English people sometimes speak of Britain.

Sometimes we speak of the United Kingdom.

And often we simply speak of England. But
the full ñame of our country is The United King-
dom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Look at the map of Ireland on the opposite
page. In the south, there is The Republic of
Ireland, called Eire. Eire is an independent
country. It is not part of The United Kingdom.
Most of the people in Eire are Catholics.
Northern Ireland is part of The United King-
dom. There are Protestants and Catholics in
Northern Ireland, but most of the people are
Protestants.
There is a war in Northern Ireland. Most
Protestants want to stay in the United Kingdom.
Some Catholics want to be part of the Republic
of Ireland.
There are more than 15,000 British soldiers
in Northern Ireland. The soldiers' job is to stop
the fighting. Since 1969, more than 1,000 people
have been killed.
More than 250 soldiers have died in this
fighting. This story is about one of them. Who
killed the soldier? Were the gunmen Protestants?
Were the gunmen Catholics? We do not know.
 David Hall was nineteen years oíd. He lived in
Liverpool. David was nearly six feet talI, with
brown hair and brown eyes.
David did not have a job. There were very few
jobs in Liverpool.
David had a girl friend. Her ñame was Carol
and she was also nineteen. David and Carol
went out together a lot.
One day David joined the army. He did not
want to be a soldier, but he needed a job.
'Don't join the army,' Carol told him.
But David did not listen to Carol.
David learned to be a soldier. He stayed in
2 3
Liverpool for four months. He saw Carol every
weekend. Then the army sent him to Belfast.
David went to Belfast by boat. It was
November. The boat arrived late in the afternoon.
It was raining. t
There were hundreds of soldiers on the boat.
They slowly left the boat and then waited in the
rain. David was cold and wet. He spoke to the
soldier next to him.
'Why are we waiting?' David asked.
'Look over there,' the soldier replied.
David looked. The soldiers were taking some-
thing from a table.
 David took his bullets and got into a lorry. The
lorry drove through Belfast. David looked out at
the streets. Many of the shops were closed.
Many of the houses were empty. The town was
full of soldiers.
Soon the lorry stopped outside an oíd house in
a poor street. The house did not have any
Windows. There was wood in front of the
windows.
There was writing on the wall of the house.
The writing said: 'Soldiers go home.'
The soldiers got out of the lorry and went
into the house. They were going to live in the oíd
house for four months.
5
 David went upstairs to his room. There were
six beds in David's room. One of the soldiers in
the room was called Pete. He also carne from
Liverpool.
Pete was twenty years oíd. He was always
happy. He was quite short and had dark hair.
David and Pete talked about Liverpool. David
told Pete about Carol. He felt happy.
David learnt about Northern Ireland for the
next week. He learnt about the Catholics and
the Protestants. He learnt about the history of
Ireland.
And every day people died. Catholic gunmen
were shooting. Protestant gunmen were shooting.
6 ,
And the army was in the middle.
One week later David joined a patrol. A patrol
is a small group of soldiers. They walk through the
streets together. They look for gunmen.
There were six men in the patrol - Sergeant
Johnson, Corporal Thomas, David, Pete, and
t w o other soldiers. The sergeant, the corporal,
and the other t w o soldiers knew Belfast well.
David and Pete did not know Belfast at all.
' N o w listen to me,' the sergeant said to David
and Pete. 'This is your first patrol. Three men
walk on one side of the street. The other three
men will walk on the other side of the street. Be
careful. Keep your eyes open.'
7
 David and Pete listened to the sergeant.
Then the patrol left the house. They walked
quickly up the street. Then they carne to a
córner.
Corporal Thomas went up to the córner. The
other soldiers waited. The corporal looked
round the córner. There was no one there. It
was safe. Then the other soldiers followed the
corporal round the córner.
At first David was afraid. Then he felt better.
There was a lot to do. David watched the other
soldiers. He watched them carefully. Then he
did the same as them.
David saw some children. They were playing
football in the street. The children were about five
or six years oíd. They saw the patrol.
'Go home, soldiers,' shouted the children.
The patrol did not stop.
'Soldiers, go home,' shouted the children.
One of the children picked up a stone and
threw it at the patrol. Then the other children
picked up stones. They threw the stones at the
soldiers.
One of the stones hit David in the face.
'Hey soldier, we'll kill you today,' shouted the
children.
The children followed the soldiers up the
street. David did not look back at the children.
He was watching the houses.

