Charles Harding Smith
Encyclopedia
Charles Harding Smith was a loyalist
leader in Northern Ireland
and the first effective leader of the Ulster Defence Association
(UDA). An important figure in the Belfast
-based "defence associations" that formed the basis of the UDA on its formation in 1971, Smith later became embroiled in feuds with other UDA leaders and was eventually driven out of Northern Ireland by his opponents.
Smith, at the time residing in Rosebank Street on the Shankill Road, called a meeting of other locals at the Leopold Street Pigeon Fanciers Club in order to develop a response to attacks by republicans
from the neighbouring Ardoyne
area. The location had been chosen because Smith was himself a pigeon fancier and member of the club. At the meeting it was agreed to establish a vigilante
group, to be known as the Woodvale Defence Association
(WDA), with Smith in command assisted by Davy Fogel
, who organised military drilling for the forty or so recruits, and Ernie Elliott
. The gained widespread notoriety and was blamed on a series of bomb attacks and shootings, most of which had actually been carried out by the Ulster Volunteer Force
(UVF). Nonetheless Smith's reputation was boosted as a result and when his group merged with other similar vigilante movements to form the Ulster Defence Association
(UDA) in late 1971 he was chosen as chairman of the new group's thirteen member Security Council ahead of the other leading candidates Tommy Herron
and Jim Anderson
. According to Martin Dillon
Smith was heavily influenced by William Craig and William McGrath
, both of whom saw a need for a group to replace the Ulster Special Constabulary
and felt that they could easily influence Smith to their way of thinking.
Smith soon took charge of procuring arms for the UDA and in early 1972, working in tandem with Belfast businessman John Campbell who agreed to bankroll the purchases, was put in contact with a Scottish
arms dealer from whom Smith was to purchase £50,000's worth of weapons. Smith sent three WDA associates, John White
, Bobby Dalzell and Robert Lusty (who was also a serving officer in the Royal Ulster Constabulary
(RUC)), to meet the arms dealer in a London
hotel, following them without attending the actual meeting. Unbeknownst to all involved the "arms dealer" was actually a Special Branch
agent and, after recording the conversation with the WDA men, arrested all three. Smith went to Scotland Yard
the same day to inquire about his friends only to be arrested himself. Smith remained in custody in England until December when his case came to trial. Campbell claimed that the deal had been organised for the RUC in order to entrap the arms dealer, whom they believed to be a Provisional IRA member and a series of mistakes by the prosecution helped to ensure that the case collapsed with Smith acquitted. The trial was used as part of early arguments regarding collusion between the RUC and loyalists as a list of RUC Special Branch suspects was uncovered in Smith's house whilst he attempted to call Chief Constable Graham Shillington as a character witness.
had descended into a gunfight), decided that it was best not to go against Smith and stood down. Smith however was not satisfied and, after putting out intelligence that Fogel had been taking UDA funds for himself, arrested Fogel and held him captive for three hours in a Shankill social club where he was told to leave the area. Fogel briefly left for east Belfast but when the UDA there made it clear he wasn't welcome either he left to live in England, from where he controversially gave an interview about his time in the UDA to The Sunday Times
. Amongst the claims made by Fogel in this interview was one that Smith was attempting to take control of the UDA with the help of the UVF. Smith was a strong admirer of the UVF's military structure and hoped to replicate it in the UDA but he had a deep dislike of UVF leader Gusty Spence
. As part of his remit to instil military discipline Smith moved against a culture of racketeering that had become endemic in the west Belfast UDA during his absence and it was this initiative that led to the rumours concerning Smith's involvement in the death of Elliott, who had been named by some of his rivals in the UDA as a gangster.
Despite Smith's show of strength following his return to Belfast his public persona remained low-key, with Herron fast emerging as the public face of the UDA. Much of this was down to the fact that Smith was inarticulate and unable to project a good image, unlike Herron who was a good talker and fairly charismatic. The emergence of these two leaders at the same time however was to bring the fledgling movement into near civil war.
