On the 28th June 2003 a Memorial Garden was officially opened on the Newtownards Road (East Belfast) this was primarily to remember the murder of two local Protestant men gunned down by republicans (some say the bloody baptism of the Provisional IRA) for no other reason than being Protestants on 27th/28th June 1970.
Jimmy McCurrie and Bobby Neill were two of six innocent Protestants to fall victim of the cold blooded, unprovoked attacks that were to be carried out by republicans surrounding 27th/28th June 1970. It started with an attack on the Annual Whiterock Orange Order Parade, carried on with attacks on the Protestant community on the Crumlim Road, and Ballymacarrett LOL No6 District as they returned back to East Belfast from the Whiterock Parade.
That evening, as usual, crowds had gathered along the Newtownards Road to welcome Ballymacarrett L.O.L. District No.6 home from the Whiterock Parade. As the Parade passed Seaforde Street (which led to the Short Strand) Newtownards Road junction, a republican mob hurled sectarian abuse and threw stones and other missiles at the Parade, and the people, which included children who had gathered to watch the Parade. This was the inception of the murderous events which were to follow, where the grounds and premises of St Matthews R.C. Chapel where used by PIRA gunmen to murder two innocent Protestant men and inflict injury on hundreds of other innocent Protestants.
A Memorial Parade and Service attended by Family and Local Community Groups is Organised every year since the 2003 Official Memorial Garden opening around the forth weekend in June to remember all the innocent victims of that atrocity, which occurred over the 27/28th June 1970
The full story of events which happened over the 27/28 June 1970 can be read in MURDER IN BALLYMACARRETT “The Untold Story”
Contact www.ebhcs.co.uk or Telephone 02890592909 for details
