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started laughing at his attempt to frighten us with a starting pistol. He looked somewhat surprised and ran back behind the flats. Some time later that night we were pulled back and started to move back up Lepper street. I don't recall if we were in the much discussed “box formation” but we were certainly arrayed across the road. Not far from the junction with
Spamount street someone opened up from behind us with automatic fire. This time I was on the right flank. I felt a blow to my RH side, could see sparks coming off the cobble stones and wall to my right and decided to get the f! out of it, so ran around the corner to the right and into Spamount street.
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passed one of the many narrow alleys leading off the road, seemed like ideal hiding place for attackers. When we reached New Lodge Road a lot of rioting going on, initially we cordoned NLR off, stones, bottles incoming in large quantities, also nail bombs (multiple as I recall, not just one as is often reported).
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Part of 156 Bty called out for riot control in New Lodge area. Departed HMS Maidstone where we were billetted, and de-bussed at northern end of Lepper street. Very large explosion as we moved down Lepper St towards New Lodge Road. I was on left flank, close to houses, very uncomfortable every time we
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and Lepper Street. A troop of soldiers from 156 Battery, including Gunner Rob Curtis, were deployed to disperse the crowd. As the troop moved to the junction they were attacked with a barrage of stones and bottles by the mob and deployed in “riot-formation” with shields as protection. Subsequently, a
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Together with 4/5 others sent across NLR to cordon off
Duncairn Parade. Whilst standing there, an overweight guy in white shirt and dark jacket came around corner of tower block on our left (part of Artillery flats), took aim with pistol and fired off several shots. We found this highly amusing and
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With the passage of time I forget exactly who was hit, Geordie of course, John Finch was hit in the abdomen, Pete
Fishbourne (think that was his name) was hit in the backside. My recollection is that the newspapers reported 5 or 6 but that probably included Bob Reding. Heinz Pizarek (sic) found a
256:, but some eyewitnesses are sure that it was a Sterling SMG that was fired. His wife was later compensated to the sum of ÂŁ6500 together with ÂŁ1500 for her daughter. His daughter was married wearing her father's wedding ring and later named her son Robert in honour of his grandfather.
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Curtis was, at the time of his death, 20 years old and married for just over a year. His wife was expecting their first child and had just informed him in a letter that he was to become a father. He is laid to rest in West Road
Cemetery,
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245:, England. He was the first officially recognised fatality that the army suffered as a direct result of IRA actions. Unofficially 21 other military personnel died or were killed before his death. On the morning after his death Sir
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when the
British Army launched a series of searches for IRA arms. Rioting in the republican area of the New Lodge escalated and reinforcements were called for. 156 Battery was ordered into the area.
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228:. The crowd then reformed, allowing the gunman to escape. Gunner Curtis was hit by a ricochet which passed through the shoulder opening of his
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was thrown at the troop and in the aftermath of the blast the crowd split allowing a gunman to fire a long burst of automatic fire from a
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156 (Inkerman) Battery, 94 Locating
Regiment, Royal Artillery was deployed to Northern Ireland on 5 January 1971 under the command of
475:"The Irish Republican Army (IRA) shot and killed Gunner Robert Curtis, the first British soldier to die during the current conflict."
571:
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249:, then Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, announced that “Northern Ireland is at war with the Irish Republican Army Provisionals”.
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172:(25 March 1950 – 6 February 1971) was a British soldier who was officially the first military fatality in the
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Soldiers, sashes and shamrocks: Football and social identity in
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spent round in the back of his webbing belt when he got back to HMS Maidstone.
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200:. During the first week of February 1971, there was major violence in many
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David McKittrick, Seamus
Kelters, Brian Feeney and David McVea (2001).
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British military personnel killed in The
Troubles (Northern Ireland)
477:, Chronology per CAIN], cain.ulst.ac.uk; accessed 23 October 2015.
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Milestones in Murder: Defining
Moments in Ulster's Terror War
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People killed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army
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since 1921. The gunman responsible is believed to be
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264:A report by Tim Magee, an eyewitness, follows:
160:156 (Inkerman) Battery, 94 Locating Regiment,
296:"Personal Details: Curtis, Robert George"
95:West Road Cemetery, Newcastle, United Kingdom
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536:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
597:Military personnel from Newcastle upon Tyne
211:A large crowd gathered at the junction of
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385:. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 87–.
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448:Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA
587:Deaths by firearm in Northern Ireland
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382:The Provos: The IRA and Sinn Fein
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408:Provos: The IRA & Sinn FĂ©in
327:Hugh Jordan (14 October 2011).
355:"CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths"
333:. Random House. pp. 39–.
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198:32nd Regiment Royal Artillery
379:Peter Taylor (29 May 2014).
224:, probably from the base of
487:Ken Wharton (16 May 2008).
174:Northern Ireland "Troubles"
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572:Royal Artillery soldiers
446:English, Robert (2004).
254:Thompson submachine gun
222:Sterling submachine gun
406:Taylor, Peter (1997).
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550:Tim Magee, eyewitness
412:Bloomsbury Publishing
301:Armed Forces Memorial
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170:Robert George Curtis
43:Geordie, Rob, Robbie
243:Newcastle-upon-Tyne
61:Newcastle upon Tyne
414:. pp. 89–91.
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133:British Army
76:(1971-02-06)
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230:flak jacket
40:Nickname(s)
561:Categories
514:Lost Lives
282:References
186:Billy Reid
101:Allegiance
54:1950-03-25
532:cite book
452:Pan Books
218:nail bomb
204:areas of
364:18 April
152:24181317
119:Service/
260:Reports
206:Belfast
184:member
178:Ireland
65:England
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312:23 May
307:GOV.UK
236:Status
142:Gunner
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91:Buried
192:Death
538:link
518:ISBN
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366:2019
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157:Unit
139:Rank
71:Died
48:Born
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