Following a period of marginalisation Jim Anderson, who was serving as caretaker leader of the UDA, had resigned as chairman of the UDA and as a result a meeting was called of the groups leaders in March 1973 to determine who would succeed him. By this time Smith and Herron were recognised the undisputed godfathers of the Belfast UDA and there was a fear that whichever of the two was chosen as chairman the other one would automatically feel obliged to challenge his leadership. As a result it was determined that someone else should be appointed chairman as a compromise candidate and as Highfield-based activist Andy Tyrie
, a man noted for his skill as an organiser, was chairing the conference it was decided that he would be acceptable to both men as chairman of the uDA. Tyrie however soon proved to be a powerful rival to the tow leaders and in September 1973 Herron was kidnapped and shot dead. His murder remains unsolved although amongst the rumours circulating was that Tyrie had been behind the hit.
and the Ulster Workers Council
during the strike of May 1974
, an event that had helped to give real credence to Tyrie's leadership abilities. Fearing the growing power of Tyrie, Smith criticized the UDA leader for sending a delegation to Libya
to meet Muammar al-Gaddafi
, who was a hate figure for many loyalists due to his well documented arming of the Provisional Irish Republican Army
(PIRA). Smith, who had known about the trip in advance but had raised no objections, verbally attacked Tyrie over the Libya debacle in meeting of the Inner Council in December 1974 before declaring the following January that he intended to split his West Belfast Brigade
from the rest of the UDA.
Two weeks after announcing the schism Smith was at attending a meeting at the West Belfast UDA's headquarters with Tommy Lyttle
when he noticed a sniper on a nearby roof. Smith, who was wearing a bullet-proof vest, opened his coat as if to challenge the sniper to fire but was seriously wounded when the sniper did shoot twice, hitting him both times with armour-piercing bullets. With Smith in hospital Tyrie called a meeting of the leading figures in the Shankill UDA and managed to cnvince Lyttle and other leading figures that Smith was too divisive a figure to remain in charge.
Smith was out of hospital after only two weeks and declared himself to back in charge of the Shankill but before long he had fallen afoul of a number of important people. Two Shankill UDA members had been interned on the basis of evidence that rumours suggested had come from Smith whilst he had also clashed with the local UVF after suggesting that they merge but only on the basis that he would be in control. He also began to make threats against Barr and Chicken, two popular members who were leading figures on the UDA's political side. Smith called a meeting of his commanders but in an arranged stunt a gunman burst in and, as his commanders ducked under the table, shot him twice in the chest. The gunman walked up to the injured Smith and prepared to shoot him in the head but the gun jammed and he again survived an attempt on his life.
was sent to his house with another hitman and the two ordered Smith to leave Northern Ireland. He was taken to the airport the following day and left for England, leaving Tyrie as sole leader of the UDA. Smith settled in the twon of Skipton
in Yorkshire
where he worked as a lorry driver, before dying in 1997.
During Dáil Éireann
debates in 2005 he was named as a "self-confessed British intelligence agent"
Ulster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...
leader in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and the first effective leader of the Ulster Defence Association
Ulster Defence Association
The Ulster Defence Association is the largest although not the deadliest loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 and undertook a campaign of almost twenty-four years during "The Troubles"...
(UDA). An important figure in the Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
-based "defence associations" that formed the basis of the UDA on its formation in 1971, Smith later became embroiled in feuds with other UDA leaders and was eventually driven out of Northern Ireland by his opponents.
Development of the UDA
A former soldier in the British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
Smith, at the time residing in Rosebank Street on the Shankill Road, called a meeting of other locals at the Leopold Street Pigeon Fanciers Club in order to develop a response to attacks by republicans
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
from the neighbouring Ardoyne
Ardoyne
Ardoyne is an Irish nationalist, working class and mainly Catholic district in north Belfast, Northern Ireland. It gained notoriety due to the large number of incidents during "The Troubles". It is home to approximately 20,000 inhabitants...
area. The location had been chosen because Smith was himself a pigeon fancier and member of the club. At the meeting it was agreed to establish a vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
group, to be known as the Woodvale Defence Association
Woodvale Defence Association
The Woodvale Defence Association was a loyalist vigilante group in the Woodvale district of Belfast.The organisation grew from a few smaller vigilante groups. It initially met in a pigeon fancier's club on Leopold Street, a location found on the initiative of Charles Harding Smith, who kept some...
