49 Facts About Gusty Spence

One of the first UVF members to be convicted of murder, Gusty Spence was a senior figure in the organisation for over a decade.

Gusty Spence joined the Progressive Unionist Party, becoming a leading figure in the group.

Gusty Spence Snr had been a member of the Ulster Volunteers and had fought in the First World War.

Gusty Spence married Isabella "Bella" Hayes, Gusty Spence's mother, in 1919.

Gusty Spence was educated at the Riddel School on Malvern Street and the Hemsworth Square school, finishing his education aged fourteen.

Gusty Spence was a member of the Church Lads' Brigade, a Church of Ireland group and the Junior Orange Order.

Gusty Spence's family had a long tradition of Orange Order membership.

Gusty Spence took various manual jobs in the area until joining the British Army in 1957 as a member of the Royal Ulster Rifles.

Gusty Spence rose to the rank of Provost Sergeant.

Gusty Spence served until 1961 when ill-health forced him to leave.

Gusty Spence had been stationed in Cyprus and saw action fighting against the forces of Colonel Georgios Grivas.

From an early age Gusty Spence was a member of the Prince Albert Temperance Loyal Orange Lodge, where fellow members included John McQuade.

Gusty Spence was a member of the Royal Black Institution and the Apprentice Boys of Derry.

The Reverend Martin Smyth was influential in Gusty Spence' being thrown out the Orange Order.

Gusty Spence's older brother Billy Spence was a founding member of Ulster Protestant Action in 1956 and Gusty Spence himself was a member of the group.

Gusty Spence was frequently involved in street fights with republicans and garnered a reputation as a "hard man".

Gusty Spence was associated loosely with prominent loyalists such as Ian Paisley and Desmond Boal and was advised by both men in 1959 when he launched a protest against Gerry Fitt at Belfast City Hall after Fitt had described Spence's regiment as "murderers" over allegations that they had killed civilians in Cyprus.

Gusty Spence claimed that he was approached in 1965 by two men, one of whom was an Ulster Unionist Party MP, who told him that the Ulster Volunteer Force was to be re-established and that he was to have responsibility for the Shankill.

Gusty Spence was sworn in soon afterwards in a ceremony held in secret near Pomeroy, County Tyrone.

On 7 May 1966, a group of UVF men led by Gusty Spence petrol bombed a Catholic-owned pub on the Shankill Road.

Gusty Spence later wrote "at the time, the attitude was that if you couldn't get an IRA man you should shoot a Taig, he's your last resort".

In October 1966, Gusty Spence was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Ward, although Gusty Spence has always claimed he was innocent.

Gusty Spence appealed against his conviction and was the subject of a release petition organised by the Ulster Constitution Defence Committee, although nothing came of either initiative.

Gusty Spence now argued that UVF members were soldiers and soldiers should not kill civilians, as had been the case at McGurk's Bar.

Gusty Spence respected some Irish republican paramilitaries, who he felt lived as soldiers, and to this end he wrote a sympathetic letter to the widow of Official IRA leader Joe McCann after he was killed in 1972.

Gusty Spence was granted two days leave around in early July 1972 to attend the wedding of his daughter Elizabeth to Winston Churchill "Winkie" Rea.

Gusty Spence initially refused and went on to attend his daughter's wedding.

Gusty Spence remained at large for four months and during that time even gave an interview to ITV's World in Action in which he called for the UVF to take an increased role in the Northern Ireland conflict against the Provisional IRA.

Gusty Spence took on responsibility for the restructuring, returning the UVF to the same command structure and organisational base that Edward Carson had utilised for the original UVF, with brigades, battalions, companies, platoons and sections.

Gusty Spence directed a significant restocking of the group's arsenal, with guns mostly taken from the security forces.

Gusty Spence gave his permission for UVF brigadier Billy Hanna to establish the UVF's Mid-Ulster Brigade in Lurgan.

Gusty Spence was arrested along with around thirty other men at a UVF drinking club in Brennan Street, but after giving a false name, he was released.

Gusty Spence was returned to Crumlin Road jail soon afterwards, where he shared a cell with William "Plum" Smith, one of the Red Hand Commandos whom he had met upon his initial release and who had since been jailed for attempted murder.

Gusty Spence soon became the UVF commander within the Maze Prison.

Gusty Spence ran his part of the Maze along military lines, drilling inmates and training them in weapons use while expecting a maintenance of discipline.

Gusty Spence began to move towards a position of using political means to advance one's aims, and he persuaded the UVF leadership to declare a temporary ceasefire in 1973.

Gusty Spence was increasingly disillusioned with the UVF and he imparted these views to fellow inmates at Long Kesh.

Gusty Spence initially worked solely for the PUP but after a spell set up the Shankill Activity Centre, a government-supported scheme to provide training and leisure opportunities for unemployed youths.

Gusty Spence was entrusted by the Combined Loyalist Military Command to read out their 13 October 1994 statement that announced the loyalist ceasefire.

Gusty Spence went on to become a leading advocate for the Good Friday Agreement.

When Gusty Spence's wife died three years later, he said that C Company had been responsible for her death, such was the toll that the events had taken on her health.

On 3 May 2007, Gusty Spence read out the statement by the UVF announcing that it would keep its weapons but put them beyond the reach of ordinary members.

Gusty Spence did not specify what activities or what was being resisted.

Gusty Spence married Louie Donaldson, a native of the city's Grosvenor Road, on 20 June 1953 at Wellwood Street Mission, Sandy Row.

Gusty Spence, a talented footballer in his youth with Old Lodge FC, was a lifelong supporter of Linfield FC.

Gusty Spence died on 25 September 2011, aged 78, in a Belfast hospital; he had been suffering from a long-term illness and was admitted to hospital 12 days prior to his death.

Gusty Spence was praised by, among others, PUP leader Brian Ervine, who stated that "his contribution to the peace is incalculable".

Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly claimed that while Gusty Spence had been central to the development of loyalist paramilitarism, "he will be remembered as a major influence in drawing loyalism away from sectarian strife".

However, a granddaughter of Matilda Gould, a 74-year-old Protestant widow who had died from burns sustained in the UVF's attempted bombing of a Catholic bar next door to her home, objected to Gusty Spence being called a "peacemaker" and described him as a "bad evil man".