Woman whose husband killed by IRA speaks of deep hurt after Ministry of Defence withdrew her war widow pension

By Philip Bradfield
Published 5th Feb 2020, 06:30 BST
Linda McHugh speaking at the launch of the South East Fermanagh Foundation's south Armagh office in Bessbrook last week. Her husband Trooper John Gibbons, 22, was killed by an IRA bomb at Crossmaglen in 1973. She is one of 300 women who say they felt deeply hurt when their war widow pensions were withdrawn because they remarried.Linda McHugh speaking at the launch of the South East Fermanagh Foundation's south Armagh office in Bessbrook last week. Her husband Trooper John Gibbons, 22, was killed by an IRA bomb at Crossmaglen in 1973. She is one of 300 women who say they felt deeply hurt when their war widow pensions were withdrawn because they remarried.
Linda McHugh speaking at the launch of the South East Fermanagh Foundation's south Armagh office in Bessbrook last week. Her husband Trooper John Gibbons, 22, was killed by an IRA bomb at Crossmaglen in 1973. She is one of 300 women who say they felt deeply hurt when their war widow pensions were withdrawn because they remarried.
A woman whose soldier husband died in a south Armagh bomb attack says the government’s ongoing insistence on withholding her war widow pension makes her feel like her husband’s sacrifice was “less worthy than others” who were not affected.

Women whose soldier husbands were killed in the Troubles were entitled to a small war pension, on which many of them desperately depended when bringing up young families left behind.

But government cost cutting has seen it withdrawn from 300 widows – including 30 UDR widows – who remarried from 1973 to 2015. Campaigners have been pressing to have the situation reversed, as was done for RUC widows.

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Linda McHugh’s husband Trooper John Gibbons, 22, was killed by an IRA bomb at Crossmaglen in 1973. Stationed in Germany, within three days she and their three month old son were sent to live with her mother. Six years later she remarried, after which the pension was stopped.

Trooper John Gibbons, 17/21 Lancers, who was killed on duty by the IRA May 5th 1973.Trooper John Gibbons, 17/21 Lancers, who was killed on duty by the IRA May 5th 1973.
Trooper John Gibbons, 17/21 Lancers, who was killed on duty by the IRA May 5th 1973.

“It was difficult because this was like the acknowledged of what my army life and my great loss of John,” said Linda, who now lives on the Isle of Skye. “Terrorists judged John less worthy of life because of his uniform and the government deemed his sacrifice less worthy because he was killed at the wrong time.”

A Ministry of Defence (Mod) spokeswoman responded that it “recognises the unique commitment that service families make” but added that there are currently no plans to reinstate the pension for war widows who remarried between 1973 and 2015. The MoD is examining alternative methods to see whether it can mitigate the changes, she added.

But South East Fermanagh Foundation director Kenny Donaldson called for “a renewed focus from government”, noting that at least three more such widows have passed away in the last year.