Widow of IRA '˜human bomb' victim has no forgiveness for McGuinness

A widow whose husband was used as a '˜human bomb' by the IRA has said she has 'no forgiveness' in her heart for Martin McGuinness.
Kathleen Gillespie and her children were held hostage as husband Patsy drove the bomb to Coshquin Army postKathleen Gillespie and her children were held hostage as husband Patsy drove the bomb to Coshquin Army post
Kathleen Gillespie and her children were held hostage as husband Patsy drove the bomb to Coshquin Army post

Father-of-three Patsy Gillespie, a Catholic who worked as a civilian cook at Fort George Army base in Londonderry, was murdered by the IRA in October 1990.

The 42-year-old Galliagh man was tied into a lorry packed with around 1,000lb worth of explosives and ordered to drive to an Army border post at Coshquin.

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An armed IRA gang held his terrified wife and children hostage at gunpoint to ensure his compliance.

The checkpoint where Patsy Gillespie and five British soldiers were killed by an IRA proxy bomb in October 1990The checkpoint where Patsy Gillespie and five British soldiers were killed by an IRA proxy bomb in October 1990
The checkpoint where Patsy Gillespie and five British soldiers were killed by an IRA proxy bomb in October 1990

The bomb was detonated when Mr Gillespie tried to get out and raise the alarm, killing him along with five British soldiers.

Twenty-seven other people were injured and the devastation at Coshquin was colossal.

At the time, the IRA released a statement saying they did not regard the 42-year-old as a civilian but rather as what they called ‘a part of the British war machine’.

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Martin McGuinness is on the record as saying the deaths were an inevitable consequence of Britain’s refusal to accept Ireland’s right to self-determination.

The attack on Coshquin was one of three synchronised bombings across Northern Ireland on October 24 1990The attack on Coshquin was one of three synchronised bombings across Northern Ireland on October 24 1990
The attack on Coshquin was one of three synchronised bombings across Northern Ireland on October 24 1990

Mr Gillespie’s widow, Londonderry woman Kathleen Gillespie, has said the death of Mr McGuinness has now robbed her of the truth over why her husband was killed.

She told the BBC she blames Mr McGuinness for her husband’s death, adding: “He (McGuinness) said Patsy was a legitimate target of war and I wanted to know why.

“I never once came face to face with Martin McGuinness. I feel robbed of the opportunity of a conversation with him.

“I would have liked to have put that one question to him.

The checkpoint where Patsy Gillespie and five British soldiers were killed by an IRA proxy bomb in October 1990The checkpoint where Patsy Gillespie and five British soldiers were killed by an IRA proxy bomb in October 1990
The checkpoint where Patsy Gillespie and five British soldiers were killed by an IRA proxy bomb in October 1990
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“I didn’t want to berate him or fight with him. I had gone past that stage of all the hatred and anger that I felt. I just wanted for him to explain to me why.

“But that’s a part of my life that has gone now. So I have to live with the fact I didn’t get the opportunity to speak to Martin.”

Recounting the awful events of that night in October 1990, Kathleen said the armed gang which had held her captive had assured her that Patsy would return home safe and no one would be harmed.

She recalled how her husband had been taken away from their home around midnight, and she and her children were held hostage for four hours.

The attack on Coshquin was one of three synchronised bombings across Northern Ireland on October 24 1990The attack on Coshquin was one of three synchronised bombings across Northern Ireland on October 24 1990
The attack on Coshquin was one of three synchronised bombings across Northern Ireland on October 24 1990
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Moments after the gunmen finally left, Kathleen heard the explosion.

She initially reassured her children that their father would be home soon, but as the hours went by, it became increasingly clear that her husband would never return.

It was not until a piece of Mr Gillespie’s clothing was found the following day that Kathleen knew for sure that he had been killed in the blast.

Compounding the family’s pain was the fact that the murder had taken place on their eldest son’s 18th birthday.

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Kathleen said : “I don’t know how Martin McGuinness could have come to terms with the things that he did. Did he ever show any remorse for what he did?

“There is no forgiveness in my heart. I had to learn to find a way to look after my family. They all turned out rather well, I have five grandchildren, but Patsy should have been here with them.”

However, Kathleen said she took no comfort from Mr McGuinness’s passing and expressed her sympathy to his family.

She added:“I don’t feel any better Martin McGuinness is dead.

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“I feel sad for his wife. If she loved him as much as I loved Patsy, then I give her my condolences because I know what she is missing.”

Describing her late husband as “a great family man”, Kathleen continued: “I loved him and all his children missed out.

“The day my daughter was getting married, Patsy should have been there to walk her down the aisle.

“I miss him every day and I talk about him all the time. We met when I was 16 and because of the way he died I didn’t even get to say goodbye to him.

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“The last words he said to me were ‘don’t worry girl I’ll be all right’.”

The Coshquin bomb was one of three synchronised IRA attacks on October 24, 1990.

Mr Gillespie was one of three men deemed by the IRA to be British collaborators, who were strapped into three vehicles and forced to drive to three British military targets.

However, unlike earlier proxy bombings carried out by the IRA, these men were not given the chance to escape.

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The other attacks took place at Cloghoge, near Newry and Omagh.

One soldier was killed in the attack at Cloghoge, but the proxy survived.

At Omagh there were no fatalities due to a faulty detonator.

RUC Special Branch had received some intelligence about the Coshquin operation but said it was only a “vague outline” of an “impending assault against a base” in the area.

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