(WDA), with Smith in command assisted by Davy Fogel
Davy Fogel
David "Davy" Fogel also known as "Big Dave" , was a former loyalist and a leading member of the loyalist vigilante Woodvale Defence Association which later merged with other groups becoming the Ulster Defence Association...
, who organised military drilling for the forty or so recruits, and Ernie Elliott
Ernie Elliott
Ernest "Ernie" Elliott , nicknamed "Duke", was a Northern Irish loyalist activist and a leading member of the Ulster Defence Association during its early days. Unusually for the generally right-wing UDA Elliott expressed admiration for socialism and communism and frequently quoted the words of Che...
. The gained widespread notoriety and was blamed on a series of bomb attacks and shootings, most of which had actually been carried out by the Ulster Volunteer Force
Ulster Volunteer Force
The Ulster Volunteer Force is a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in late 1965 or early 1966 and named after the Ulster Volunteer Force of 1913. The group's volunteers undertook an armed campaign of almost thirty years during The Troubles...
(UVF). Nonetheless Smith's reputation was boosted as a result and when his group merged with other similar vigilante movements to form the Ulster Defence Association
Ulster Defence Association
The Ulster Defence Association is the largest although not the deadliest loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 and undertook a campaign of almost twenty-four years during "The Troubles"...
(UDA) in late 1971 he was chosen as chairman of the new group's thirteen member Security Council ahead of the other leading candidates Tommy Herron
Tommy Herron
Tommy Herron was a loyalist from Northern Ireland, and a leading member of the Ulster Defence Association up until his fatal shooting. Herron controlled the UDA in East Belfast, one of its two earliest strongholds...
and Jim Anderson
Jim Anderson (loyalist)
James "Jim" Anderson was a Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary who from April to December 1972 was the acting leader of the Ulster Defence Association while its commander and the founder of the organisation, Charles Harding Smith was in jail on remand for gun-running...
. According to Martin Dillon
Martin Dillon
Martin Dillon is an author and journalist from Northern Ireland. He worked for eighteen years at the BBC and has written a number of plays and novels, but he is best known for his non-fiction books about the Troubles....
Smith was heavily influenced by William Craig and William McGrath
William McGrath (loyalist)
William McGrath was a loyalist from Northern Ireland who founded the far-right organisation Tara in the 1960s, having also been prominent in the Orange Order until his expulsion due to his paedophilia...
, both of whom saw a need for a group to replace the Ulster Special Constabulary
Ulster Special Constabulary
The Ulster Special Constabulary was a reserve police force in Northern Ireland. It was set up in October 1920, shortly before the founding of Northern Ireland. It was an armed corps, organised partially on military lines and called out in times of emergency, such as war or insurgency...
and felt that they could easily influence Smith to their way of thinking.
Smith soon took charge of procuring arms for the UDA and in early 1972, working in tandem with Belfast businessman John Campbell who agreed to bankroll the purchases, was put in contact with a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
arms dealer from whom Smith was to purchase £50,000's worth of weapons. Smith sent three WDA associates, John White
John White (loyalist)
John White is a former leading loyalist in Northern Ireland. He was sometimes known by the nickname 'Coco'. White was a leading figure in the loyalist paramilitary Ulster Defence Association and, following a prison sentence for murder, entered politics as a central figure in the Ulster Democratic...
, Bobby Dalzell and Robert Lusty (who was also a serving officer in the Royal Ulster Constabulary
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...
