IRA attack victim’s granddaughter invites Troubles families to Belfast Cathedral remembrance service
A woman whose grandfather was murdered in an IRA attack on the Belfast Telegraph has invited anyone who also feels their murdered loved one was never properly remembered in the Troubles to join them for a special service in Belfast Cathedral.
Amanda Pollock made the public invitation ahead of the 50th anniversary of the murder of her grandfather, Joseph Patton, 64, from Drumalig Road in Lisburn.
Married with children, he was a stereotyper with the Belfast Telegraph.
He was killed by two IRA men who drove a white Ford Transit van containing a 50–100lb bomb into the loading bay at the newspaper at 4.15pm on 15 September 1976.
Brandishing weapons, the two IRA men then jumped out of the vehicle and opened fire on the unsuspecting Belfast Telegraph workers before running into Little Donegall Street.
Joseph had returned to a locker room directly above the loading bay when the bomb under him exploded. He died four days later in the Mater Hospital.
Two men aged 25 and 19 were later jailed for the attack, which injured 15 people.
Speaking ahead of the anniversary, Amanda said: “For our family, this anniversary is about finally taking time to properly acknowledge and remember Joseph, but it has also become about something wider.
“Many people were affected by what happened that day - those who were there, their families, and others who may have carried memories of it for many years.
“There are also many families who had loved ones taken due to the Troubles who perhaps share that feeling that their loved one was never properly acknowledged or remembered.”
On Saturday 19 September at noon, the family will gather at St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, for a Service of Acknowledgement to remember Joseph—and to recognise all those impacted by the events of that day.
“We warmly welcome anyone who has a connection to what happened, who knew Joseph, worked at the Belfast Telegraph at the time, or who simply wishes to join our family in remembrance,” she added.
Meanwhile, SEFF director Kenny Donaldson stated: “For five decades Joseph Patton’s family have mourned his passing privately. Saturday’s service finally provides an opportunity for wider acknowledgement of their experiences and suffering.”
He noted that the staff evacuated from the Belfast Telegraph were taken to the cathedral in the aftermath of the bomb.
One of the journalists inside the building at the time was Deric Henderson.
"I've absolutely no idea why the building became an IRA target,” he told the BBC.
"The Telegraph was a pro-union paper with a small 'u' but everybody, and I mean everybody, bought it."
A four-page edition was produced the day after the bomb with the use of a different printing press and sold for a penny. The paper became known as the Penny Marvel.
The current editor of the Belfast Telegraph, Martin Breen, said "the attack caused terrible destruction and, most tragically, the loss of Joe Paton, but it did not silence the Belfast Telegraph or its journalists".
"Our thoughts today are very much with Mr Paton's family as they mark 50 years since his death," he added.
It was not the first time the IRA had targetted the paper. In February 1973, the front page headline talked of “The Great Escape” after a bomb in a petrol tanker outside the building was defused.