Fred Holroyd
Encyclopedia
Captain Frederick John Holroyd was a British soldier who was based at the British Army
's 3 Brigade HQ in mid-Ulster, Northern Ireland
during the 1970s. He enlisted as a gunner in the Royal Artillery
, and three years later, in 1964, he was commissioned into the Royal Army Service Corps
(later the Royal Corps of Transport
). He volunteered for the Special Military Intelligence Unit in Northern Ireland in 1969, and he was trained at the Joint Services School of Intelligence
. Once his training was finished, he was stationed in Portadown
, where, for two and a half years up to 1975, he ran a series of intelligence operations. He resigned from the Army in 1976.
and John Weir (see Dublin and Monaghan bombings
).
Fred Holroyd has claimed that during the mid 1970s the Special Air Service
SAS used the cover name, "4 Field Survey Troop, Royal Engineers" (see 14 Intelligence Company
) during operations. This modus operandi
was introduced in 1973 and abandoned in 1975. Fred Holroyd claimed this was an SAS unit under cover at the Royal Engineers' base at Castledillon, County Armagh, which he visited (see 14 Intelligence Company
). Holroyd claims to have worked with the members of this unit and that members were told that it was a NITAT (Northern Ireland Training and Tactics Team), whose personnel were "former, serving or recently trained" SAS soldiers, with the commanders being infantry officers attached to the SAS. One of these was Captain Robert Nairac
, described as, "seconded to 14th Intelligence" , otherwise known as 14 Intelligence Company
" or '14 Int'.
He also added to allegations that a cabal of right wing British intelligence operatives from MI5
& MI6 along with figures from the British establishment had been involved in a plot to destabilise/overthrow Prime Minister Harold Wilson
through a secret organization known as "Group 13". The former intelligence officer Peter Wright, author of 'Spycatcher', was said to have been part of this group. Holroyd's allegations surfaced again in a New Statesman
article written by Duncan Campbell
in 1984. Holroyd's allegations helped form the basis for the 1990 Ken Loach
film, Hidden Agenda
.
, formerly Head of the Greater London Council, latterly Mayor of London, took up the case of Fred Holroyd, and used his maiden speech to highlight Holroyd's allegations.
Livingstone also asked a series of questions in the parliament session about Holroyd's treatment following his allegations of collusion between British Army Intelligence and Loyalist paramilitaries.
admit that he was wrongly institutionalised.
Holroyd wrote the book War without Honour, with Nick Burbridge
, which was published in 1989.
Barron report into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings
Holroyd gave evidence to Mr Justice Henry Barron during his inquiry into the Dublin and Monaghan Bombings
of 17 May 1974. Holroyd stated that "the bombings were part of a pattern of collusion between elements of the security forces in Northern Ireland and loyalist paramilitaries."
Barron was asked about a seeming contradiction in Holroyd's input to the report during public hearings:
When asked at a public hearing what he meant by "compromise source", Barron replied:
In his official statement to the Oireachtas joint Committee, Barron stated:
Barron also stated in his Report,
In his report Barron found that members of the Gardaí and of the RUC attempted to unfairly and unjustly undermine the evidence and character of Holroyd. For instance
Barron also noted,
Then Assistant Commissioner of the Gardaí (Republic of Ireland police force), Edmund Garvey denied that he had met Holroyd at Garda headquarters in 1975. Holroyd named Garvey, and another Garda (codename: "the badger"), as being on the "British side". Justice Barron found: "The visit by Holroyd to Garda Headquarters unquestionably did take place, notwithstanding former Commissioner Garvey’s inability to recall it". Barron further noted: "On the Northern side, there is conflicting evidence as to how, why and by whom the visit was arranged. Regrettably, Garda investigations have failed to uncover any documentary evidence of the visit, or to identify any of the officers involved in arranging it from the Southern side."
On January 19, 1978, then Commissioner Edmund Garvey was sacked without explanation by the incoming Fianna Fáil Government, which stated that it no longer had "confidence" in him as Garda Commissioner.
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...
's 3 Brigade HQ in mid-Ulster, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
during the 1970s. He enlisted as a gunner in the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
, and three years later, in 1964, he was commissioned into the Royal Army Service Corps
Royal Army Service Corps
The Royal Army Service Corps was a corps of the British Army. It was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery ; administration of...
(later the Royal Corps of Transport
Royal Corps of Transport
The Royal Corps of Transport was a British Army Corps formed in 1965 from the transport elements of the Royal Army Service Corps and the movement control element of the Royal Engineers . The depot was Buller Barracks in Aldershot...
