Manus Deery

Manus Deery 15 years, Limewood Street, Derry City, shot dead 20 May 1972 by members of the British Army firing from the city walls.

Manus Deery was one of a family with ten children. He attended Rosemount Primary School and later St Joseph’s Secondary, both in Derry. He left school shortly before his death and had found himself employment. His relatives spoke of him as a lad who enjoyed fishing, football and playing practical jokes on people. He was also a member of the Long Tower Boxing Club. 

On the afternoon of 20 May 1972, Manus came home from work around 5pm, had his supper and watched television for a few hours. Later he went out and met a friend at a shop in Meenan Gardens and both went to a fish and chip shop where they spent about an hour eating and chatting. Afterwards the two friends went for a walk that took them near to the city walls, which overlooked the Bogside area of the city. 

Manus’s friend later explained to the Press what occurred that evening. He said after they left the fish and chip shop they decided to go for a walk. They walked to a pedestrian tunnel near the Bogside Inn Bar. At the tunnel, he said, were a couple of other youths standing about talking so they stopped and chatted with to some of them. He said they were only there a couple of minutes when there was a loud bang. At the same time as he heard the bang he said noticed sparks bouncing off a wall near them and felt something hit him on the shoulder. When he looked for Manus he found him lying dead on the ground. He had been shot once in the back of the head. 

It was quickly established the fatal shot was fired by a British soldier in an observation post on Derry City Walls, which overlooked the scene of the shooting. 

The British army Press Office issued a statement the following day admitting that one of their soldiers fired a single shot at a gunman in the Bogside area but the soldier did not think he hit the gunman.

Residents in the area below the walls rejected the British army claim that they fired on a gunman and staged a spontaneous protest march over the shooting. The protest involved about 200 women from the Bogside area who marched to RUC headquarters in the city. The protesting residents told journalists that British soldiers were regularly firing shots into the Bogside area from their observation posts along the city’s walls. They said only a week previous to Manus’s killing a disabled man with an artificial leg out walking in the area, was hit twice by soldiers firing from the walls. 

Manus’ mother said she heard the news of her son’s shooting about 10.30pm and immediately set off for the hospital, but when she arrived was told her son was already dead. She said her son ‘was carrying nothing when he left the house that night, and he was not a member of any illegal organisations.’ 

Challenged by local clergymen and politicians about the killing the British army Press Office issued another statement, and while not revealing any further details about the circumstances, said they and the Royal Ulster Constabulary would be carrying out an investigation into the shooting. 

An inquest into the killing of Manus took place in August 1973. The soldier who fired the fatal shot did not attend the hearing. He was known only as soldier ‘A’ and a military policeman read out his statement. 

Soldier ‘A’ said he had been on duty in an observation post on the city walls when he claimed he saw a gunman. He said he took aim and pointed his rifle at the centre of the gunman’s body. The gunman he said was about 200 yards away when he fired. He said he fired a tracer bullet, but did not see the gunman fall. He said he did observe the bullet hitting a building. After a few moments he said he heard a lot of shouting coming from the area where he directed his shot, and later he saw an ambulance arrive in the same area. 

Both the British army representative and the State pathologist supported soldier ‘A’s evidence that the bullet hit a building by claiming Manus was killed by a ricocheting bullet.

Medical evidence produced at the hearing revealed he was struck once on the back of the head by the bullet. A forensic report also stated no lead residue was found on the dead youth’s body.

Several of the civilians with or near Manus when he was shot attended the hearing and give evidence. All said neither the dead youth nor any other person with them at the tunnel was armed when the shot was fired from the walls. The witnesses were also adamant Manus was hit directly by the bullet on the head and not by it ricocheting. 

The coroner commenting on the killing at the end of the hearing said; ‘this boy did not have a rifle or arms of any kind. He was an innocent by-stander and was killed by a bullet fired by troops at an alleged gunman. There could have been no gunman. I don't know. No one except the soldiers seems to have seen him. The evidence clearly establishes that the boy had no firearm,’ and ‘there were no shots fired at the army post.’ 

The jury returned an open verdict. 

No British soldier was ever charged in connection with the killing of Manus Deery.