'No one ever had the right to steal Dad's life away': Postman killed by IRA, leaving wife and seven-month-old son, remembered 50 years on from Troubles atrocity
The life of a postman brutally killed by the IRA, leaving behind a widowed wife and a seven-month-old son who grew up with no memories of his father, is being remembered 50 years on from the atrocity.
Described as a “proud dad whose happiness was made complete” with the arrival of his baby boy, early in the morning of July 17, 1976, Gordon Liddle was driving to work when he hit the tripwire of a booby-trap bomb planted in the laneway of his family farm in the countryside outside Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh.
Hearing the explosion shortly after bidding her husband farewell for what turned out to be the final time, his terrified wife Hazel, carrying tot Cyril in her arms, dashed to the farmhouse for help.
His brothers, Robert and Maynard, found Gordon severely injured but alive and conscious. With neighbours who came to their aid, they tended him as best they could until an ambulance arrived, but his wounds were too great. Aged 30, he died on the operating table that afternoon.
It’s believed the IRA bomb wasn’t targeted at Gordon, but two close relatives who were RUC reservists.
One of the last acts of his life was to enjoy a quick breakfast with his wife while playing for a few minutes with his son, who was awake in a cot that morning.
For Cyril, who grew up unable to remember his father, the tragic anniversary is a chance to “connect in some way with the man responsible for me being brought into the world”.
He said: “I have very few photographs of Dad, and nor do I know very much about the type of man he was, but over the last period of months I have been asking more questions. What I have been told some of those who knew him best has made me feel very proud.
“My Dad was a good man who had a strong Christian faith, he helped out in the running of the church and, in particular, supporting the development of younger people. He had a strong interest in culture and identity and was a loyal member of LOL 895, Lisnaskea.
“He was also someone unafraid to step forward and do his bit for the country through his past membership of the B-Specials, and he was also a good provider for Mum and me – he worked for the Royal Mail and put in long hours.
“No one ever had the right to steal Dad’s life away, he was another innocent victim of those terrible years of terrorism.”
Gordon’s younger brother Ivan says the death had a terrible effect on a “close and loving” family who shared “many happy memories of our childhood”.
Remembering the horrifying day, he said: “Our parents, Robert and Norah Liddle, were staying with relations near my home. They never saw their first-born son again and mourned him for the rest of their lives.
“Having to drive past the scene of the explosion every day compounded the trauma for all the family.”
A memorial service for Gordon will be held in Sallaghy Church of Ireland this Sunday at 3pm, organised with the aid of victims group SEFF.
Said SEFF director Kenny Donaldson: “We pray the service will bring comfort and acknowledgement as those gathered remember a life lived well.”