). He volunteered for the Special Military Intelligence Unit in Northern Ireland in 1969, and he was trained at the Joint Services School of Intelligence
Joint Services School of Intelligence
The Joint Services School of Intelligence was the training centre for the Intelligence Corps of the British Army based at Templer Barracks in Ashford, Kent, United Kingdom. The school provided training to all elements of the British Armed Forces, civilian authorities and international partners...
. Once his training was finished, he was stationed in Portadown
Portadown
Portadown is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about 23 miles south-west of Belfast...
, where, for two and a half years up to 1975, he ran a series of intelligence operations. He resigned from the Army in 1976.
Collusion allegations
He alleged a policy of assassinations and collusion between British Army Intelligence and individuals active within Loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland. Holroyd was one of a number of former members of British forces who either exposed or admitted to such activity, the most prominent being Colin WallaceColin Wallace
John Colin Wallace is a former British soldier and psychological warfare operative who was one of the members of the 'Clockwork Orange' project, which is alleged to have been an attempt to smear a number of British politicians in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
and John Weir (see Dublin and Monaghan bombings
Dublin and Monaghan Bombings
The Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 17 May 1974 were a series of car bombings in Dublin and Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland. The attacks killed 33 civilians and wounded almost 300 – the highest number of casualties in any single day during the conflict known as The Troubles.A loyalist...
).
Fred Holroyd has claimed that during the mid 1970s the Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
SAS used the cover name, "4 Field Survey Troop, Royal Engineers" (see 14 Intelligence Company
14 Intelligence Company
14 Field Security and Intelligence Company is alleged to have been an element of the British Army Intelligence Corps which operated in Northern Ireland from the 1970s onwards. The unit conducted undercover surveillance operations against suspected members of Irish republican and loyalist...
) during operations. This modus operandi
Modus operandi
Modus operandi is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "mode of operation". The term is used to describe someone's habits or manner of working, their method of operating or functioning...
was introduced in 1973 and abandoned in 1975. Fred Holroyd claimed this was an SAS unit under cover at the Royal Engineers' base at Castledillon, County Armagh, which he visited (see 14 Intelligence Company
14 Intelligence Company
14 Field Security and Intelligence Company is alleged to have been an element of the British Army Intelligence Corps which operated in Northern Ireland from the 1970s onwards. The unit conducted undercover surveillance operations against suspected members of Irish republican and loyalist...
). Holroyd claims to have worked with the members of this unit and that members were told that it was a NITAT (Northern Ireland Training and Tactics Team), whose personnel were "former, serving or recently trained" SAS soldiers, with the commanders being infantry officers attached to the SAS. One of these was Captain Robert Nairac
Robert Nairac
Captain Robert Laurence Nairac GC was a British Army officer who was abducted from a pub in south County Armagh during an undercover operation and killed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army on his fourth tour of duty in Northern Ireland as a Military Intelligence Liaison Officer...
, described as, "seconded to 14th Intelligence" , otherwise known as 14 Intelligence Company
14 Intelligence Company
14 Field Security and Intelligence Company is alleged to have been an element of the British Army Intelligence Corps which operated in Northern Ireland from the 1970s onwards. The unit conducted undercover surveillance operations against suspected members of Irish republican and loyalist...
" or '14 Int'.
He also added to allegations that a cabal of right wing British intelligence operatives from MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
& MI6 along with figures from the British establishment had been involved in a plot to destabilise/overthrow Prime Minister Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
through a secret organization known as "Group 13". The former intelligence officer Peter Wright, author of 'Spycatcher', was said to have been part of this group. Holroyd's allegations surfaced again in a New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
article written by Duncan Campbell
Duncan Campbell
Duncan Campbell was a Scots nobleman who died on July 18, 1758, as a result of wounds received in an unsuccessful frontal attack against French forces at Fort Carillon...
in 1984. Holroyd's allegations helped form the basis for the 1990 Ken Loach
Ken Loach
Kenneth "Ken" Loach is a Palme D'Or winning English film and television director.He is known for his naturalistic, social realist directing style and for his socialist beliefs, which are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as homelessness , labour rights and child abuse at the...
film, Hidden Agenda
Hidden Agenda (1990 film)
Hidden Agenda , directed by Ken Loach, is a political thriller about British terrorism in Northern Ireland that includes the assassination of an American civil rights lawyer.-Plot and historical context:...
.
Involvement with Ken Livingstone MP
Labour Member of Parliament in the UK, Ken LivingstoneKen Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
, formerly Head of the Greater London Council, latterly Mayor of London, took up the case of Fred Holroyd, and used his maiden speech to highlight Holroyd's allegations.
