Billy Reid
William "Billy" Reid (born January 1, 1939 in Belfast ; † May 15, 1971 ibid) was a volunteer in the 3rd Battalion of the " Belfast Brigade ", part of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA).
Reid was killed on May 15, 1971, at the age of 32, in an exchange of fire between his battalion and the British Army. His unit had ambushed a British Army foot patrol. The British soldier Gunner Robert Curtis was shot dead by Reid. The incident took place on Academy Street in central Belfast and is considered to be the starting point of the violent clashes between the IRA and the British Army in the Northern Ireland conflict over several decades. The IRA only declared the armed struggle over in 2005, and in 2007 the British Army withdrew its troops from Northern Ireland.
Life
Reid grew up in Carrickhill in northern Belfast. He attended a school in North Belfast and showed an interest in art and music there. Reid played the trumpet and wrote some lyrics. Reid also fought as an amateur boxer in Belfast. Like most Catholic Belfasters of the time, he found early access to Sinn Féin and their radical sister, the IRA. Reid caused a stir on February 6, 1971 when he shot an Englishman named Gunner Robert Curtis. This incident was the first since the 1920s that a British soldier was shot dead. This also included the Provisional Irish Army (IRA) in the fighting in Northern Ireland. The Unionist Prime Minister James Chichester-Clark commented, now that the entire north of Ireland with the Irish group in the war befände. In the following months, the government banned the wearing of IRA uniforms of subordinate political and military affiliations and branches.
Commemoration
Reid is the subject of a popular song called "The Ballad of Billy Reid," which tells the story of Reid and has been published by a number of bands, including Shebeen, Spirit of 67 and The Wolfe Tones . The song is in the hymn book "Songs of Resistance 1968–1982" (German songs of resistance).
A mural depicting Reid, Sean McIlvenna, Rosemary Bleakley and Michael Kane is on New Lodge Road in Belfast.
A Republican flute band from Glasgow , Scotland , calls itself "Volunteer Billy Reid Republican Flute Band" in memory of Reid.
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Ballad of Billy Reid
- ^ CAIN Web Service - Extracts from 'Songs of Resistance 1969-1982
- ^ CAIN Mural Directory
- ^ Billy Reid band anniversary
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Reid, Billy |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Reid, William |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Northern Irish political activist, member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 1, 1939 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Belfast |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 15, 1971 |
| Place of death | Belfast |