(RUC)), to meet the arms dealer in a London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
hotel, following them without attending the actual meeting. Unbeknownst to all involved the "arms dealer" was actually a Special Branch
Special Branch
Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security in British and Commonwealth police forces, as well as in the Royal Thai Police...
agent and, after recording the conversation with the WDA men, arrested all three. Smith went to Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
the same day to inquire about his friends only to be arrested himself. Smith remained in custody in England until December when his case came to trial. Campbell claimed that the deal had been organised for the RUC in order to entrap the arms dealer, whom they believed to be a Provisional IRA member and a series of mistakes by the prosecution helped to ensure that the case collapsed with Smith acquitted. The trial was used as part of early arguments regarding collusion between the RUC and loyalists as a list of RUC Special Branch suspects was uncovered in Smith's house whilst he attempted to call Chief Constable Graham Shillington as a character witness.
Return to Belfast
By the time Smith returned to Belfast in December 1972 there had been changes in the UDA with Tommy Herron in effective control of the organisation and Davy Fogel the dominant figure amongst the WDA. Smith immediately took back control of his west Belfast stronghold, threatening Fogel with death if he didn't fall into line. Fogel, whose close ally Ernie Elliott had been killed in suspicious circumstances that Smith had been rumoured to be involved in (although in fact Elliott had been shot and killed after a drunken brawl on Sandy RowSandy Row
Sandy Row is a Protestant working-class community in south Belfast, Northern Ireland. It has a population of about 3,000. It is a staunchly loyalist area of Belfast, being a traditional heartland for affiliation with the paramilitary Ulster Defence Association and the Orange Order.-Location:Sandy...
had descended into a gunfight), decided that it was best not to go against Smith and stood down. Smith however was not satisfied and, after putting out intelligence that Fogel had been taking UDA funds for himself, arrested Fogel and held him captive for three hours in a Shankill social club where he was told to leave the area. Fogel briefly left for east Belfast but when the UDA there made it clear he wasn't welcome either he left to live in England, from where he controversially gave an interview about his time in the UDA to The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
. Amongst the claims made by Fogel in this interview was one that Smith was attempting to take control of the UDA with the help of the UVF. Smith was a strong admirer of the UVF's military structure and hoped to replicate it in the UDA but he had a deep dislike of UVF leader Gusty Spence
Gusty Spence
Augustus Andrew "Gusty" Spence was a leader of the Ulster Volunteer Force and a leading loyalist politician. One of the first UVF members to be convicted of murder, Spence was a senior figure in the organisation for over a decade but later renounced violence and joined the Progressive Unionist...
. As part of his remit to instil military discipline Smith moved against a culture of racketeering that had become endemic in the west Belfast UDA during his absence and it was this initiative that led to the rumours concerning Smith's involvement in the death of Elliott, who had been named by some of his rivals in the UDA as a gangster.
Despite Smith's show of strength following his return to Belfast his public persona remained low-key, with Herron fast emerging as the public face of the UDA. Much of this was down to the fact that Smith was inarticulate and unable to project a good image, unlike Herron who was a good talker and fairly charismatic. The emergence of these two leaders at the same time however was to bring the fledgling movement into near civil war.
Following a period of marginalisation Jim Anderson, who was serving as caretaker leader of the UDA, had resigned as chairman of the UDA and as a result a meeting was called of the groups leaders in March 1973 to determine who would succeed him. By this time Smith and Herron were recognised the undisputed godfathers of the Belfast UDA and there was a fear that whichever of the two was chosen as chairman the other one would automatically feel obliged to challenge his leadership. As a result it was determined that someone else should be appointed chairman as a compromise candidate and as Highfield-based activist Andy Tyrie
Andy Tyrie
Andrew "Andy" Tyrie is an Ulster loyalist and served as commander of the Ulster Defence Association during much of its early history...
, a man noted for his skill as an organiser, was chairing the conference it was decided that he would be acceptable to both men as chairman of the uDA. Tyrie however soon proved to be a powerful rival to the tow leaders and in September 1973 Herron was kidnapped and shot dead. His murder remains unsolved although amongst the rumours circulating was that Tyrie had been behind the hit.
