For the episode I’m joined by ex Royal Ulster Constabulary and PSNI officer Sam Thompson. Sam spent his teen years growing up in a 1970s Belfast and remembers seeing his city descend into chaos and violence as the conflict erupted. Despite this Sam elected to join the police force which brought him face to face with danger in some of Northern Ireland’s most deadly areas including East Tyrone, Armagh and Springfield Road in Belfast.
Sam shares stories about narrowly avoiding death at the hands of the IRA 3 times within a week and how some of his fellow officers weren’t so quite lucky.
We spoke about the importance of conversations about the conflict and of preserving the stories/memories of those who were there as well as how Sam ended up making friends with ex republican paramilitaries.
00:00 Making friends with ex-IRA men 06:25 Growing up 19:30 Joining the RUC 38:40 INLA in Armagh 43:45 British soldiers telling Loyalists that they’re “Not British” 47:07 BELFAST (Springfield Road station) 57:00 UDR 59:55 Collusion ? 1:29:15 Most memorable moments from Sam’s career 1:32:15 Thoughts “Say Nothing” tv series 1:35:45 Sam’s writing 1:43:00 Common misconceptions
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