137:, with his decision also influenced by his father having been UDA commander in the area at the time. He recalls: "The area I came from, the family that I came from and the activity that was going on in that area, I don’t think I really had any other choice." He was almost 15 at the time the bomb exploded on a Saturday afternoon in the heart of the Shankill, which was crowded with shoppers. The bomb killed two adult men and two babies. McQuiston was with a friend and they were on their way to the city centre; the boys rushed to the scene and saw the bodies of the infants as they were brought out of the rubble, wrapped in sheets. The following evening he and several friends attended a meeting of the local UDA. One at a time, the teenaged boys were brought into a room by two men wearing hoods. McQuiston faced three men seated at a table on which rested a Bible, gun and an
222:
Since leaving the UDA, McQuiston has worked as a community activist for the
Springfield Intercommunity Development Project. He works alongside former IRA members in troubled interface areas near the west Belfast Peace Line where loyalists and republicans sometimes clash, especially during the annual
164:
with masks, hoods, and weapons. Upon his release in 1991, he survived an assassination attempt by the IRA who had broken down his door with a sledgehammer and tried to shoot him with an AK-47. He evaded his attackers by escaping through his loft. In an interview with journalist Peter Taylor in the
209:
to secure
Twister's aid in avoiding too much bloodshed in an operation to remove Johnny Adair, who was held responsible for Gregg's killing. McQuiston helped to ensure that A and B companies of the West Belfast brigade, covering the Highfield and Woodvale areas, agreed not to oppose McDonald's
185:, were having a meeting. The IRA's Intelligence was faulty and the meeting had been cancelled; instead of wiping out Adair and his comrades, 10 people were killed in the shop below, including two children, the shop's owner, and his daughter, low-rank UDA member Michael Morrison, and
148:
He became the leader of the UDA's A Company, Highfield, West
Belfast Brigade. Described by journalist David Lister as "stocky, and impish-faced", the five feet four McQuiston had a reputation among the UDA as a "messer", which is Belfast slang for a practical joker.
210:
operations in the lower
Shankill whilst McQuiston was also put in charge of a scheme at the Shankill's Heather Street Social Club where members of the lower Shankill C Company could attend to break from Adair and return to the mainstream UDA.
1205:
231:. This was particularly noted in the summer of 2003 when a relatively calm marching season followed at the interfaces of north and west Belfast as a result of co-operation between McQuiston and his
393:
141:. After being asked his motive for wishing to join the UDA, he repeated an oath with one hand upon the Bible and the other the gun, and was duly sworn in as a member of the "
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920:
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On 23 October 1993, he was on the
Shankill Road conducting business for the Loyalist Prisoners' Association (LPA). He had just gone into a pub when an
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1990s, he stated that he had not been overly perturbed by the attempt on his life. He offered the following explanation for his nonchalance
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McQuiston remained a popular and influential figure in
Highfield, a loyalist estate located on the Upper Shankill and near the republican
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in 1982. He was released in the mid-1980s and it was during this period that he became acquainted with the
British agent
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It's a war. I'm a soldier in the UDA so I'm entitled to be shot at now and again. I think I was extremely lucky.
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110:
for possession of weapons. He is now a community activist, often working with former members of the
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counterpart Sean "Spike" Murray. He is also a member of the UDA's political advisory group, the
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He was first sent to prison on the evidence of a supergrass. He spent 31 days on
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below the LPA headquarters where it was believed senior UDA members, including
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area. Billy McQuiston joined the junior wing of the UDA immediately after the
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114:(IRA) in West Belfast's troubled interface areas where adjoining loyalist and
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contacted McQuiston shortly after the murder of South-East Antrim brigadier
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860:
126:
McQuiston was born and raised in west
Belfast's staunchly loyalist and
107:
375:
214:
was amongst the leading figures to take this opportunity.
98:(UDA). Leader of the organisation's A Company, Highfield,
1206:
Loyalists imprisoned during the
Northern Ireland conflict
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1004:
919:
889:
845:
818:
630:
566:
510:
447:
421:
65:
57:
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41:
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201:area. In 2003, the UDA's South Belfast brigadier
1133:Ulster Loyalist Central Co-ordinating Committee
387:
282:. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. pp.90–91
8:
394:
380:
372:
17:
350:UDA – Inside the Heart of Loyalist Terror
297:"The 'odd couple' bridge Ulster's divide"
292:
290:
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102:, McQuiston spent more than 12 years in
36:Shankill Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland
947:Paddy Wilson and Irene Andrews killings
248:
135:1971 Balmoral Furniture Company bombing
94:, who was a high-ranking member of the
846:North Antrim & Londonderry Brigade
145:" (UYM), the junior wing of the UDA.
7:
352:, Penguin Ireland, 2004, pp. 383–384
69:leader of the A Company, Highfield,
983:Attack on James Murray's bookmakers
1196:Ulster Defence Association members
1083:Combined Loyalist Military Command
14:
348:Henry McDonald & Jim Cusack,
112:Provisional Irish Republican Army
977:Sean Graham bookmakers' shooting
175:IRA bomb went off in a fish shop
118:communities occasionally clash.
