Corporals killings facts for kids

Two British soldiers, Derek Wood and David Howes, were killed by the Provisional IRA on March 19, 1988. This sad event happened in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and became known as the corporals killings. The soldiers were in civilian clothes and a regular car. They accidentally drove into a funeral procession for an IRA member.

Just three days earlier, a loyalist named Michael Stone had attacked another IRA funeral, killing three people. People at this funeral thought these soldiers were loyalists planning another attack. A large crowd surrounded and attacked their car. Corporal Wood fired a shot into the air from his pistol. The soldiers were pulled from their car, beaten, and searched. They were then taken to a nearby empty area and shot dead.

A British Army helicopter and TV cameras filmed the event. A journalist called Peter Taylor said the pictures were some of the most shocking from the conflict in Northern Ireland, known as The Troubles. Two men were later sent to prison for the murders. They were released in 1998 as part of the Good Friday Agreement, a peace deal.

Why it Happened: The Background

These killings happened during a time of much violence at Irish republican funerals. Sometimes, having many police and soldiers at these funerals caused more trouble.

On March 6, 1988, three unarmed IRA members were killed by the Special Air Service (SAS) in Gibraltar. They were thought to be planning a bomb attack. Their funeral was set for March 16 in Belfast's Milltown Cemetery. Security forces agreed to stay away from the funeral if there were no gun salutes by IRA members.

A member of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), Michael Stone, found out about this agreement. He attacked the funeral with guns and grenades. He killed three people and hurt more than sixty.

One person killed was IRA member Caoimhín Mac Brádaigh. His funeral was just three days after Stone's attack. Everyone there was very tense and worried about another loyalist attack. Some IRA members were helping to manage the crowd.

Derek Tony Wood, 24, and David Robert Howes, 23, were corporals in the British Army's Royal Corps of Signals. The British Army said they ignored orders to stay away from the funeral area. It is thought they drove into the procession by mistake. Howes had only arrived in Northern Ireland a week before. Some soldiers and police thought the corporals were just "wandering" and Wood was showing his new colleague the republican areas of Belfast.

The Killings

Corporal Derek Wood produces a weapon as he tries to hold back the crowd.

Corporals Wood and Howes were wearing normal clothes and driving a silver car. The Mac Brádaigh funeral was moving along the Andersonstown Road when the corporals' car appeared. The car drove towards the front of the funeral. It drove past a Sinn Féin helper who told it to turn. People at the funeral thought they were being attacked by Ulster loyalists.

The car then drove onto the sidewalk, making people scatter. It turned into a small side road. When that road was blocked, it quickly reversed, ending up inside the funeral procession. Wood tried to drive the car out, but a black taxi blocked his way.

An angry crowd surrounded the car. They smashed the windows and tried to pull the soldiers out. Wood pulled out a pistol. He partly climbed out of a window and fired a shot into the air. This made the crowd briefly move back. But then the crowd rushed back, attacking the car with a wheel-brace and a stepladder. The soldiers were pulled from the car and hit and kicked to the ground.

Journalist Mary Holland saw one of the men being dragged past reporters. She said he didn't cry out, but looked at them with "terrified eyes."

The soldiers were taken to Casement Park sports ground nearby. There, a small group of men beat them, stripped them to their underwear, and searched them. A military ID was found on Howes. It was marked "Herford", a British military base in Germany. But it was thought they misread it as "Hereford", the headquarters of the SAS.

A priest named Father Alec Reid tried to help the soldiers. He asked people to call an ambulance. But one of the captors warned Reid not to get involved.

The two soldiers were put into a taxi and driven to an empty area near Penny Lane. There, they were taken out and shot dead. Wood was shot six times and stabbed four times. Howes was shot five times. Both had many other injuries. The attackers quickly left. Father Reid heard the shots and rushed to the area. He tried to help one soldier, thinking he was still breathing. When he realized they were dead, he gave them their last rites.

A British Army helicopter filmed the whole event from above. A soldier said his patrol was nearby and saw the attack, but they were told not to step in. Soldiers and police arrived three minutes after the corporals were shot. An army spokesperson said they didn't react right away because they needed to understand the situation. They were also worried the IRA might ambush them. The large funeral procession also made it hard for them to get to the scene quickly.

What Happened Next

Northern Ireland Secretary Tom King said the Milltown Cemetery attack and the killings of Wood and Howes were "completely wrong." He said policing at future funerals needed to be reviewed. However, some politicians defended the "hands off" approach. They said that heavy policing could cause riots, which the IRA wanted.

On August 2, 1988, Lance Corporal Roy Butler was shot and killed in Belfast. One of the guns taken from the corporals was used in this killing.

Two men, Alex Murphy and Harry Maguire, were found guilty of the murders. They were sent to prison for life in 1989. They were released in November 1998 as part of the early prisoner release plan under the Good Friday Agreement.

A further three men were found guilty in 1990 of helping with the murder. One of their convictions was later overturned. Another was released in 1998 under the Good Friday Agreement.

Terence Clarke, the main helper at the funeral, was sentenced to seven years in prison for attacking Wood. Clarke had been Gerry Adams' bodyguard.

In March 2018, BBC Two showed a documentary called The Funeral Murders. It included stories from people who saw what happened that day.

See also

• 1971 Scottish soldiers' killings
• Milltown Cemetery attack
• Lynching

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