Billy McMillen was killed in 1975, in a feud with the Irish National Liberation Army.
17 Facts About Billy McMillen
1.
2.
Billy McMillen was born in Belfast in 1927 and joined the IRA at age 16 in 1943.
3.
When Billy McMillen placed the Irish tricolour in the window of his election office in the lower Falls area, this sparked a riot between republicans, loyalists and the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
4.
In October 1964, during the general election campaign, a photo of Billy McMillen was placed in the window of the election office in Divis Street flanked on one side by the Starry Plough flag and on the other by the tricolour.
5.
Billy McMillen was keen to work for the unity of Protestant and Catholic workers.
6.
In 1967, Billy McMillen was involved in the formation of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association and was a member of a three-man committee which drew up the Association's constitution.
7.
In May 1969, when asked at an IRA army council meeting by Ruairi O Bradaigh how many weapons the Belfast Brigade had for defensive operations, Billy McMillen stated they had only one pistol, a machine gun and some ammunition.
8.
Billy McMillen refused, but many of those unhappy with his leadership broke away and refused to take orders from McMillen or the Dublin IRA leadership.
9.
Billy McMillen himself remained loyal to the IRA's Dublin leadership, which became known as the Official IRA.
10.
Billy McMillen blamed the Provisionals for instigating the incident and then refusing to help the Officials against the British.
11.
In retaliation, Billy McMillen had Charlie Hughes, a young PIRA member, killed.
12.
Nevertheless, in the year after the ceasefire, Billy McMillen's command killed seven British soldiers in what they termed "retaliatory attacks".
13.
Billy McMillen served on the Ard Chomhairle of Official Sinn Fein.
14.
Some OIRA members under Billy McMillen's command, including the entire Divis Flats unit, defected to the new grouping.
15.
On 28 April 1975, Billy McMillen was shot dead by INLA member Gerard Steenson, as he was shopping in a hardware shop on Spinner Street with his wife Mary.
16.
Billy McMillen was hit in the neck and died on the scene.
17.
Billy McMillen's death was a major blow to the OIRA in Belfast.