Feud
Tyrie had not proven to be the puppet that Smith had hoped and he had consolidated his power through his close involvement with Glenn BarrGlenn Barr
Glenn Barr, OBE , is a former politician from Derry, Northern Ireland who was an advocate of Ulster nationalism. For a time during the 1970s he straddled both Unionism and Loyalism due to simultaneously holding important positions in the Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party and the Ulster Defence...
and the Ulster Workers Council
Ulster Workers Council
The Ulster Workers Council was a loyalist workers' organisation set up in Northern Ireland in 1974 as a more formalised successor to the Loyalist Association of Workers . It was formed by shipyard union leader Harry Murray and initially failed to gain much attention...
during the strike of May 1974
Ulster Workers' Council Strike
The Ulster Workers' Council strike was a general strike that took place in Northern Ireland between 15 May and 28 May 1974, during "The Troubles". The strike was called by loyalists and unionists who were against the Sunningdale Agreement, which had been signed in December 1973...
, an event that had helped to give real credence to Tyrie's leadership abilities. Fearing the growing power of Tyrie, Smith criticized the UDA leader for sending a delegation to Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
to meet Muammar al-Gaddafi
Muammar al-Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
, who was a hate figure for many loyalists due to his well documented arming of the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
(PIRA). Smith, who had known about the trip in advance but had raised no objections, verbally attacked Tyrie over the Libya debacle in meeting of the Inner Council in December 1974 before declaring the following January that he intended to split his West Belfast Brigade
UDA West Belfast Brigade
The UDA West Belfast Brigade is the section of the Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Defence Association based in the western quarter of Belfast in the Greater Shankill area...
from the rest of the UDA.
Two weeks after announcing the schism Smith was at attending a meeting at the West Belfast UDA's headquarters with Tommy Lyttle
Tommy Lyttle
Tommy "Tucker" Lyttle , was a high-ranking Northern Irish loyalist who was a member of the Ulster Defence Association . He served as the UDA's spokesman as well as the leader of the organisation's West Belfast Brigade from 1975 until his arrest and imprisonment in 1990...
when he noticed a sniper on a nearby roof. Smith, who was wearing a bullet-proof vest, opened his coat as if to challenge the sniper to fire but was seriously wounded when the sniper did shoot twice, hitting him both times with armour-piercing bullets. With Smith in hospital Tyrie called a meeting of the leading figures in the Shankill UDA and managed to cnvince Lyttle and other leading figures that Smith was too divisive a figure to remain in charge.
Smith was out of hospital after only two weeks and declared himself to back in charge of the Shankill but before long he had fallen afoul of a number of important people. Two Shankill UDA members had been interned on the basis of evidence that rumours suggested had come from Smith whilst he had also clashed with the local UVF after suggesting that they merge but only on the basis that he would be in control. He also began to make threats against Barr and Chicken, two popular members who were leading figures on the UDA's political side. Smith called a meeting of his commanders but in an arranged stunt a gunman burst in and, as his commanders ducked under the table, shot him twice in the chest. The gunman walked up to the injured Smith and prepared to shoot him in the head but the gun jammed and he again survived an attempt on his life.
Departure
Smith spent another week in hospital after which he again returned to his Belfast home. This time however notorious gunman Davy PayneDavy Payne
David "Davy" Payne was a senior Northern Irish loyalist and a high-ranking member of the Ulster Defence Association during the Troubles serving as brigadier of the North Belfast Brigade. He was second-in-command of the Shankill Road brigade of the Ulster Freedom Fighters , which was the "cover...
was sent to his house with another hitman and the two ordered Smith to leave Northern Ireland. He was taken to the airport the following day and left for England, leaving Tyrie as sole leader of the UDA. Smith settled in the twon of Skipton
Skipton
Skipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York...
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
where he worked as a lorry driver, before dying in 1997.
During Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
debates in 2005 he was named as a "self-confessed British intelligence agent"