PAGES from what appears to be a British Army Regiments' log covering shootings and gun battles in and around the Falls in the early 1970s has emerged, and includes the killing of IRA Volunteer James Quigley.
The log shows a range of incidents in August and September 1972 in areas including the Lower Falls, Pound Loney, Grosvenor Road and Carrick Hill.
Looking at the pages, Stevie Corr, from the Falls Community Council, said the level of British Army activity "in their named Operations and their raids was relentless".
"The terminology they use; their description of gun battles in the Loney area of the lower Falls tells its own story of how the Brits faced D Coy of the IRA and how they were fixated on James Bryson and Brendan ‘The Dark’ Hughes.
"The log also shows that the Brits received a lot of casualties while occupying this part of our country during August and September 1972. It also shows on 7th September 1972 that the Brits installed a 'covert OP into 51 Falls Road' after a reported sighting of James Bryson in Leeson Street. This seems to fully justify the IRA ramming of 51 Falls Road at the later date as that derelict property was being used as a covert Brit position as early as 1972.
"The Brits show their imperialist, colonial and invading mindset, when they refer to the Pound Loney and Falls area, as The Reservation," he added.
"A poignant insert is on the 29th September 1972 and refers to the shooting dead by the Brit Occupation forces of IRA Volunteer James Quigley, who was 'seen and shot dead at 112 Albert St'. The killing of James Quigley was followed by this, 'Pte Burt shot and killed by sniper during follow up'. It further notes that 'During subsequent gun battles the Bn [Battalion] fired 443 rnds 7.62, 160 rnds .30 Browning and 6 Baton rounds'. It doesn’t list any rough amounts for the shots fired by the IRA during the gunfire against the occupation Brit forces.
"If anything, these logs will be major talking points for local residents and the resistance volunteers who lived and fought through those terrible months of occupation in the areas mentioned."
