One of the most senior members of the Parachute Regiment deployed into the Bogside area of Derry on Bloody Sunday 31 years ago said yesterday that the actions of his soldiers on the day were "clearly direct and firm".
The former major, known as Soldier 221A, told the Saville inquiry into the killings that although the resultant deaths of 13 civilians were a "tragic outcome", the Parachute Regiment was "well regarded by all sectors of the community for our professionalism and impartiality".
Soldier 221A told the inquiry that on Bloody Sunday he was based at a security forces barricade at the bottom of William Street, on the immediate fringe of the Bogside, with members of C Company,whom he commanded.
It was planned that members of his company would link up with paratroopers at a second barricade to effect an arrest operation against rioters. He said that the rioting at his position was intense, and although he expected nail-bombs and petrol-bombs to be thrown at his troops, none was.
The witness said when he received the order to go into the Bogside, he had planned to move his soldiers through the barricade in three armoured vehicles. However an officer in the Royal Green Jackets was reluctant to expose his men to the rioters and refused to order them to move the barricades to enable the paratroopers to go into the Bogside.
"I therefore decided immediately that the first two platoons of my company should go into the area on foot, and I made it clear to him that that was what we were going to do", he said.
The retired major said his soldiers then quickly pursued and dispersed rioters. Once inside the Bogside, he saw paratroopers from Support Company, who had come through the other barricade, in a defensive stance.
"It was clear that Support Company were reacting to live fire," he told the inquiry's three judges.
"Later that day I was surprised to hear of the numbers of casualties as we had not anticipated being met by such resistance to our entering the area," he added.
"The approach of the Parachute Regiment is certainly direct and firm. However, brutality was never tolerated. It was simply not the way the battalion operated. The fact is to the contrary, we were one of the very few units in Northern Ireland at that time who were able to restore and maintain law and order without resorting to the use of physical force. We were regarded by all sectors of the community for our professionalism and impartiality", he added.