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 1998. He lost his assembly seat in 2003 and his council seat in 2005...
, David Ervine
David Ervine
David Ervine was a Northern Irish politician and the leader of the Progressive Unionist Party .-Biography:...
and Billy Mitchell
Billy Mitchell (loyalist)
Billy Mitchell was a Northern Irish community activist and member of the Progressive Unionist Party. Mitchell was a leading member of the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force and served a life sentence for his part in a double murder but later abandoned UVF membership and took up cross-community...
, Smith was one of those UVF members sent to the Maze prison in the 1970s to be won over by Gusty Spence to his newer, more politicised, way of thinking. This cadre of Spence-trained political figures would go on to play a leading role in bringing about the UVF ceasefire in 1994 as members of the Progressive Unionist Party
Progressive Unionist Party
The Progressive Unionist Party is a small unionist political party in Northern Ireland. It was formed from the Independent Unionist Group operating in the Shankill area of Belfast, becoming the PUP in 1979...
(PUP).
Political activity
Through Spence, Smith established contacts with Joe Colgan, a Dublin-based Irish republican, and in March 1993 the two arranged an event in the city at which both a member of the UVF and the trade unionist Chris Hudson were in attendance. As a result of the meeting Hudson opened a regular channel of contact with the UVF through which he exhorted them to seek peace.The Combined Loyalist Military Command
Combined Loyalist Military Command
The Combined Loyalist Military Command was an umbrella body for loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland set up in the early 1990s, recalling the earlier Ulster Army Council and Ulster Loyalist Central Co-ordinating Committee....
(CLMC) ceasefire was announced on 13 October 1994 at Fernhill House, Glencairn when Gusty Spence
Gusty Spence
Augustus Andrew "Gusty" Spence was a leader of the Ulster Volunteer Force and a leading loyalist politician. One of the first UVF members to be convicted of murder, Spence was a senior figure in the organisation for over a decade but later renounced violence and joined the Progressive Unionist...
read out a joint statement of ceasefire flanked by Smith and Jim McDonald of the PUP and Ulster Democratic Party
Ulster Democratic Party
The Ulster Democratic Party was a small loyalist political party in Northern Ireland. It was established in June 1981 as the Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party by the Ulster Defence Association to replace their New Ulster Political Research Group...
representatives Gary McMichael
Gary McMichael
Gary McMichael is the son of former Ulster Defence Association leader John McMichael and was the leader of the now defunct Ulster Democratic Party during the peace process....
, Davy Adams and John White
John White (loyalist)
John White is a former leading loyalist in Northern Ireland. He was sometimes known by the nickname 'Coco'. White was a leading figure in the loyalist paramilitary Ulster Defence Association and, following a prison sentence for murder, entered politics as a central figure in the Ulster Democratic...
. Smith was the chairman of the press conference at which Spence read out the statement. For a time he had served as Chairman of the Progressive Unionist Party itself.
Smith would go on to devote his attentions to community work with the Ex-Prisoners Interpretive Centre although he has remained a spokesman for the PUP.
In 2009 Smith was strongly critical of the report issued by the Consultative Group on the Past, as chaired by Robin Eames
Robin Eames
Robin Henry Alexander Eames, Baron Eames OM was the Anglican Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh from 1986 to 2006.-Education:...
and Denis Bradley
Denis Bradley
Denis Bradley is a former vice-chairman of the police board for the Police Service of Northern Ireland in Northern Ireland. Born in Buncrana, County Donegal, Bradley is a freelance journalist and a former priest. He was formerly a member of the NI Drugs Committee and the BBC Broadcasting Council,...
. He criticised the work of the Historical Enquiries Team, which investigated unsolved incidents from the Troubles, arguing that it was opening "a can of worms" and preventing "closure". He compared any attempts to reopen investigations and bring about criminal proceedings to the Nuremberg trials
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
.
Opposition to trials
In 2010 Smith attacked the work of Victims Commissioner Brendan McAllister, who was investigating the activities of the UVF unit based on the Mount Vernon estate, north Belfast, during the Troubles. Smith argued that such investigations contravened a guarantee he had been given by Mo MowlamMo Mowlam
Marjorie "Mo" Mowlam was a British Labour Party politician. She was the Member of Parliament for Redcar from 1987 to 2001 and served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.Mowlam's time as Northern...
that offences committed before 1998 could not be prosecuted due to a general amnesty. Soon afterwards Smith claimed that a document released by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
governments proved that the deal was in place as he claimed. In support of his stance Smith even gave evidence at the trial of Gerry McGeough
Gerry McGeough
Gerry McGeough is a prominent Irish republican who was a volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army , a former Sinn Féin activist and editor of the defunct The Hibernian magazine. McGeough broke with Sinn Féin in 2007 and he is now an independent republican activist...
, arguing that the republican should not have been tried for the 1981 attempted murder of Sammy Brush because of the supposed deal being in place.