Robert Seymour (loyalist)
Robert Seymour | |
---|---|
Born | c. 1955 Belfast, Northern Ireland |
Died | 15 June 1988 (aged 32–33) Woodstock Road, East Belfast |
Nationality | British |
Other names | "Squeak" "Bobby Blood" |
Occupation | Video shop proprietor |
Known for | Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) East Belfast commander |
Robert Seymour (c. 1955 – 15 June 1988) was a Northern Irish loyalist from Belfast who was a member of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). He served as the paramilitary organisation's East Belfast commander before being shot dead by the Provisional IRA behind his video shop in that part of the city in June 1988. His killing was claimed to be in retaliation for the UVF bombing of a nationalist pub in which three Catholics died.
In 1983, Seymour was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the 1981 murder of leading IRA member James "Skipper" Burns. Seymour cycled to Burns' home in Rodney Parade, off the
Until 2011, Seymour's image featured on a large mural painted on a gable in Ballymacarrett Road, East Belfast.
Ulster Volunteer Force
Robert Seymour was born around 1955. He was raised in a
Late at night on 23 February 1981, he cycled across Belfast to the home of leading
In 1983, Seymour and UVF battalion commander John Wilson were convicted of the murder and sentenced to life imprisonment on the evidence of
Seymour was later arrested and imprisoned for arms offences. He was released in 1987.[2]
Death
At approximately 12.45 p.m. on 15 June 1988, two masked Provisional IRA gunmen from the Markets and Ormeau Road areas entered the video shop owned by Seymour on the Woodstock Road in East Belfast. He made an attempt to escape by running out of the back door; however, he was cornered by the gunmen in an entry behind his shop and shot dead.[1][7][8][9]
The IRA claimed his killing was in retaliation for the shooting of an
At his funeral oration, Seymour was described as an "exemplary Volunteer".[5] Part of it went as follows:
A young man who dedicated his life to his country has given all that any Soldier could give... At the going down of the sun and in the morning/We will remember them.[11]
The UVF retaliated the following month by fatally shooting IRA volunteer Brendan "Ruby" Davison at his home in the Markets area of South Belfast on 25 July 1988 after receiving intelligence which revealed he had been Seymour's assassin. The UVF gunmen were wearing stolen Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) uniforms when they carried out the attack.[8][12]
Until 2011, Seymour's image featured alongside three other UVF members on an oversized gable mural. The mural stood for over 10 years at the junction of Ballymacarrett Road and Frazer Pass in east Belfast before being painted over. Seymour also features on the mural which replaced the original. In Frazer Pass there is a memorial plaque set inside a railed enclosure dedicated to Seymour, and he is also commemorated in many loyalist ballads and videos.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths – 1988
- ^ a b c d ireland "Bomb at Northern Ireland 'Fun Run' Kills 5 Soldiers, Hurts 10". Los Angeles Times. 16 June 1988. Retrieved 24 February 2012
- ^ a b c d Cusack, Jim, & McDonald, Henry (1997). UVF. Poolbeg. p. 192
- ^ a b c Sharrock, David & Devenport, Mark. Man of war, man of peace: the unauthorised biography of Gerry Adams. Macmillan. p. 220
- ^ a b Bruce, Steve (1992). The Red Hand: Protestant Paramilitaries in Northern Ireland. Oxford University Press. p. 114
- ^ Hurley, Mark Joseph (1990). Blood on the Shamrock: an American ponders Northern Ireland, 1968–1990. P. Lang. p. 146
- ^ The Irish Emigrant – 19 June 1988. Liam Ferrie. 23 May 2003
- ^ a b Cusack, Jim, & McDonald, Henry (1997). UVF. Poolbeg. p. 250
- ISBN 1-84018-504-X
- ^ Keane, Fergal. "IRA Shot UVF Member Robert Seymour". RTE Archives. RTE. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- ^ Bartlett, Thomas, & Keith Jeffrey. A military history of Ireland. Cambridge University Press. p. 455
- ^ Cusack, Jim. "Sinn Fein's indoctrination lives on in our brave new world", Irish Independent, 20 March 2005