SASH.
John Ross.
On Monday 31st October 2022 SASH had the pleasure of hosting Local Woodvale Man, Soldier, Para, Sergeant Major & Politician John Ross.
No one needs to tell SASH the importance of hearing & recording individual accounts of local lives and/or social history, as it is something our membership have been passionate about for over a decade now, and so when people like John are willing to step forward, it's always an honour to try and do just that for future generations.
As someone who witnessed the opening days & nights of The Trouble's in and around the Woodvale/Crumlin Road area it is vital that we document Johns story, just as Others have recorded theirs, because these opening nights are exactly what gave John his direction in life.
John says as a teenager he witnessed his community come under attack by Republicans from within Ardoyne, he seen what he thought to be the Old Men in many cases come out of their homes in defence of their Families, Property and Community.
He recalls people being shot dead, knowing the people that were being shot dead, and even the local youth that was blinded by a Republican bullet.
The appearance of the Army on the streets, playing football against the Para's, and the atmosphere and events within Northern Ireland led John to make/take the decision to join the Army, and the Para's in particular.
For the next 23 years John served in different countries around the world and seen action in the Falklands, were he lost 23 men, three of which were just 17 years of age.
After his military career he returned home and seeing what he terms as the rewriting of history against his community and the hounding of British Army Veterans he was invited and accepted membership of the TUV, and done so in an attempt to redress these and other issues.
John Ross is a proud Belfast & Northern Ireland man to the very core, and although an ex-professional soldier, if there is such a thing, he is also a highly educated man who worked within an industry, , 25 years as manager of DHL International Express in Northern Ireland, that gave him a depth of understanding around Local Business and Protocol.
His view is simple around this issue, the Protocol must go.
I could spend hours recounting Johns stories from both his visits, however we have uploaded his second talk & you can now watch it within.
On behalf of SASH I would like to thank John not only for his time and talk today, but also for his years of Military Service.
Thank You
John.
Shankill Area Social History.
Remembering The Past For Those In The Future.
Негізгі бет Shankill Man John Ross Speaks To SASH.
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