THE BLOODY SUNDAY INQUIRY/Day 240: A British ex-paratrooper told the Saville Inquiry yesterday that his platoon "wanted some kills" when they confronted unarmed rioters on Bloody Sunday, during which 14 were shot dead.
The paratrooper, a former radio operator identified only as Soldier 027, was the first to appear at hearings which have been moved to London because British troops said they feared for their lives if they testified in Northern Ireland.
He described fellow soldiers involved in "shocking and unspeakable incidents". He saw another soldier "pushing his way between two other soldiers who were firing so that he could start firing himself. He indicated to me that he thought what was happening was great," he added. "He was exuberant."
Soldier 027, who testified from behind a screen, is seen as a key witness because he contradicts the British army's official version of events, which is that the soldiers of the First Parachute Regiment only fired when fired at themselves. He stood by an earlier statement that a lieutenant, referred to as 119, had briefed them on the night before Bloody Sunday, saying: "Let's teach these buggers a lesson - we want some kills tomorrow."
Soldier 027 said that at no time did he identify a threat within the mob. "I was as keen to find a target as anyone, but I just could not identify a target that appeared to justify engaging," he said. "I did not see anyone with a weapon or see or hear an explosive device.
"I have a clear memory of consciously thinking 'What are they firing at?' and feeling some inadequacy."
Soldier 027 described a culture of violence among the paratroopers and said bravado rather than self-defence had fuelled their actions on Bloody Sunday.
"I had the distinct impression that this was a case of some soldiers realising this was an opportunity to fire their weapon and they didn't want to miss the chance," he said, adding that much of the firing was precipitated by two soldiers, Lance Corporal F and Soldier G. "When the shooting started, the crowd at first appeared to be mesmerised," Soldier 027 went on. "Suddenly there was a lot of confusion, wailing and commotion. I saw people crouching and immobile, others crawling.
"I have always been satisfied in my own mind that Lance Corporal F and Soldier G probably shot eight or 10 people that day." Soldier 027 paused frequently as he gave evidence. Hidden behind a screen amid tight security at Westminster Central Hall, London, while the relatives of the dead looked on, his voice sound educated, measured and seemingly thoughtful.
Before the evidence got under way, the inquiry heard that passages from a draft of a book written - or to be written by the soldier - which contain references to the Bloody Sunday events, would be made available. He had earlier arrived in a car with blacked out windows and was rushed in through a back entrance of the building about half an hour before he was due to give evidence.
In his witness statement, he said he joined 1 Para, aged 19, in 1971, and first arrived in Belfast in August or September of that year. Joining 1 Para, in Belfast, he said: "There was an element of enjoying the violence of the situation. We adapted to it and the abnormal became normal." He added: "Depending on our individual natures, we were all, to various degrees, brutalised by it."
A couple of weeks before Bloody Sunday, he said bombs were planted in the Palace Barracks by someone working in the cookhouse.
This incident increased the frustration of the soldiers, he said. "There was nothing 1 Para wanted more than for the IRA to come out into the open and take us on."
Riots were generally a sort of "ritualistic" game with people playing their roles, he said. "What made Bloody Sunday so significant was that the rule book was torn up and the accepted game plan, developed through precedent, was thrown away."
1 Para was the "rottweiler" of the British army, he said, which put a "certain onus" of responsibility on those in authority. If misapplied or directed either by senior commanders or politicians, then that was where the responsibility must lie.
The constant threat of sniper fire was a major factor in a soldier's life, as was "contempt for an opposition that would not reveal itself".
Living in this environment led to the expression "going ape" being used, along with the term "beasting" - when pent up tensions were released on whoever happened to be in wrong place at the wrong time.
Asked about what "going ape" meant, 027 said: "I do not have an accurate definition for this, I think it is more along the lines of adapting to the prevailing situation."
He said he did not consider himself an aggressive or violent person, but, he had done things he was ashamed of in Belfast. These incidents included hitting a man in the face after he attempted to make him shut his front door while he was investigating reports of a machine-gunner in a dark street.
There was an intense feeling of adrenalin and apprehension as the paras, with their blackened faces, de-bussed quickly and approached their task. They were convinced they were about to face gunmen, Soldier 027 claimed.
"I saw no civilians with weapons, no threatening gesture, neither could I see or hear any explosive devices during the entire situation. I was not personally at risk from anything that I could see and it never entered my head to fire my weapon."
The ex-para is in a special protection scheme, paid for by the Northern Ireland Office, to ensure he co-operates with the government-appointed inquiry.
It is believed Soldier 027 fears retribution from his former colleagues. The deal, which includes relocation and a salary, ends when he finishes giving his evidence.