Troubled days

My son Robert’s recent account, on internet, of bombing in the City of London, including his own office, and his subsequent conversation years later with Gerry Adams, a key figure in The ‘Troubles’ in Ireland, was news to me.

My experience of those dangerous days started in 1971 when, as Cardiff city council’s public relations officer, I went with the Lord Mayor to visit the Royal Welsh Fusiliers who were stationed in crude, makeshift sites in Londonderry, including car parks.

Since it had started two years earlier the sectarian war had escalated. 

High walls and barriers divided streets and whole districts. Neighbours had become enemies. Death came often and suddenly in town and countryside.

Those young Welsh soldiers we visited had a thankless, dangerous task. They were certainly not welcome. I saw young children spit at them in the street.

I went back twice to Northern Ireland to see the troops.

Over the years the tempo of the conflict eased, ending finally after almost thirty years, heralded by the Good Friday agreement and the setting up of the restored parliament at Stormont.

But the circumstances that created the horror have not been totally eradicated. 

Hopes still linger among the most ardent that their ambition will eventually be achieved, that the sacrifices made will be vindicated. There have been rare incidents including bombings.

If ever there was a perfect lesson to be learned of the madness of people and nations seeing the gun and the bomb as the way to achieve their aim it is Ukraine today.