Billy Giles
Encyclopedia
Billy Giles was a Ulster Volunteer Force volunteer
who later became active in politics following his release from the Maze Prison in 1997 after serving 14 years of a life sentence for murder.
east Belfast. His father Sam, worked as a plater
in the nearby Harland and Wolff
shipyard, and his mother, Lily was a housewife. Giles was the eldest of six children. The Giles family was very religious, the Protestant church having been the centre of their lives. Giles often attended the rallies of Ian Paisley
, and was strongly influenced by his sermons. His father, a former soldier in the British Army
, was a member of the Orange Order, The Royal Black Preceptory
, and The Apprentice Boys of Derry
. His brothers also served in the army.
on 21 July 1972 when the Provisional IRA
exploded 26 bombs across Belfast, killing nine people, and injuring 103. As the years passed, he found himself attending many funerals of friends he had lost and people he had known. In 1975, he joined the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and was trained in the use of weapons and explosives by former military personnel; he had just turned 18 years old. At the outbreak of the republican hunger strike in 1981, Giles had gradually become disassociated from the UVF. Following the deaths of the ten republican prisoners, however, Giles believed that, in the wake of the hunger strike, "there was going to be an uprising and they [Protestants] were all going to be slaughtered" by the IRA. Giles mentally prepared himself to go to war against the IRA and therefore returned as an active member of the UVF.
, Billy Giles abducted a Roman Catholic married man, Michael Fay, and shot him in the back of the head, killing him instantly. He then stuffed the body in the car's boot. Fay had been Giles' friend and workmate. The killing was in retaliation for the fatal shooting of Karen McKeown, a young Protestant Sunday school teacher by the Irish National Liberation Army
two months previously. After Giles' arrest - when he confessed to the killing - and subsequent trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to life in the Maze Prison.
Degree in Social Sciences
. He also wrote a play about his childhood in Island Street called "Boy Girl. It was later performed before a Belfast audience; his parents were present at the performance. Few people present at the performance were aware of the fact that it was the work of a UVF prisoner.
It took Giles seven years before he adjusted to life inside The Maze. He gave many interviews to British journalist, Peter Taylor
, to whom he confessed his deep remorse at the killing of Michael Fay, saying that he had "never felt like a whole person again" since the fatal shooting.
On two separate occasions, Giles claimed he had saved the lives of prison officers inside the Maze; the first time when he stopped an inmate from cutting an officer's throat and the second time during a prison riot in March 1995 when he persuaded his inmates to stop the wrecking and to allow free passage to the Block staff.
also known as PUP, and concentrated on helping released Loyalist
prisoners to resettle into the community. At the signing of the Good Friday Agreement on 10 April 1998 at Stormont
, Giles was part of PUP's negotiating team. He told Peter Taylor that he felt optimistic about the future of Northern Ireland and his own.
", Billy Giles hanged
himself in his living room. He was 41 years old. Peter Taylor visited Giles' family in east Belfast on the eve of the funeral. He described Billy as lying in the coffin wearing his best suit, and his UVF badge with the inscribed words "For God and Ulster" was pinned to his lapel. One of his last lines in his letter read, "Please let the next generation live normal lives". This line was quoted during a speech given by Colm Cavanagh
, Vice-President of The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
on 3 March 2006 to The Department of Education
.
Giles is commemorated, along with other prominent Loyalist paramilitaries, in the controversial UVF song Battalion of the Dead.
Volunteer (Ulster loyalist)
Volunteer, abbreviated Vol., is a title used by a number of Ulster loyalist paramilitary organisations to describe their members.-History of the term volunteer in Ireland:...
who later became active in politics following his release from the Maze Prison in 1997 after serving 14 years of a life sentence for murder.
Family life
Billy Giles was born William Alexander Ellis Giles in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 3 September 1957, and grew up in Island Street, in loyalistUlster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...
east Belfast. His father Sam, worked as a plater
Plater
Plater is a surname, and may refer to:People* Alan Plater , English playwright and screenwriter* Bobby Plater , American jazz alto saxophonist* Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk , American architect...
in the nearby Harland and Wolff
Harland and Wolff
Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a Northern Irish heavy industrial company, specialising in shipbuilding and offshore construction, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland....
shipyard, and his mother, Lily was a housewife. Giles was the eldest of six children. The Giles family was very religious, the Protestant church having been the centre of their lives. Giles often attended the rallies of Ian Paisley
Ian Paisley
Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, PC is a politician and church minister in Northern Ireland. As the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party , he and Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness were elected First Minister and deputy First Minister respectively on 8 May 2007.In addition to co-founding...
, and was strongly influenced by his sermons. His father, a former soldier in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, was a member of the Orange Order, The Royal Black Preceptory
Royal Black Preceptory
The Royal Black Institution, also known as the Royal Black Preceptory or The Imperial Grand Black Chapter Of The British Commonwealth or simply as the Black Institution is a Protestant fraternal society....
