Ulster Vanguard

Ulster Vanguard was a pressure group within unionism in Northern Ireland, launched under the leadership of William Craig at the beginning of 1972. It had its own paramilitary wing, the Vanguard Service Corps. In 1973 it became the Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party, but it re-emerged in 1978 when the party was wound up.

Formation

A 1972 report for the Northern Ireland Ministry of Home Affairs, gave the following account of Vanguard's genesis:

In mid-October, 1971, a group of "dissident Unionists met in Portadown and formed a fourteen man steering committee headed by William Craig M.P. in order to draft policies in opposition to policy changes proposed by the Government.

According to the document, the "aims of the organisation would be to maintain Northern Ireland's Constitution; restore the powers taken away from Stormont in the field of internal security and 'the disastrous policies over the last few years'."

Organised withdrawal from the Unionist Party was discussed at a meeting in Belfast in late October 1971, at which the name Ulster Unionist Vanguard was put forward for the new organisation. In mid-November a number of Unionist Associations voted to affiliate to Vanguard at its inaugural meeting in Portadown on 20 November.

The Home Affairs file gives the following account of the meeting which was addresssed by William Craig:

Captain Austin Ardill considered that the organisation should co-ordinate the activities of all Loyalist groups including the recently formed Loyalist Association of Workers at Harland & Wolff, Belfast.

The organising Committee comprised the following persons: -

• William Craig, M.P.
• Captain Austin Ardill
• Rev. Martin Smyth
• George Allport
• Robert Henderson
• Stanley Morgan

The file goes on to state:

Meetings were arranged early in January, 1972, with various organisations including the Loyalist Association of Workers; the Ulster Defence Association; the Ulster Special Constabulary Association and the Ulster Loyalist Association. It was the intention that a central council be formed when the position was clear as to the affiliation of these organisations to Ulster Unionist Vanguard.

The central council was formed in February 1972 with the following membership:

• William Craig MP (Joint President).
• William Hull, Chairman of the Loyalist Association of Workers, (Joint President).
• Rev. Martin Smyth(Grand Master of Belfast & District Grand Orange Lodge)
• Rev. Robert Dickinson (Grand Master of Derry Grand Orange Lodge).
• Alfred Lee (Grand Master of Co. Derry Grand Orange Lodge).
• John Brown (Grand Master of Co. Antrim Grand Orange Lodge).
• James Molyneaux, M.P. (Grand Master of the Royal Black Preceptory).
• Captain Austin Ardill (Chairman of the Ulster Loyalist Association).
• Hugh Petrie (Loyalist Association of Workers).
• George Green (Ulster Special Constabulary Association).
• Brian Smyth (Ulster Unionist Association).

In February and March 1972, Vanguard held a series of rallies across Northern Ireland culminating with the assembly of 50,000 people at Ormeau Park in Belfast on 18 March 1972. The Home Affairs account said of these:

A notable feature at the Rallies outlined was the inspection of persons drawn up in ranks. This militaristic pose was more notable at the final Rally in Belfast where a guard of honour was formed by members of the U.S.C. association; the Colours of the old U.V.F were paraded; women in uniform type clothing were drawn up in ranks and a contingent from the Oldpark Defence Association paraded in dark glasses and desert-hats, etc.

External Resources

• CAIN, (1972). 'Ulster Unionist Vanguard', (23 March 1972), PRONI Public Records HA/32/5/10; 3 page, [PDF; 511KB]. Belfast: PRONI.