Some Worthwhile Books

I am sometimes asked where I draw the material for my tweets from. Most of the photographs of victims come from the Human Face project on CAIN.

The “On This Day” feature on the CAIN website has proved invaluable in terms of cutting down time on looking through books to discover who died on any given day.

A drawback of CAIN is that it seriously underestimates the number of people murdered by the PIRA. For example, it does not attribute Kingsmill to the Provisionals even through they clearly were responsible.

That said, it’s a remarkable resources and a wonderful idea very well executed, particularly given the limitations of its time.

I have also used The British Newspaper Archive. A major gap in this otherwise excellent online resource which is easily searchable is the absence of Northern Ireland papers covering the post 1969 period so while it has proved very useful for checking details of soldiers from Great Britain it has been of limited use in other cases.

The local newspaper articles which you see on the feed are obtained from microfilm by a helper whose diligence is exemplary and who has often kept me right when I have made mistakes and omitted to mention someone.

But what of the books which could be obtained by the public?

In terms of print resources I have found the following very useful:

1. Lost Lives by McKittrick et al

I couldn’t have even considered attempting this without a copy of Lost Lives. Its 1,600 pages contain an entry for every man, woman and child who lost their lives during the Troubles. I have difficulties with some of the choices made by the authors and it isn’t the infallible bible of the Troubles some believe it to be but it remains unquestionably the best book on victims out there.

That said, because of its monumental standing when the editors got things wrong as they inevitably did given the nature and scale of the project it has annoyed and hurt loved ones. On a number of occasions I’ve received messages before posting a tweet to say “don’t say ....” because Lost Lives got it wrong and more than once I’ve been asked to specifically post something as a corrective to Lost Lives.

It’s an expensive book now. I picked up my copy for £20 at a book fair shortly after the final edition came out. You will need to be prepared to spend many multiples of that if you are to get a copy.

2. Years of Darkness by Gordon Gillespie

This book is largely a collection of contemporary accounts of major atrocities with the author providing some minimal background detail. It is very well written and after Lost Lives I’ve found it the single most useful text for this project when it came to incidents in which multiple people lost their lives.

Currently out of print but there are copies available on AbeBooks and Amazon. 

3. Constabulary Heroes 1826 - 2009 by Sam Trotter

Most of the photos of RUC officers murdered are from this book. It contains individual entries on each officer murdered, often providing a lot of detail about the funeral.

However, what makes this book stand out is the photographs. Not only does it contain photographs of the officers but often of family members at the unveiling of monuments and the like.

The author personally knew many of those he writes about, particularly in the north west, which adds poignancy to the text.

I’ve read criticism of the book in which relatives say there are details wrong. Given the scale of the book that is probably inevitable and in most instances the author appears to have repeated mistakes for Lost Lives.

Again it is out of print but in my view it is worth the £25 plus p & p being asked for a copy on Amazon market place at the moment. Not so sure about the £95 copy.

4. The Thin Green Line by Richard Doherty

An excellent book about the RUC. If looking a book about the police force which held the line against terror in Northern Ireland this is where to go. Chris Ryder’s The RUC A Force Under Fire isn't as good but is worth picking up as well given that second hand copies can be obtained cheaply.

The Thin Green Line however has the advantage of still being in print!

5. A Testimony to Courage: The History of the Ulster Defence Regiment by John Potter

A great book very easy to read and wonderfully well researched containing many affecting stories. Throughly recommend and easily obtainable. WH Smith are selling copies for £21.25.

6. Any of of Ken Wharton’s books about Operation Banner

If you want to know what life as an ordinary soldier in Northern Ireland was like Ken Wharton is where to go.

The Bloodiest Year 1972 is a good place to start but they are all worth reading. The hard cover editions are expensive but you can pick up the Kindle editions of any of the books for less than a tenner - and most for less than a fiver.

I’m a Luddite who has refused to get a Kindle before now but if someone reading this would like to get me a Kindle for Christmas to facilitate me owning Wharton’s complete collection feel free to drop me an email.

7. Enniskillen: The Remembrance Sunday Bombing by Denzil McDaniel

This is a heartbreaking account of one of the most infamous atrocities which is very well written. From the panic in the immediate aftermath of the explosion to the hunt for relatives at the hospital and makeshift morgue this is a book which will stay with you.

I disagree strongly with some of McDaniel’s comments - particularly that farmers in Fermanagh would help each other during the day but try to kill each other at night. History proves only one group - the IRA - were going out and murdering farmers along the Fermanagh border. 

With that reservation I strongly recommend the book.

Again it is out of print but you can easily pick up a copy on AbeBooks or Amazon market place.