On Bloody Sunday
A New History Of The Day And Its Aftermath – By The People Who Were There
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The first ever complete oral history of one of the darkest episodes in modern Irish history *** In January 1972, a peaceful civil rights march in Northern Ireland ended in bloodshed. Troops from Britain's 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment opened fire on marchers, leaving 13 dead and 15 wounded. Seven of those killed were teenage boys. The day became known as 'Bloody Sunday'. The events occurred in broad daylight and in the full glare of the press. Within hours, the British military informed the world that they had won an 'IRA gun battle'. This became the official narrative for decades until a family-led campaign instigated one of the most complex inquiries in history. In 2010, the victims of Bloody Sunday were fully exonerated when Lord Saville found that the majority of the victims were either shot in the back as they ran away or were helping someone in need. The report made headlines all over the world. While many buried the trauma of that day, historian and campaigner Juliann Campbell - whose teenage uncle was the first to be killed that day - felt the need to keep recording these interviews, and collecting rare and unpublished accounts, aware of just how precious they were. Fifty years on, in this book, survivors, relatives, eyewitnesses and politicians, shine a light on the events of Bloody Sunday, together, for the first time. As they tell their stories, the tension, confusion and anger build with an awful power. ON BLOODY SUNDAY unfolds before us an extraordinary human drama, as we experience one of the darkest moments in modern history - and witness the true human cost of conflict.
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The author did a masterful job of presenting her topic and not straying off-topic. Telling the story through interviews of those who were actually there or were related to the deceased, is how I think as much of history as it can be, should be told.
The designer of the book's pages did a fantastic job of helping you keep track of who was speaking! Each speaker is called out before their words and the author's voice is distinguished in the text with italics. As well as providing an index at the back of each of the deceased and wounded for quick reference. A big applause for letting you know that exists on the very first page and not discovering after you'd struggled thru the entire book!
There are areas related to the IRA, Provisional IRA, Sinn Féin, and several other subjects that I would have liked to know more about but applaud the author for not sidetracking the story she wanted the reader to understand, which is all said in the subtitle of her book.
If you read only ONE book on the Troubles, one of the worst moments Europe has ever witnessed in its History, let it be THIS one. It's impossible to put into words the impact Campbell's chronicle had on me, even though I have read several books on the subject and have visited Belfast and Derry numerous times.
I have nothing more to say. Let me leave these quotes here, showcasing the ‘‘justice'' of the British Government...
From a press conference held by seven Derry priests on 31 January 1972:''We accuse the Colonel of the Parachute Regiment of wilful murder. We accuse the Commander of Land Forces of being an accessory before the fact. We accuse the soldiers of shooting indiscriminately into a fleeing crowd, of gloating over casualties, of preventing medical and spiritual aid reaching some of the dying. It is untrue that shots were fired at the troops in Rossville Street before they attacked. It is untrue that any of the dead or wounded that we attended were armed.We make this statement in view of the distorted and indeed conflicting reports put out by army officers. We deplore the action of the army and government in employing a unit such as the paratroopers who were in Derry yesterday. These men are trained criminals. They differ from terrorists only in the veneer of respectability that a uniform gives them.''
Many thanks to Octopus Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
