British soldiers used shot Catholic man's skull as ashtray

[joggon]

British soldiers used shot Catholic man's skull as ashtray

https://www.irishnews.com/news/north...htray-1617500/

The family of a man whose skull was used as an ashtray by members of the Parachute Regiment after he was shot dead have spoken of their "deep distress."
Henry Thornton (28), from south Armagh, was killed as he travelled along Belfast's Springfield Road in August 1971.
Details of the disturbing actions of British soldiers were raised this week at an inquest into the killing of 10 people over three days in Ballymurphy in west Belfast in 1971 by the Parachute Regiment.
Former Paratrooper Henry Gow told the coroner's court how a colleague recovered part of the skull of another man killed in the area, Henry Thornton, and used it as an ashtray.
Gow had previously recounted the grizzly episode in his autobiography Killing Zone, which he wrote under the name Harry McCallion and which was published in 1995.
Mr Thornton died almost instantly when British soldier Allan McVittie fired twice at the van he was driving close to the former Springfield Road RUC station. McVittie has since died.
A father-of-six from Silverbridge, Mr Thornton had been working in Belfast and was living temporarily in the city when he was killed.
During questioning this week Mr Gow said that a 'sweepstake' was run by his unit to reward soldiers who "got a kill".
Henry Gow, whose company of the Parachute Regiment was not involved in the Ballymurphy shooting,s said the winner "got the pot" and would use the money to "go for a piss-up".
The Thornton family lawyer Pádraig Ó Muirigh last night they were aware of Henry Gow's evidence.
"The allegation that the remains of their loved one was treated in such an undignified manner is a source of great distress to them," he said.
"This revelation and others such as a sweeptake being organised for soldiers who ‘got a kill' are deeply disturbing but nonetheless indicative of the culture that prevailed in the Parachute Regiment."
Mr Ó Muirigh added: "A litany of murder and brutality has followed this regiment in their various tours of duty whether in the Ballymurphy area, Shankill Rd, Ardoyne or the Bogside in Derry.
“The Parachute Regiment have had a bloody and dishonourable record in the north of Ireland which has come under further scrutiny at the Ballymurphy Inquest.”
An inquest into Mr Thornton's killing heard that he and another man had been driving to work when their van backfired prompting McVittie to open fire.

[Barney Rubble]

British soldiers used shot Catholic man's skull as ashtray

https://www.irishnews.com/news/north...htray-1617500/

The family of a man whose skull was used as an ashtray by members of the Parachute Regiment after he was shot dead have spoken of their "deep distress."
Henry Thornton (28), from south Armagh, was killed as he travelled along Belfast's Springfield Road in August 1971.
Details of the disturbing actions of British soldiers were raised this week at an inquest into the killing of 10 people over three days in Ballymurphy in west Belfast in 1971 by the Parachute Regiment.
Former Paratrooper Henry Gow told the coroner's court how a colleague recovered part of the skull of another man killed in the area, Henry Thornton, and used it as an ashtray.
Gow had previously recounted the grizzly episode in his autobiography Killing Zone, which he wrote under the name Harry McCallion and which was published in 1995.
Mr Thornton died almost instantly when British soldier Allan McVittie fired twice at the van he was driving close to the former Springfield Road RUC station. McVittie has since died.
A father-of-six from Silverbridge, Mr Thornton had been working in Belfast and was living temporarily in the city when he was killed.
During questioning this week Mr Gow said that a 'sweepstake' was run by his unit to reward soldiers who "got a kill".
Henry Gow, whose company of the Parachute Regiment was not involved in the Ballymurphy shooting,s said the winner "got the pot" and would use the money to "go for a piss-up".
The Thornton family lawyer Pádraig Ó Muirigh last night they were aware of Henry Gow's evidence.
"The allegation that the remains of their loved one was treated in such an undignified manner is a source of great distress to them," he said.
"This revelation and others such as a sweeptake being organised for soldiers who ‘got a kill' are deeply disturbing but nonetheless indicative of the culture that prevailed in the Parachute Regiment."
Mr Ó Muirigh added: "A litany of murder and brutality has followed this regiment in their various tours of duty whether in the Ballymurphy area, Shankill Rd, Ardoyne or the Bogside in Derry.
“The Parachute Regiment have had a bloody and dishonourable record in the north of Ireland which has come under further scrutiny at the Ballymurphy Inquest.”
An inquest into Mr Thornton's killing heard that he and another man had been driving to work when their van backfired prompting McVittie to open fire.

There you go IDF, And ye wonder why I am the way I am ?

[joggon]

sick c you next tuesday's

https://www.ranker.com/list/keeping-...o-egnal?page=3

[Punter08]

A shocking carry on.

[FetishCherry]

Poor man, he did nothing wrong he was driving to work. War always gave freedom to scumbags to be scumbags and do unnecessary things and get away with it. I have seen a movie not long time ago inspired from real stories with british army against americans. They locked women and children in a church and set it in fire. War is BAD.I guess one of the reason European Union was borned was and to keep peace and be peace between us apart then other benefits...

[Punter08]

Poor man, he did nothing wrong he was driving to work. War always gave freedom to scumbags to be scumbags and do unnecessary things and get away with it. I have seen a movie not long time ago inspired from real stories with british army against americans. They locked women and children in a church and set it in fire. War is BAD.I guess one of the reason European Union was borned was and to keep peace and be peace between us apart then other benefits...

Is right Miss Cherry.
Collusion is not an illusion

[SteveB]

I thought when I heard the "skull for an ashtray" story it sounded very suspicious! I think it has since been debunked. War is cruel but most soldiers are not cruel people. Sydney Jary, a British Lieutenant who wrote an account of the events during and after D-Day, remarked on this, and said that even during the heaviest fighting, both sides allowed the dead and wounded to be recovered without anyone shooting at medics. The few atrocities he saw were carried out by certain units of the SS, who were not regular German soldiers. Human Beings, fortunately, are not usually as bad as some people think.

A similar story appeared in the Sunday World (where else?) some years ago. It claimed a certain named hospital had a skull recovered from a postmortem in a room and it was used as an astray. This was also, like a lot in the Sunday World, not true.

The soldiers and the skull for an astray story comes from a book by a former soldier, Harry Gow. It has been suggested he made a lot of things up just to sell his book.

[SteveB]

I had a distant relative shot in almost a carbon-copy incident. Fortunately he survived and had no lasting injuries, but was badly injured at the time. Crazy time.

[macdchef]

What a

I had a distant relative shot in almost a carbon-copy incident. Fortunately he survived and had no lasting injuries, but was badly injured at the time. Crazy time.

What a load of fuckin shit

[Chez]

alot of people suffered, very sad, thankfully those times are over