9
 Corporal Thomas and t w o of the soldiers
stayed in the street. Sergeant Johnson, David
and Pete went up to the front door. They kicked
the door open and ran upstairs. They went into
the front bedroom. Their guns were ready in
their hands.
There was a little girl in the room. She was
about three years oíd. She was sitting on the
floor by the window. She was moving the cur-
tains with her hands. David looked at the little
girl. He had made a mistake.
T m sorry, sergeant,' said David.
'Never mind,' said Sergeant Johnson. 'Let's
go.'
And the soldiers left the house.
11
 The patrol was about half a mile from William
Street. The O'Donnell family lived at 76 William
Street.
Mrs O'Donnell was in the kitchen. She was
washing the dishes. Her husband - a tall, thin
man - was sitting at a table. He was reading a
newspaper.
Mr and Mrs O'Donnell had three children. The
children were out playing in the street.
There was a knock at the back door. Mrs
O'Donnell opened the door.
There were three people at the door: t w o men
with masks, and a pretty girl. The girl had long
blonde hair. She was pushing a pram.
12
 Mrs O'Donnell looked round at her husband.
'Let them come in,' Mr O'Donnell said. 'We
can do nothing.'
The men and the girl carne into the kitchen.
The man with the gun stood by the back door.
T i l stay here,' he said.
The girl and the other man went into the hall.
'Sit down,' the man with the gun said to Mrs
O'Donnell. 'And keep q u i e t '
14
The girl and the other man were in the hall.
The man's ñame was Frank.
'We must be careful,' the girl said to Frank.
'We don't want to wake up the baby.'
The girl lifted the baby out of the pram. Frank
put his hand into the pram and took out a gun.
Then the girl put the baby back into the pram.
'Right,' said Frank. T m going upstairs.'
T i l come with you,' said the girl. And she
followed Frank up the stairs.
15
 The patrol carne to the bottom of William Street.
Street. Sergeant Johnson looked round the
Number 76 was near the top of William Street.
comer.
Frank was upstairs in the front bedroom. He
'Come on,' the sergeant said.
was sitting by the window. The girl was standing
The patrol walked quickly up William Street.
behind him.
David was feeling angry and tired.
'Can you see the soldiers?' asked the girl.
T m not going to make another mistake,' David
'No,' said Frank.
said to himself.
He took something out of his pocket. It was
He looked at the other soldiers. He looked at
a bullet. He put the bullet in the gun.
his gun. He looked at the houses in William
T i l only need one bullet,' Frank said.
16
17
 Frank looked out of the window again. Then
he spoke to the girl.
T h e soldiers are coming,' he said.
'Are you sure?' asked the girl.
'Yes,' said Frank. 'Get downstairs. Wait for
me there.'
The girl went over to the door. She stopped
and looked at Frank.
'Good luck,' the girl said.
Frank did not reply. He looked out of the
window and waited. The window was open a
little. The gun was ready in Frank's hands.
The girl went downstairs. She walked very
quietly. She did not want to wake up the baby.
18
She looked into the pram and smiled. The baby
was still sleeping.
Then the girl went into the kitchen.
'What are you going to do?' asked Mrs
O'Donnell.
The girl didn't reply.
' M y children are playing in the street,' said
Mrs O'Donnell. 'Please don't shoot them.'
'Be quiet,' the girl said. 'We'll go soon.'
T m going to get my children,' said Mrs
O'Donnell.
'Don't move,' the girl said. 'We're not going
to hurt your children. We're going to kill a
soldier.'
19
 William Street was almost empty. Near the
top of the street some children were playing.
The patrol carne closer and closer to the
children.
The children did not stop playing. They saw
soldiers with guns every day. The children knew
all about soldiers, and shooting, and killing. War
was part of their life. The children were playing
a game about soldiers and gunmen.
20
Now the patrol was almost opposite number
76.
Frank lifted up his gun. He pointed the gun
out of the window. But he was very careful. The
soldiers did not see the gun.
Frank saw Sergeant Johnson, Pete and David.
Corporal Thomas and the other t w o soldiers were
under the window. Frank was not able to see
them.
21
Frank pointed the Then he pointed the
gun at Sergeant gun at Pete.
Johnson.

There was a loud bang. David fell slowly to

the ground. His gun dropped. His mouth
opened. There was a red hole in his forehead.
David fell next to his gun. He did not speak. He
did not cry out. He did not feel anything. He was
dead.
The other soldiers heard the shot. They saw
David on the ground. Pete ran towards David.
'Stop!' said Sergeant Johnson. 'Get down.'
The soldiers lay down on the ground. They
looked up at the Windows of the houses. But
all the Windows were empty. The gun and the
Then Frank pointed He aimed the gun at gunman had gone.
the gun at David. David's head. 'Right,' said the sergeant. 'Search the houses.'
22 23

The soldiers searched the houses. They were
looking for the gunman.
Sergeant Johnson went over to David's body.
There was blood on the ground. The sergeant
looked down. There was blood on the sergeant's
shoes. He walked away from the body.
In number 76, Frank ran down the stairs. The
girl was waiting for him in the hall. She was
holding the baby in her arms. Frank put the gun
in the pram. The girl put the baby on top of the
gun. The baby was still asleep.
'Well done,' the girl said. 'See you later.'
Frank went into the kitchen. Mrs O'Donnell
stood up.
24
'Are my children all right?' Mrs O'Donnell
asked.
'Yes, they are,' replied Frank. T m going now.
Don't tell the army about me. Do you under-
stand ?'
'Yes,' said Mr O'Donnell. Mrs O'Donnell was
crying.
Frank and the other man went out of the back
door. They took their masks off and walked away.
There were no soldiers at the back of the house.
Pete was standing outside the front door of
number 76. The door opened suddenly. The
girl with the pram carne out. Then she saw Pete.
She walked quickly away.
'Stop,' said Pete.
25

