Claudy bombing: ‘Dad died without seeing justice for his dad ... I told him I’d keep fighting’

James Miller, whose grandfather David Miller was killed by one of the three bombs planted in the Co Londonderry village on July 31 1972, said he would continue his father’s quest to find out the full truth around what happened.

The attack on the village, which came just hours after the British Army had launched a large-scale operation in several of the so-called ‘no-go areas’ of Northern Ireland, is widely believed to have been carried out by the Provisional IRA.

The paramilitary group denied responsibility for the atrocity in the days that followed and has never formally admitted having carried it out.

No one has ever been brought to justice for the deadly bomb attack on the village.

A total of three explosions rocked the village – the first at Main Street, followed by two further explosions.

Tragically, after the first blast a second device was spotted nearby and several people ran directly towards the location of a third bomb outside the Beaufort Hotel.

One of those who was killed by the bomb at the hotel was Mr Miller.

Grandson James said: “He saved lives by bringing families down to his house to safety, wrapping the children in blankets and hurriedly helping the parents out of harm’s way.

“As my grandfather, accompanied by his friend and workmate Jim McClelland, hurried back a bomb outside the Beaufort Hotel exploded, killing them both.

“He, like all the other victims on that day, deserved to grow old with his family around him, not to be annihilated by evil, faceless terrorists.”

In 2010, a report by the police ombudsman stated that a Catholic priest, the late Father James Chesney, had been suspected of involvement in the massacre.

The report also found that the Catholic Church, RUC leadership, and the Northern Ireland Office had been aware of the priest’s suspected involvement.

In 2013, the family of Mr Miller was amongst a number who took legal action against the church, state and police.

“There was a group who included my father [Gordon Miller] and those in the older generation who decided they wanted to find out the truth,” James said. “It was after they pushed together to find out the truth that there was an investigation that found there was evidence of collusion around Claudy.

“They took it as far as they could take it. I became involved because my father had asked me to come along to the meetings and I felt there was a great injustice. We needed to find the truth, that was all. We had countless meetings with police inspectors, chief inspectors, Amnesty International, the works but it was brick wall after brick wall.

“Eventually we decided the only route we could go down to get the truth was to go down the legal route. All the families were invited but some, for one reason or another, decided not to continue which was perfectly fine.”

In 2019, it emerged that new evidence files had been uncovered in the time since the police ombudsman’s report in 2010.

And last year, the families reached a confidential settlement with the PSNI and the Northern Ireland Office without admission of liability.

Mr Miller said the case against the Catholic Church, meanwhile, has not been settled and remains open.

Ultimately, none of those who carried out the attack have faced justice and sadly Mr Miller’s father, Gordon, died in 2018 without ever seeing the “closure” he had sought for what happened to his father, David.

James said: “Sadly, dad passed away on June 25 2018 with no closure, no answers and no one held to account. I promised my father that I would fight on.”