"During my election campaign in Brent, East, there was an unusual public meeting. An individual was invited to it who has never been a Socialist, who will never be prepared to vote Labour and who thinks that the Tory party is the natural governing party of Britain.
He was invited to share a platform with myself and some of the relative's of those who have been subjected to miscarriages of justice by the British courts over issues of bombing here in Britain. We invited Mr. Fred Holroyd. For those who do not know, Mr. Holroyd served in Northern Ireland with distinction. As I said, he is no Socialist. He comes from a military family. He went to a Yorkshire grammar school. His whole objective in life was to serve in the British Army. He believed in it totally. He enlisted as a private in the gunners, and 3 years later he was commissioned into the Royal Corps of Transport. He volunteered for the Special Military Intelligence unit in Northern Ireland when the present troubles began, and he was trained at the Joint Services School of Intelligence. Once his training was finished, he was stationed in Portadown, where, for two and a half years, he ran a series of intelligence operations.
When he was recruited as an MI6 officer, he said of them that they were not disagreeable; their ethics were reasonable; they were seeking a political solution. His complaint, which eventually led to his removal from the Army and an attempt to discredit him, which has been largely successful, was made when the MI6 operation was taken over by MI5 in 1975 - by many of the same people who are dealt with in Peter Wright's book (SpycatcherSpycatcherSpycatcher: The Candid Autobiography of a Senior Intelligence Officer , is a book written by Peter Wright, former MI5 officer and Assistant Director, and co-author Paul Greengrass. It was published first in Australia...
), and many of the same people who are alleged to have been practicing treason against the elected Labour Government of the time. He said that once the MI5 took over the reasonable ethics of MI6 were pushed aside by operatives in the intelligence world who supported the views of Mr. KitsonFrank KitsonGeneral Sir Frank Edward Kitson GBE, KCB, MC and Bar, DL is a retired British Army officer and writer on military subjects, notably low intensity operations...
and the policies and tactics of subverting the subverters. I recommend Brigadier Kitson's words to those who are not aware of them. His attitude was to create a counter-terror group, to have agents provocateur, to infiltrate and to run a dirty tricks campaign in an attempt to discredit the IRA.
Mr. Holroyd continued to believe that what he was doing was in the best interests of the British state until early in 1975, when Captain Robert NairacRobert NairacCaptain Robert Laurence Nairac GC was a British Army officer who was abducted from a pub in south County Armagh during an undercover operation and killed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army on his fourth tour of duty in Northern Ireland as a Military Intelligence Liaison Officer...
, who, as many hon. Members will know, was later murdered by the IRA, went into his office, fresh from a cross-border operation -- something that of course is completely illegal -- and showed him the colour photographs that had been taken by Captain Nairac's team. Captain Nairac had crossed the border with some volunteers from the UVF. He had assassinated John Francis GreenJohn Francis GreenJohn Francis Green , was a leading member of the North Armagh Brigade of the Provisional IRA, holding the rank of Staff Captain and Intelligence Officer. He was killed in a farmhouse outside Castleblayney, County Monaghan, by members of the Mid-Ulster Brigade of the Ulster Volunteer Force...
, an active member of the IRA who was living south of the border. As an agent of the British Government operating across the border as an assassin he had brought back photographs as proof of that operation.
When Captain Nairac showed the photographs, Mr. Holroyd started to object, not because he objected to an active member of IRA being assassinated in a highly illegal cross-border raid but because he realised that once the British state started to perpetrate such methods there was no way that eventually Britain would not alienate vast sections of the community and eventually lose the struggle for the hearts and minds of the Irish people.
Holroyd then started to object to the use of such illegal methods by MI5 officers. He was immediately shuffled to one side by the expedient method of being taken to a mental hospital and being declared basically unfit for duty. During the month he spend in the British mental hospital, the three tests that were administered to him were completely successfully passed.
...What is particularly disturbing is that what looked at the time like a random act of maniacal violence and sectarian killing now begins to take on a much more sinister stance. It begins to emerge that Captain Robert Nairac is quite likely the person who organised the killing of the three Miami showband musicians. The evidence for that allegation is forensic and members of the UVF are prepared to say that they were members of the UVF gang who actually undertook the murder of the Miami showband musicians. The evidence is quite clear. The same gun that was used by Captain Nairac on his cross-border trip to assassinate John Francis Green was used in the Miami showband massacre".
