Cloughfern Young Conquerors
The event has passed.
Remembrance parade in honour of the 3 Scottish Soldiers: John and Joseph McCaig from Ayr and Dougald McCaughey from Glasgow (ages 17, 18 and 23).
Brothers John and Joseph McCaig from Ayr and Dougald McCaughey from Glasgow in Scotland (ages 17, 18 and 23) were privates serving with the 1st Battalion, The Royal Highland Fusiliers, stationed at Girdwood Barracks, beside Crumlin Road Prison in north Belfast.
On 10 March 1971, the three soldiers had been granted an afternoon pass which allowed them to leave their base. McCaughey’s younger brother was serving in the same unit but was on duty and unable to join them. The three soldiers were off-duty, unarmed and in civilian clothes. They were drinking in “Mooney’s”, a Belfast city centre pub in Cornmarket, one of the safer areas of the city for soldiers at this stage of the conflict.
One report said that the three soldiers were lured into a car by republican women who promised them a party. The three were taken to the White Brae, Squire’s Hill, off the Ligoniel Road in north Belfast. There they were shot dead by Provisional IRA members; two of them in the back of the head and the other in the chest.
The inquest in August 1971 was not able to establish the exact sequence of events. It was established that all three were shot at very close range, probably in a line. All had been drinking, and Joseph was found to be severely intoxicated.
The jury was told that the three were probably shot whilst relieving themselves beside the road. The coroner commented: “You may think that this was not only murder, but one of the vilest crimes ever heard of in living memory”.
The bodies were heaped on top of each other with two beer glasses lying nearby. After failing to return to their barracks by 18:30 the three were listed as AWOL. Their bodies were found by children at 21:30.
LEST WE FORGET
Route:
Eastway Social Club
Green Walk
Ardmullan Drive
Owenlough Drive
Eastway
Rathmullan Drive
Eastway Social Club