The officer commanding paratroopers in Derry on Bloody Sunday became agitated as he waited for the go-ahead to send his troops into the Bogside, the Saville Inquiry heard today.
Soldier INQ 1152, a radio operator, accompanied Lt Colonel Derek Wilford as he went through a crowd control barrier with his men on January 30th, 1972.
The former lance corporal told the Saville Inquiry in London today that Lt Col Wilford became annoyed at a delay in receiving permission to move his troops forward.
"I think it was when we knew there was trouble at the barricade we asked for permission to move," he said.
"I remember Col Wilford becoming agitated about the delay and saying something like 'we are losing the opportune moment' or words to that effect.
"I took this to mean that we would be losing the opportunity to go in and make the arrests, to get the yobbos out of the way."
During his evidence to the inquiry earlier this year, Lt Col Wilford said he intended to arrest as many rioters as possible by sending troops through two crowd control barriers and surrounding troublemakers in a pincer movement.
He said brigade headquarters was fully aware of his plans despite the fact that communications logs from the day showed soldiers were ordered through barrier 14, while no mention was made of others being sent through barrier 12, the barrier through which Lt Col Wilford accompanied his men.
Lt Col Wilford also denied putting pressure on brigade headquarters to allow him to send his troops through the barriers.
Soldier INQ 1152 today said he could not remember who Lt Col Wilford asked for permission to move forward and said he was not aware of what the colonel's orders for the day entailed.
"By asking if he could deploy his troops forward, I expect Col Wilford was basically asking for permission to move his troops over the "start line" at which they were waiting for orders to go, and for permission to do the tasks he had been briefed to do," he added.
Soldier INQ 1152 said soldiers came under fire as they stationed themselves in a Presbyterian Church across from the Rossville Flats, before going through the crowd control barrier.
"It was a high velocity shot and I formed the impression at the time that it came from the general area and direction of the Rossville Flats," he said.
"The shot hit the lower right of the wall, it could have hit the drainpipe, I don't know," he added.
Soldier INQ 1152 was the 736th witness to appear before the Saville Inquiry, which is examining the events of January 30th, 1972 when 13 civil rights marchers were shot dead by soldiers in Derry. A 14th man died later.
The inquiry, which usually sits at the Guildhall in Londonderry, is currently hearing the evidence from military witnesses and others in London because of concerns for their safety.
PA