The girl stopped and turned around. She
smiled at Pete.
'Yes, what is it?' the girl asked.
Pete pointed at David's body. The children
had stopped playing. They were looking at the
body.
'Did you hear a gun a minute ago?' asked Pete.
'Yes, I heard a noise,' replied the girl. 'Was it a
gun?'
'Where are you going?' asked Pete.
T m going shopping,' said the girl. 'Please
don't talk loudly. You'll wake up the baby.'
26
Pete did not reply. He looked into the pram.
Then he put his hands into the pram. He lifted
the baby. But the baby woke up. It cried loudly.
Pete put the baby down again quickly.
'Now you've woken her up,' the girl said
angrily.
T m sorry,' replied Pete. 'You can go.'
The girl smiled at Pete. Then she pushed the
pram away. She walked slowly up the street.
Then she went around the comer.
Pete knocked at the door of number 76,
William Street. Mrs O'Donnell opened the door.
Her husband was sitting in the kitchen.
27
 ^ ¡ W e a t would not be fatal for
u i c Government since the vote
wiu be taken only on a proce-
«lurcil motion. B u t it would be a
rtlftjor embarrassment and psy-
choloffical blow for a Cabmet
which is already bitterly divlded
und not yet totally certain that
ii can ¿et the Chrysler deal
I l i r o u g h .
T h e m a i n threat to that comes
f r o m Right-wine Labour
v.iu> consider t h a t a massive
fcwíling out opera tion
Ohrysleor which does not involve
II substantial measure of State
Opntrol of the firm is incon-
Not even Autolai
The fog was so dense—visib
yards i n some places i n the soutl
was unable to use its T r i d e n t j e t
One of t h e delayed passen
Secretary, M r Callaghan, who W Í
energy conference i n P¡Ais.
MPs
Weathermen said the fog w
for day. B r i t i s h Airways warned t h a
siderable time to clear the b a c k i
Gat
comir

Wife helps
nlítent with the Government's divert
pTOClaimed industrial strategy. tram..
11 was possible that i n opening take 1
11 i r debate M r B r i c ( " I won't On

Lesley
be resigning'after a l l " ) Varley, crep
11 i r Industry Seoretary, rnight drive:
« 1 , 1 1 1 not be i n a posátion to give
slow
.»11 Uie financial details of the their
pi'O]¡osed arranaements.

detectives
accid
Rough ride
T h a t would only marease wíde- TEMI
i ' i . i i d exasiperation.
18F.
Mr Varley h a d the ticklish By Joe Hall the
ixnwmal problem of trying to nell,
niiulid enfchusiastic about a policy Gatw
OVW which he threatened last M R S S h e i l a N e l l s o n , w i f e of
the m a n who appeared in at H
weük to quit the Cabinet. He was was o
i n for a rough ride. court yesterday charged with (-5C
I d the hours immediately be- t h e m u r d e r of L e s l e y W h i t t l e ,
Pete looked all over the house but he did not fan the debate M P s h a d h u r - has been interviewed by
• 11.1: v to study a pessimistic re-
detectives at Kidsgrove.
find anything. He went back to the kitchen. pulí, from the Government's
iihlnk-tank" unit about the She left the pólice murder
'Did you hear or see anything?' he asked Mr future of the whole caí i n - - headquarters yesterday lunch
«lu.M.ry. t i m e — a lew^JtfflHH0tHÉJi2L her
and Mrs O'Donnell. There was great resentment ' iiiVlHÜIP ' ^iin
UTIOng politicians on a l l sides 1 1 1 1 1

thft the Government had coiHfl^WWwcastle-under-Lyr!^

Mrs O'Donnell looked at her husband. refused to make this ireporj R e d ^ R h the murder of th<
• 1 1.1'Me until mid-mornij ear-ora heiress.
'No,' she said. 'We didn't hear or see anything.' liKlay.

Pete left the O'Donnells' house. An army lorry

carne. The soldiers put David's body into the
in advanee of publicati
wna understood that the
i.mk.s verdict is t h a t the,
Soldier shot
liiv ls bigger t h a n it n e e d ^ B ' b e . Yesterday another soldier was shot in
lorry. The children were playing again. David's in that case some of t ^ H G o v - Belfast. He was David Hall, aged 19.
•mment's critics de¡nan(§Hf why
m i - many millions of p d W d s of He was shot in William Street. The
blood was red on the ground. laxpayers' money b e i n g H m r e d army did not find the gunman. They
Frank and his friend were not far away. They iniji Ohrvsüer now? are still looking for him.
Tronically the Govi
were walking up to a house. There was a pram could be helped b y
tonight's vote for the Ni Enterfainment
lula are not against a pía:
outside the house. i»i>vides favourable tr
ror the Scottish side oi
28 • 'iiryfder business.