, and The Apprentice Boys of Derry
Apprentice Boys of Derry
The Apprentice Boys of Derry is a Protestant fraternal society with a worldwide membership of over 80,000, founded in 1814. They are based in the city of Derry, Northern Ireland. However, there are Clubs and branches across Ireland, Great Britain and further afield...
. His brothers also served in the army.
The Troubles
At the age of 14, he witnessed first-hand the events of Bloody FridayBloody Friday (1972)
Bloody Friday is the name given to the bombings by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in Belfast on 21 July 1972. Twenty-two bombs exploded in the space of eighty minutes, killing nine people and injuring 130....
on 21 July 1972 when the Provisional IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
exploded 26 bombs across Belfast, killing nine people, and injuring 103. As the years passed, he found himself attending many funerals of friends he had lost and people he had known. In 1975, he joined the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and was trained in the use of weapons and explosives by former military personnel; he had just turned 18 years old. At the outbreak of the republican hunger strike in 1981, Giles had gradually become disassociated from the UVF. Following the deaths of the ten republican prisoners, however, Giles believed that, in the wake of the hunger strike, "there was going to be an uprising and they [Protestants] were all going to be slaughtered" by the IRA. Giles mentally prepared himself to go to war against the IRA and therefore returned as an active member of the UVF.
Killing
On 19 November 1982 in NewtownardsNewtownards
Newtownards is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. Newtownards is the largest town in the Borough of Ards. According to the 2001 Census, it has a population of 27,821 people in...
, Billy Giles abducted a Roman Catholic married man, Michael Fay, and shot him in the back of the head, killing him instantly. He then stuffed the body in the car's boot. Fay had been Giles' friend and workmate. The killing was in retaliation for the fatal shooting of Karen McKeown, a young Protestant Sunday school teacher by the Irish National Liberation Army
Irish National Liberation Army
The Irish National Liberation Army or INLA is an Irish republican socialist paramilitary group that was formed on 8 December 1974. Its goal is to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and create a socialist united Ireland....
two months previously. After Giles' arrest - when he confessed to the killing - and subsequent trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to life in the Maze Prison.
Life In The Maze
Giles spent his time in prison studying. He took several GCSE's, and he eventually obtained an Open UniversityOpen University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
Degree in Social Sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
. He also wrote a play about his childhood in Island Street called "Boy Girl. It was later performed before a Belfast audience; his parents were present at the performance. Few people present at the performance were aware of the fact that it was the work of a UVF prisoner.
It took Giles seven years before he adjusted to life inside The Maze. He gave many interviews to British journalist, Peter Taylor
Peter Taylor (Journalist)
Peter Taylor born in Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire is a British journalist and documentary-maker who had covered for many years the political and armed conflict in Northern Ireland, widely known as the Troubles...
, to whom he confessed his deep remorse at the killing of Michael Fay, saying that he had "never felt like a whole person again" since the fatal shooting.
On two separate occasions, Giles claimed he had saved the lives of prison officers inside the Maze; the first time when he stopped an inmate from cutting an officer's throat and the second time during a prison riot in March 1995 when he persuaded his inmates to stop the wrecking and to allow free passage to the Block staff.
Progressive Unionist Party
He was released on 4 July 1997 after serving 14 years of his life sentence. He immediately commenced work with the Progressive Unionist PartyProgressive Unionist Party
The Progressive Unionist Party is a small unionist political party in Northern Ireland. It was formed from the Independent Unionist Group operating in the Shankill area of Belfast, becoming the PUP in 1979...
also known as PUP, and concentrated on helping released Loyalist
Ulster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...
prisoners to resettle into the community. At the signing of the Good Friday Agreement on 10 April 1998 at Stormont
Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...
, Giles was part of PUP's negotiating team. He told Peter Taylor that he felt optimistic about the future of Northern Ireland and his own.
Death
Despite his degree, he was unable to obtain a proper job that paid a decent salary. On the night of 24–25 September after composing a four-page letter of explanation and naming himself a "victim of the TroublesThe Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
", Billy Giles hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
himself in his living room. He was 41 years old. Peter Taylor visited Giles' family in east Belfast on the eve of the funeral. He described Billy as lying in the coffin wearing his best suit, and his UVF badge with the inscribed words "For God and Ulster" was pinned to his lapel. One of his last lines in his letter read, "Please let the next generation live normal lives". This line was quoted during a speech given by Colm Cavanagh
Colm Cavanagh
Colm Cavanagh is a Tyrone Gaelic footballer from Moy. He is the younger brother of treble All Star-winner Tyrone player, Sean. He also plays for the University of Ulster team, and in 2007, reached the Sigerson Cup Final....
, Vice-President of The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland is a liberal and nonsectarian political party in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's fifth-largest party overall, with eight seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly and one in the House of Commons....
on 3 March 2006 to The Department of Education
Department of Education (Northern Ireland)
The Department of Education is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive...
.
Giles is commemorated, along with other prominent Loyalist paramilitaries, in the controversial UVF song Battalion of the Dead.