‘I hope I survive until the Twelfth of July... but it is getting harder to breathe’

The long-time south Antrim loyalist has a terminal lung condition, and – according to the estimates given by doctors – he should have passed away already.

The PUP man has given what is possibly his last interview to the News Letter.

READ MAIN STORY HERE: Yes I was in the UVF, and no I do not regret it – but I’m sorry people got killed

His terminal illness “came as a bit of a shock” and he initially “thought it was just a chest complaint”.

Last August he was given “six to nine months” to live after being diagnosed with interstitial lung disease.

It has a number of potential symptoms, ranging from shortness of breath and coughing to extreme tiredness and bleeding lungs.

That nine-month period came and went in May, and Mr Wilkinson said he is now “past my sell-by date”.

“Every day is sort of getting worse – especially the breathing. But I’m thankful to God that I’ve got this far.”

He “prays to God” that he will see the Twelfth this year, and have a little private bonfire in his back garden.

He restated his insistence there be no paramilitary displays at his funeral, saying this is “because I’ve made a lot of friends, good frieinds, on the Catholic side, and I’m not going to insult them”.

How long is left?

“Well I don’t know. It’s getting harder and harder to walk. I pray to God every night. I thank God every morning. And that’s the God’s honest truth.

“Me and Eileen are quite happy. My grandchildren, I love each and every one of them. My family is very good to me.”

One legacy he is particularly proud of is the Fellowship of Messines – a body started by both loyalists and republicans, aimed at remembering the losses of both the 36th Ulster Division and the 16th Irish Division during World War One.

It has seen many children taken to visit old battlefields in France and Belgium.

The web page is simply www.fellowshipofmessines.com/

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