North Howard Street Mill 1970-75

Query: Cast your minds back (if you are able) to Belfast 1970-75 (ish) - What was the name of the "section" house that was round the corner from North Howard Street Mill that had a sandbagged OP on a T junction across the road from the front door. Tried for the life of me to remember (John Hill and Brian Britton were no help). It may have just been ##### Street. 14 men and a cook - people were there for maybe a week or two before returning to North Howard Street Mill.
This has been driving me crazy.

Does FLAX STREET ring a bell??If my memory serves me right,we used it as a start line for early morning visits and briefings over couple of days.May be out of my tree,it was a long time ago!!!sean

Sorry nice try but no points - FLAX STREET was in the Ardoyne, North Howard Street Mill stood near the peace line separating the Falls and Shankhill. One down and sixty two members left. Further information it was in the 1971 period as I remember we lost the pounds, shillings and pence and went over kicking and screaming to decimalisation. God I feel old.

bernie, just a thought not eggs/granmother/suck in any order!!street map belfast covering howard st and local area on screen.I led patrols from the mill in 71,it was 3 paras first visit to n,ireland. Sgt willets RIP was murdered.the pira and officals had daily shootouts in the streets,not unlike the wild west!!if not resolved yet,dont ring at 3am to give me result Sean

As it happens I do know this. Can anyone recall the sanger across the road and Johnny T and Tom Mc were on stag, a certain member of 7plt put a dud grenade through the hatch, Tom broke all records in geting out of the rabbit hutch leaving Johnny to meet his maker.
The thrower went down for a couple of weeks as one of the spectators was the platoon commander.

Bernie

The Pl house was at the corner of Cupar St and was known as 240 Cupar St. 2 Para relieved 3 Para & were subsequently relieved by The Scots Guards, 24o was then blown up by a bomb planted in an empty shop next door, there was to the best of my memory 1 gurdsmn killed. Further up Cupar St at the junction of Springfield Rd, was a Coy location, I believe A Coy were based there, this was known as 239 Springfield Rd.

JR

Thanks very much - Cupar Street. I thought I was loosing what’s left of my marbles. Mind you at least I had some recollection of that location. Some people had absolutely no memory of it. Thanks also for the history of it afterwards. I have looked up the route on Google maps from North Howard Street and I see what it looks like now, very different. Thanks again for the information. To all you people that were shaking your heads at me – up yours.

Don't you go on and on and on.

Bernie you are not looseing it, if you remember me and Jimmy Lawson RIP were both cpls then. We used to have to do stags in the old tower in the monestry, frightend there might be ghosts there.We also painted the dineing room orange, which dident go down well with the locals'

Mick

That was Clonard Monastry, still there & I never pass it without remembering stagging on the roof.

JR

Hi John
Yep that was the one , had a trap door in the tower , we used to sleep on it so they couldent get at us { brave paras us John} hoper you are keeping well. Looking forward to seeing you and Sammy at rerunion

It seems to me as I remember it Mick you was a bit jumpy wherever we went. Say no more.