Livingstone also asked a series of questions in the parliament session about Holroyd's treatment following his allegations of collusion between British Army Intelligence and Loyalist paramilitaries.
Life after the military
Following the surfacing of these allegations Holroyd claims to have been forcibly retired from MI6 and placed in a mental health institution. Holroyd has campaigned since then to have the Ministry of DefenceMinistry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
admit that he was wrongly institutionalised.
Holroyd wrote the book War without Honour, with Nick Burbridge
Nick Burbridge
Nick Burbridge is a British novelist, poet, dramatist, journalist, short story and song writer. He suffers from chronic depression, and his writing often concerns itself with the dispossessed, those at the margins of society...
, which was published in 1989.
Barron report into the Dublin and Monaghan bombingsDublin and Monaghan BombingsThe Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 17 May 1974 were a series of car bombings in Dublin and Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland. The attacks killed 33 civilians and wounded almost 300 – the highest number of casualties in any single day during the conflict known as The Troubles.A loyalist...
Holroyd gave evidence to Mr Justice Henry Barron during his inquiry into the Dublin and Monaghan BombingsDublin and Monaghan Bombings
The Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 17 May 1974 were a series of car bombings in Dublin and Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland. The attacks killed 33 civilians and wounded almost 300 – the highest number of casualties in any single day during the conflict known as The Troubles.A loyalist...
of 17 May 1974. Holroyd stated that "the bombings were part of a pattern of collusion between elements of the security forces in Northern Ireland and loyalist paramilitaries."
Barron was asked about a seeming contradiction in Holroyd's input to the report during public hearings:
"Since that time Captain Holroyd has persistently accused the British army of having engaged in serious unlawful acts, including murder and kidnapping, of encouraging assisting Loyalist paramilitaries in the commission of such acts, of recruiting agents from the ranks of the security forces of this State and of acts of gross incompetence which resulted in loss of life".
"For that reason, his [Holroyd's] claims justify careful scrutiny. At the same time it must be acknowledged that Holroyd is, in some ways, a compromise source".
When asked at a public hearing what he meant by "compromise source", Barron replied:
"There are many reports on him suggesting that he is a Walter Mitty type. That is probably the easiest way of explaining it... We said his detail was totally unreliable but the substance related to events which took place."
In his official statement to the Oireachtas joint Committee, Barron stated:
"A number of Holroyd's allegations are not completely true, but they relate to events that did happen. Insofar as they raise serious questions concerning the behaviour of the security forces, North and South during the 1970s, they are of relevance to the work of this Inquiry, and have contributed to the Inquiry’s view on the possibility of collusion between elements of the security forces in Northern Ireland and loyalist paramilitaries."
Barron also stated in his Report,
"It must be said that when interviewed by the Inquiry [Holroyd] made no effort to avoid any questions asked of him; nor did he appear to be withholding information. He gave his answers openly, fairly and with conviction. He is aware that he has been misquoted and misinterpreted on occasion and has sought to correct any misapprehensions where they have arisen. He has also shown a willingness to take on board evidence and information which seem to contradict his claims, though for the most part he has maintained the truth of his allegations and of their provenance."
In his report Barron found that members of the Gardaí and of the RUC attempted to unfairly and unjustly undermine the evidence and character of Holroyd. For instance
"Holroyd was also proven correct in his allegation that a Garda officer arranged a meeting in Dublin between an Irish Army EOD officer and his British counterpart. The denial of the Garda officer concerned that he requested Holroyd organise the meeting should be read in the light of his attempts to deny knowing or meeting Holroyd at all, which are not convincing."
Barron also noted,
"Some of the RUC officers interviewed by the Inquiry, in their apparent eagerness to deny Holroyd any credibility whatsoever, themselves made inaccurate and misleading statements which have unfortunately tarnished their own credibility."
Then Assistant Commissioner of the Gardaí (Republic of Ireland police force), Edmund Garvey denied that he had met Holroyd at Garda headquarters in 1975. Holroyd named Garvey, and another Garda (codename: "the badger"), as being on the "British side". Justice Barron found: "The visit by Holroyd to Garda Headquarters unquestionably did take place, notwithstanding former Commissioner Garvey’s inability to recall it". Barron further noted: "On the Northern side, there is conflicting evidence as to how, why and by whom the visit was arranged. Regrettably, Garda investigations have failed to uncover any documentary evidence of the visit, or to identify any of the officers involved in arranging it from the Southern side."
On January 19, 1978, then Commissioner Edmund Garvey was sacked without explanation by the incoming Fianna Fáil Government, which stated that it no longer had "confidence" in him as Garda Commissioner.