Belfast west

Brian Robinson

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“1st Batt B Coy Vol Brian Robinson killed in action 2nd Sept 1989. For his country and people he took up the gun a volunteer to the end and a true Ulster son robbed of his life’s blood in Sept 89 but the name Brian Robinson will live for all time.” Robinson was killed by an army undercover unit moments after he had shot and killed a Catholic named Patrick McKenna (WP). As the plaque notes, his mother died at the same time – she reportedly had a heart-attack when she heard of his death.

Disraeli Street, west Belfast

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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
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Come Home 2 A Real Fire

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A vintage republican graffito (e.g. Getty Images) against the RUC is resurrected for use in loyalist Woodvale. Both refer to the “Real Fire” ad campaign from the 80s (e.g. one | two). The Solid Fuel Advisory Service still (2018) uses the image of the dog, cat, and mouse side-by-side.

Disraeli Street, west Belfast

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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
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Woodvale Defence Association

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The Woodvale Defence Association (WDA) was the largest of the local associations which merged together in 1971 to form the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and the WDA became B company of 2nd battalion (WP).

Disraeli Street, Woodvale, west Belfast

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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
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No 5 Platoon

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This UVF platoon 5, A company, 1st battalion, mural is just across Conway Street from the Noel and Tombo Kinner mural, which is also a platoon 5 mural. The plaque is “in memory of a true soldier, Big Bill Campbell”; for more info on Campbell, see Loyalist Prisoners & Widow’s Welfare (from when the plaque was moved up to the Shankill Road).

The verse on the left is from Siegfried Sassoon’s Suicide In The Trenches. “At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we shall remember them” is from another WWI poem, Laurence Binyon’s For The Fallen.

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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
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They Gave Their Tomorrow For Our Today

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Information about the people named in this mural is patchy.

UVF volunteer Noel Kinner was imprisoned for the killing of Brendan McLaughlin in 1980 (politics.ie); he died of a heart attack on 4th November, 1996, two years after his release; there is a ballad describing his life (youtube).

Thomas “Tombo” Kinner was a YCV volunteer of the same unit: platoon 5, A company, 1st battalion.

Volunteer Noel Shaw is described by Sutton as dying in a UVF feud.

Most/All of the people mentioned were members of the Sons Of Ulster flute band (Fb).

“When you go home/Tell them of us/And say for your tomorrow/We gave our today.” is a WWII epitaph by John Maxwell Edmonds in Kohima Cemetery.

Conway Walk, Belfast

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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
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