Victims dying before Troubles pension issue resolved

A leading victims’ support group has been saddened by the death of a member who would have been entitled to a victims’ pension had it been introduced as expected several years ago.
By Mark Rainey
Published 17th Aug 2020, 19:06 BST
Updated 17th Aug 2020, 19:40 BST
WAVE Trauma group member Raymond TrimbleWAVE Trauma group member Raymond Trimble
WAVE Trauma group member Raymond Trimble

Raymond Trimble suffered serious injuries when the IRA placed a bomb outside the News Letter office in Belfast in the early days of the Troubles.

In a social media message on Sunday evening, the WAVE Trauma group said: “Sad news tonight as a member of the initial injured group Raymond Trimble has died after a long illness. Raymond was seriously injured, through no fault of his own, in a bomb at the News Letter in 1969. He lived with the impact of his injuries daily. Where is the pension?”

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A further tribute said: “He was an amazing person he contributed greatly to his community and country. He was an inspiration and mentor he will be greatly missed.”

Alan McBride of WAVE has praised Mr Trimble as one of the main driving forces behind the campaign to have a victims’ pension implemented – having worked tirelessly back in 2011/2012 helping compile a ground-breaking petition.

“He was really quite jolly, even though he had been badly injured in the bomb – a really lovely man who was always very positive,” Mr McBride said.

“He was always doing things for others. One of our eldest volunteers lives down the street from Raymond and he went and got her groceries for her regularly, and his family has kept that up through the Covid lockdown as well,” Mr McBride added.

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Responding to the online announcement from WAVE, two former NI Secretaries expressed their frustration at the lack of progress on the pension issue.

Julian Smith said: “Very very sad news. Time moving on, lives already shattered, ending before resolution – tragic,” while Peter Hain commented: “This is terrible, like Paddy Cassidy a month ago died before he got the pension the law said he should have had from May 29 – all because Secretary of State, First/Deputy First Ministers together cannot deliver on their legal obligations.”

Soon after Mr Cassidy’s death, Peter Hain made a speech in the House of Lords calling for urgent action on the victims’ pension.

He later tweeted: “How many more amongst the hundreds of terribly injured victims eligible will also have to die before @BrandonLewis sorts out paying their pension with @DUPleader @moneillsf and the law is implemented?”