Soldier so scared on Bloody Sunday his ‘knees were trembling’, court hears

One of the soldiers present in Derry on Bloody Sunday said he was so terrified at being “under fire” that his “knees were trembling”, the trial of one of his colleagues for two murders has heard.

The statement by a former private in the Parachute Regiment referred to as Soldier H said it was the most scared he had been in his career to that point.

The evidence came during the non-jury trial of Soldier F, who is accused of the murder of two men in Glenfada Park North.

Soldier H’s earlier statements to the Royal Military Police on the night of the shootings describe seeing Soldier F open fire, but in later statements, including to the Saville Inquiry in the 2000s, said he did not remember.

The statements by Soldier H along with Soldier G have been described as key evidence in the trial of Soldier F as they place him in Glenfada Park North and give evidence he had opened fire.

Neither of the two are available to be questioned around the statements, as Soldier G has since died and Soldier H has indicated that if summoned he will exercise his legal privilege against self-incrimination.

The defence has argued the hearsay evidence is “contradictory, unreliable and inadmissible”.

However, Judge Patrick Lynch earlier in the trial rejected an application to have the statements omitted as evidence.

Soldier F, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is accused of the murders of James Wray and William McKinney.

They were among 13 people shot dead by the Parachute Regiment at a civil rights demonstration in the Bogside area of Derry on January 30 1972.

The Army veteran is also accused of attempting to murder Michael Quinn, Patrick O’Donnell, Joseph Friel, Joe Mahon and an unknown person.

He has pleaded not guilty to the seven counts.

Soldier F sits in the courtroom behind a curtain during each day of the trial which began last month.

Soldier H’s statement to the Saville Inquiry in the 2000s was read to court on Wednesday by a prosecution lawyer.

He said he had “tried hard to forget Bloody Sunday” but retained “vivid memories of specific events which happened on the day”.

He described arriving in Londonderry on the day of the shooting and standing smoking outside a church when he said a round was fired at them.

He also described being terrified as they arrived at Glenfada Park North.

“As I entered the courtyard I was terrified, I remember my knees were trembling – the knocking of my knees is one of the clearest memories I have of the day, coming under fire was absolutely terrifying, it was more frightening than my first parachute jump,” he said.

Soldier H contended a nail bomb was thrown at him and then saw a youth holding a “smoking object” which he was “sure was a bomb around the size of a coca cola tin”, and threw it at him, when he fired two shots at the youth.

“This was the first time I had ever fired at a live target, the first time I had shot anybody. Because I had been concentrating on this target, it is of this incident I have a memory. I have no recollection of what other youths in the courtyard were doing, and I have no memory of what F and G were doing and what shots they may have been firing,” he said.

Soldier H then said he saw a muzzle of a rifle poking out of a window with frosted glass and saw a shape moving behind the window, and fired 19 shots at it, and had to change his magazine which contained 20 rounds.

“I was concentrating all this time on engaging the sniper, so I did not see what F, G and E were doing,” he added.

“I cannot remember seeing F and G engage any gunmen or bombers in the area … I did not see F or G’s movements.

“By this time I was no longer so frightened, my knees were no longer trembling but I was very tense.”

He also said he could not remember giving the previous statements, but said he accepted they bore his signature.

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Soldier H was cross-examined over this claim at the Saville Inquiry, and it was put to him that there were no reports of a window that had been shot at 19 times in the area.

Statements made by Soldier E were also read, despite objections along the same lines as for the statements by Soldiers G and H being read were made by the defence.

However Judge Lynch admitted the statement by Soldier E into evidence.

Soldier E also contends the soldiers had come under fire with nail bombs, petrol bombs and missiles in his statements.

The trial continues.