The Bloodiest Year; British Soldiers in Northern Ireland 1972, In their own words

by Unknown

• ISBN13: 9780752459066
• ISBN10: 0752459066
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2011-07-11
• Publisher: The History Press

Summary

1972 was the bloodiest year of an already bloody conflict played out on the streets of Northern Ireland. For more than twelve months the country was rocked by the atrocities of Bloody Friday and the Claudy bombing, civilian casualties mounted, and the soldiers of the British Army were caught between the factions. One hundred and sixty-nine servicemen died that year, their deaths unnoticed at home except by their loved ones, fighting a forgotten war on British soil. In The Bloodiest Year, Ken Wharton, a former soldier who did two tours of Northern Ireland, tells the story of the worst year of the Troubles through the accounts of the men who patrolled the streets of Belfast and Londonderry, who saw their comrades die and walked with death themselves. He examines almost every single death during that year, and names the men behind the violence, many of whom now hold high office in the country they tried to so hard to break apart.

Author Biography

Ken Wharton is a former soldier who served five years in an infantry unit, including two tours of Northern Ireland during the Troubles. He is the author of A Long Long War: Voices From the British Army in Northern Ireland 1969–98 and Bloody Belfast: An Oral History of the British Army’s War Against the IRA.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. 10
AuthorÆs Note	p. 12
Acknowledgements	p. 13
Introduction	p. 14
Prologue, December 1971	p. 15
January	p. 19
February	p. 46
March	p. 65
April	p. 80
May	p. 97
June	p. 114
July	p. 129
August	p. 152
September	p. 173
October	p. 186
November	p. 199
December	p. 214
Epilogue	p. 225
Final Thoughts	p. 227
The Saville Inquiry	p. 237
Recent IRA 'Executions'	p. 242
1972 Roll of Honour	p. 243
Select Bibliography	p. 250
Index	p. 251
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