In Co Armagh, victims of the Kingsmill massacre were remembered during a service at the Kingsmill Memorial Wall on the 50th anniversary of the tragedy.
On January 5, 1976, textile workers were shot when their minibus was ambushed outside Kingsmill. Republican gunmen, posing as British soldiers, ordered the workers off the bus.
They asked the men about their religion. The only Catholic was told to run away. The gunmen, who hid in hedges, forced the remaining 11 men to line up outside the van before opening fire.
Only one man, Alan Black, survived, despite being shot 18 times. No one has been convicted for this notorious incident during the Troubles.
A coroner described the massacre in 2024 as an “overtly sectarian attack by the IRA,” but did not name any suspects. A watchdog report from April last year noted serious failings in the original police investigation.
A service was held at the Kingsmill Memorial Wall on Monday, while a religious service took place at Bessbrook Town Hall on Sunday.
| Date | Location | Victims | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 5, 1976 | Kingsmill, Co Armagh | 10 men killed | No convictions |
| January 4, 1976 | Near Kingsmill | 6 men killed in loyalist attacks | Retaliation noted |
The ten men who died were Robert Chambers, John Bryans, Reginald Chapman, Walter Chapman, Robert Freeburn, Joseph Lemmon, John McConville, James McWhirter, Robert Walker, and Kenneth Worton.
This massacre occurred during a week of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland.
