Letter: Dad’s murder, like that of Edgar Graham’s, was profoundly wicked and should never be celebrated

This is the 38th anniversary of my dad’s murder at the hands of the IRA at Ballygawley RUC station. In the News Letter’s “Morning View” (Editorial: The successful use of IRA informers is a triumph of the Troubles that saved lives and is to be celebrated) the editor has kindly remembered that wicked atrocity when dad was murdered along with one of his colleagues, George Gilliland.

This date is also the 40th anniversary of Edgar Graham’s death. I remember his ruthless murder too. At the time I was a final year medical student at Queen’s. I had always been active in the Christian Union at Queen’s and at that time was chair of the mission committee. We had big plans for a mission in 1983/84 and we chose the title “The Missing Peace”. In our publicity we had lots of cleaver puns (or so we thought!) on the words piece and peace. Our logo was a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. The main events were in the second term but we also ran some build-up events in the first.

The first big event was called “Peace in Ireland”. We put together a panel of people affected by the troubles; a policeman’s widow, an INLA hunger-striker, an IRA man and a convicted UVF man – who was still in prison as we planned the meeting, but he had promised me he would be on his best behaviour and be released two weeks before the meeting! The one thing they all had in common was that Jesus Christ had transformed their lives.The meeting was to be chaired by a well-known church leader in the city, but with rising tensions at the time, he felt it was unsafe and withdrew. David Bruce, recently retired moderator of the Presbyterian Church, who at the time was a student support worker for the Christian Union, stepped in at the last minute to chair the event.

It was held in the largest venue available to us, the McMordie Hall in the Students’ Union (later renamed the Mandella Hall – if you remember the name McMordie you should have your free bus pass by now!). The hall was packed. Fire regulations must have been less strict in those days – or perhaps we just ignored them. The atmosphere was electric – but there was no riot. We had prayed much about this event and God was in our midst. The gracious testimony of the four witnesses, with very different backstories, all pointed to Jesus Christ as the Prince of Peace. Recognising Him as the missing piece, inviting Him to become our Chief Cornerstone (Eph 2:20), offers to all who will believe the missing peace that only Jesus can give. I know of several people who found peace with God that night.

A week later, 200 yards from where we held the meeting, Edgar Graham was murdered.

Now 40 years on I sit and reflect in my study, as the relentless rain continues to fall, and I fight back tears. I think they are mostly tears of frustration. In four decades, we have lived through so much sorrow and suffering and yet there has also been hopeful progress and it has been quite a few years since I last attended the funeral of someone murdered by terrorists.

Why then do I still feel so frustrated? It could be the weather on this day of anniversaries, but it is surely something deeper. We should be in a better place than we are. The Irish Council of Churches recently did some good work with the compelling title – The Unfinished Work of Peace. (You can Google it!)

In dealing with the legacy of our violent past, there are more questions than answers.

Over recent years, this paper has contributed more than most to this debate. I don’t share every opinion expressed, but I do share the loathing of the violent works of the IRA, and every other paramilitary organisation, both loyalist and republican. Wherever state forces (British and Irish) have broken the law, they too should still be held to account.

What I cannot accept are attempts to rewrite history and sanitize what was always evil. Some may regard shooting my dad and Edgar Graham in the head from close range as a daring act – but it was profoundly wicked – an act to be repented of and never celebrated.

As a preacher I still proclaim that only Jesus can supply the "missing peace”. As a pastor who struggles to bind up the broken-hearted and who prays regularly “Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” I will fight on through the tears of frustration and work and pray for a better legacy for all who share these islands.

Rev Dr David Clements, Cullybackey