8 December 1971: Sean Russell, 30-year-old Catholic, married with 5 children, a steel fixer and a part-time UDR member was the 1st Catholic UDR member to be killed in the troubles. He was at his home in the New Barnsley district watching television with his family when he was shot by the IRA. One of his sons answered a knock on the door and a gunman pushed past him. The inquest was told by Mrs. Russell that a man wearing a stocking mask pushed past into the living room. She said that the man asked her husband “are you Sean? and then pulled out a pistol and fired twice. A member of the Russell family grabbed the gunmans arm and a 3rd shot hit the wall. Mrs. Russell said that as the gunman ran off, her husband fell face down. His 10-year-old daughter was also injured in the attack. Mr. Russell joined the UDR upon its formation. In the days following Mr. Russells killing, the IRA targeted a number of Catholic UDR members in which they claimed was a campaign to force Catholic members out of the UDR. LEST WE FORGET!
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 12:57:40 +0000
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