1143:Ulster Political Research Group
1088:Loyalist Association of Workers
237:Ulster Political Research Group
1148:Ulster Workers' Council strike
227:parades which commemorate the
1:
1163:Woodvale Defence Association
1113:Shankill Defence Association
1103:Real Ulster Freedom Fighters
965:Biddy Mulligan's pub bombing
935:Top of the Hill bar shooting
303:. David Lister. 10 July 2004
258:"Children of the Revolution"
1211:Paramilitaries from Belfast
1158:Volunteer (Ulster loyalist)
1227:
737:William "Bucky" McCullough
403:Ulster Defence Association
122:Ulster Defence Association
96:Ulster Defence Association
75:Ulster Defence Association
1173:bold indicates brigadiers
1171:
820:South East Antrim Brigade
747:Billy "Twister" McQuiston
440:position abolished (1988)
409:
971:Milltown Cemetery attack
742:Stephen "Top Gun" McKeag
550:Andre & Ihab Shoukri
1123:Ulster Democratic Party
361:McDonald & Cusack,
179:Ulster Freedom Fighters
1153:Ulster Young Militants
959:Dublin Airport bombing
941:New Lodge Six shooting
677:William "Winkie" Dodds
171:
143:Ulster Young Militants
797:"Fat" Jackie Thompson
774:Gary "Smickers" Smyth
768:Charles Harding Smith
568:South Belfast Brigade
511:North Belfast Brigade
455:Albert "Ginger" Baker
429:Charles Harding Smith
278:Taylor, Peter (1999).
218:Subsequent activities
167:
953:Murder of Ann Ogilby
632:West Belfast Brigade
475:Jim "Doris Day" Gray
448:East Belfast Brigade
100:West Belfast Brigade
71:West Belfast Brigade
1118:Ulster Army Council
989:Castlerock killings
929:Benny's Bar bombing
752:James "Sham" Millar
422:Chairmen of the UDA
229:Battle of the Boyne
1138:Ulster nationalism
1108:Red Hand Defenders
995:Greysteel massacre
890:Mid-Ulster Brigade
321:Taylor. pp.207–208
207:John "Grugg" Gregg
193:Role in Adair feud
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1177:
1005:Prominent victims
84:William McQuiston
81:
80:
32:William McQuiston
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1076:Related articles
898:Robert John Kerr
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181:(UFF) brigadier
86:, also known as
61:community worker
50:Other names
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1128:Ulster loyalism
1098:Quis separabit?
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1054:Eddie Fullerton
1000:
915:
885:
873:Billy McFarland
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814:
732:Alan McCullough
722:Kenny McClinton
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604:Jackie McDonald
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489:Sammy McCormick
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260:. Derry Journal
256:Rolston, Bill.
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233:Provisional IRA
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203:Jackie McDonald
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90:, is an Ulster
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34:
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22:Billy McQuiston
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1191:Living people
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1093:Loyalist feud
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1066:Frankie Curry
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911:Michael Stone
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880:Andy Robinson
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698:Donald Hodgen
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688:Ernie Elliott
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671:Frankie Curry
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622:Michael Stone
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591:Raymond Elder
589:
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557:Jimbo Simpson
554:
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547:
545:
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537:Tommy English
535:
533:
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519:John Boreland
516:
515:
513:
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502:Michael Stone
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339:Taylor, p.224
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330:Taylor. p.208
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312:Taylor. p.207
309:
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217:
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200:
192:
190:
188:
187:Thomas Begley
184:
180:
176:
170:
166:
163:
159:
155:
154:hunger strike
150:
146:
144:
140:
139:Ulster Banner
136:
132:
131:Shankill Road
129:
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85:
76:
72:
68:
64:
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52:
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44:
40:
30:
26:
19:
16:
1201:1950s births
1060:Ned McCreery
1048:Gerard Casey
1042:Pat Finucane
1018:John Turnley
1012:Paddy Wilson
905:Eddie Sayers
903:
896:
878:
871:
859:
852:
834:
827:
807:
795:
783:
766:
762:Brian Nelson
757:Wendy Millar
746:
716:Tommy Lyttle
714:
709:Matt Kincaid
707:
675:
658:
646:
641:Johnny Adair
639:
609:
602:
595:
555:
548:
541:
526:John Bunting
524:
517:
496:Ned McCreery
494:
487:
482:Tommy Herron
480:
473:
468:Billy Elliot
466:
459:
414:the Troubles
412:
362:
357:
349:
344:
335:
326:
317:
308:
301:Sunday Times
300:
279:
274:
262:. Retrieved
251:
225:Orange Order
221:
196:
183:Johnny Adair
172:
168:
158:Brian Nelson
151:
147:
125:
87:
83:
82:
15:
1036:James Craig
1024:Miriam Daly
829:Joe English
779:Sammy Smyth
727:Sam McCrory
683:Hester Dunn
666:James Craig
660:Mo Courtney
648:Ken Barrett
586:James Craig
576:David Adams
532:Sammy Duddy
461:Jimmy Birch
437:(1973-1988)
431:(1971-1973)
212:Mo Courtney
199:Ballymurphy
42:Nationality
1185:Categories
854:Glenn Barr
836:John Gregg
809:John White
803:Andy Tyrie
785:Jim Spence
703:Billy Hull
693:Davy Fogel
581:Joe Bratty
543:Davy Payne
435:Andy Tyrie
243:References
128:Protestant
116:republican
58:Occupation
597:Alex Kerr
280:Loyalists
264:12 August
162:Portadown
88:"Twister"
861:Ken Kerr
365:, p. 396
239:(UPRG).
223:12 July
106:outside
92:loyalist
921:Actions
411:during
108:Lisburn
53:Twister
45:British
1068:(1999)
1062:(1992)
1056:(1991)
1050:(1989)
1044:(1989)
1038:(1988)
1032:(1980)
1026:(1980)
1020:(1980)
1014:(1973)
997:(1993)
991:(1993)
985:(1992)
979:(1992)
973:(1988)
967:(1975)
961:(1975)
955:(1974)
949:(1973)
943:(1973)
937:(1972)
931:(1972)
77:(UDA)
266:2011
28:Born
363:UDA
1187::
299:.
287:^
73:,
395:e
388:t
381:v
268:.
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