From the pages of the Down Recorder, October 26, 1976

From the pages of the Down Recorder, October 26, 1976

26 October 2016

CLOUGH — The death of a 19 year-old commander of an Army Saracen was recalled at an inquest in Downpatrick. William Thomas Knight, of the 11th Squadron RCT, based in Ballykinlar, died when the vehicle overturned on the Blackstaff Road, Clough, on May 17. An open verdict was returned.

The driver of the Saracen, Private Anthony Calcott, told the inquest that he had swerved to avoid an oncoming Army four-ton truck which was travelling close to the centre of the road. The Saracen mounted a bank and overturned. The turret in which Knight was sitting was sheared off by the impact.

The driver of the truck denied that he had been travelling too close to the other side of the road. He claimed that the Saracen was on the wrong side of the road and had hit two trucks in a convoy before overturning.

North Down Coroner, Mr James Russell, said the soldier’s death underlined the fact that more deaths are caused by road accidents in Northern Ireland than by the terrorist troubles for which the soldier had been brought to the province.

MOURNES — An RAF helicopter pilot has been awarded the Queen’s Commendation for rescuing three people lost in appalling conditions in the Mourne Mountains. Squadron Leader Gordon Robert Spate, age 35, was a Flight Lieutenant on loan to the Army Air Corps based at Bessbrook at the time of the incident last February.

He braved darkness, low cloud and strong winds in his Scout helicopter to rescue a man, a woman and a boy with a weak heart, who he believed would not survive the night in the mountains.

Using his spotlight Squadron Leader Spate cruised slowly along a stream bed until he saw someone waving 150 feet above him on a mountain ledge.

He inched upwards and was just able to land on a small level area near the three survivors and taken them aboard. He could not take off immediately because of strong winds and had to wait about five minutes for a lull before moving down the mountainside through cloud and mist – and out to safety.

KILLOUGH — Killough villagers have more than their fair share of problems at the moment. Water pressure in parts of the village leaves a lot to be desired and in the Rossglass area the water is is so muddy that residents cannot remember when they had a long cool drink.

Add to that the fact that public lighting failures are all too frequent at the West Point estate and some footpaths are in a highly dangerous state. If that’s not all, dumping in the Scordin area is getting out of control and residents are, understandably, fed up.

The complaints were raised at the Killough SDLP branch meeting recently and district councillor, Mr John Ritchie, has promised to make representations to the appropriate Government departments.

Several members referred to the vast amount of litter being washed ashore at Rossglass beach and it was felt that litter baskets there are now a necessity. Several members pleaded for an extension of piped water supply to farms in the Bright area.

The branch had one piece of good news, however. Members welcomed progress in the negotiations for the acquisition of land for a playing field and playground near the village.

NEWCASTLE — The Deirdre McMullan Trust Fund, which was set up to assist a brain-damaged Newcastle child, will now be needing twice as much money. The fund’s trustees have decided to bring another brain-damaged child under their wing, little Louise Shilliday from the neighbouring village of Bryansford.

Louise has recently begun a similar programme of treatment at the Irish Institute for the Achievement of Human Potential in Dublin — so the trustees have proposed to assist her, as well as Deirdre.

This means twice as much money must be found to provide treatment for the children - and with the costs at the Dublin centre having been seriously increased, a staggering total of £2,000 will be needed.

PORTAFERRY — A delegation from Ards Borough Council is to try to arrange a meeting with Parliamentary Under-Secretary Mr Ray Carter to discuss the problems of sewage pollution in Portaferry.

At a meeting of the council on Monday night the Department of the Environment were sharply criticised for deferring a new sewage treatment project for Portaferry.

Local councillor, Mr Brendan MacPolin, said that a meeting with the Minister was the only thing left for them as normal channels had not brought the problem the attention it deserved.

Mr J G McKinney, of the Water Division, told the council that in the present financial climate pollution was not a priority matter and that was why the sewage treatment project had been deferred.

Alderman Eddie Gaw said the problem must be dealt with immediately and pointed out that there were a growing number of tourists on the Strangford ferries and it was not nice for them to see untreated sewage floating past.

Newtownards councillor, Mrs Myrtle Cooke, said that she would like to see notices warning against bathing in Portaferry to prevent any tourists swimming in the water.

DUNDRUM — A dramatic sea rescue operation was carried out in Dundrum Bay on Friday when an RAF launch was holed and began taking water.

Sea Otter, an air sea rescue launch with 26 men on board, was about three miles off the coast when she put out a Mayday call at 4am. Other ships in the Irish Sea, including the Belfast-Liverpool ferry, immediately answered the distress call and headed for the bay.

Luckily, HMS Dundas, a Royal Navy frigate, was already in the area and was quickly at the scene. She went alongside and helped pump some of the water out of the damaged vessel. On Friday afternoon Sea Otter was able to be towed slowly back to Belfast harbour.

Certainly the situation had been a dangerous one for the crew of the launch, which had been on an air-sea exercise.

STRANGFORD — Commuters speeding to and from the ferry are creating danger for residents in Strangford, Several local people have companied to the Downpatrick and District Road Safety Committee.

They say that the most dangerous times are between 8.30-9.30am and 4.30-6pm when people are going to and returning from work. The committee have passed on the matter to the police, who have promised to keep an eye on the problem.

The committee have also had complaints about speeding motorists endangering the lives of children in the Marshallstown and Ballynoe area.

COMBER — Comber Recreational and Athletic Club have been given permission to proceed with their plans for an extension to their club premises at Park Way. Ards Borough Council, the owners of the land on which the club is built, have agreed to release the club from a restriction in their lease that there would be no further building.

However, the club refused to commit themselves on whether or not they would grant the club a licence to sell alcohol to finance the extension. Some councillors expressed doubt that recreation and youth clubs should not be selling alcohol when young people are involved.

DROMARA — The eighth annual dinner dance organised by Dromara and Drumgooland Credit Union Ltd was held in the Rostrevor Hotel. Both the president, Mr James McClean, and the treasurer, Mr Thomas King, paid tribute to the work done by two of the founder members, Mr Roderick Gilmore and Mr James Mallon, who died during the year.

In his report Mr King said that the Credit Union had a shared capital of £201,555.60 and a membership of 1,1716. Since it was established in November 1968, a total of 4,534 loans amounting to £7,552,403 had been granted to members.