On This Day / September 1, 1920

York Street Riot

After an intermission during Sunday night, rioting broke out afresh in Belfast yesterday morning with the disturbance involving the centre of the city.

There had been continuous disturbances in the vicinity of Henry Street, off York Street. About eight o’clock when the shipyard workers were on their way to Workman, Clark and Co’s and the Queens Island, stone-throwing was resumed.

Exchanges took place between side-streets and passing workers and this led to missiles being thrown, both the houses in the side-streets and the tramcars containing the workers receiving attention.

Bodies of the men left the cars and rushed towards crowds grouped at various streets. Within a short time the whole length of York Street was involved in a running fight of a very fierce description.

After some time revolver shots began to mingle with the general din of the stone-throwing and the shouts of the crowd and any people who lingered in the vicinity from curiosity began to make themselves scarce.

It was quite an unusual hour at which to witness disorder of such magnitude in the very heart of Belfast. Numbers of shipyard workers were injured by stones.

 

Carson in Negotiations

The following statement was issued yesterday evening from the Old Town Hall, Belfast, the headquarters of the Ulster Unionist Party: ‘Sir Edward Carson has called upon all loyal citizens to assist the authorities in quelling disturbances and restoring peace.

‘Negotiations have been going on with the government and an important statement is expected to be delivered at the Ulster Unionist Council…’

 

Magistrate Murdered

A terrible tragedy was enacted at Eden, near Glenties, County Donegal on Saturday night when Major G H Johnstone, JP (70) was shot dead in his own house.

Described as one of the grand old men of the county, he was most popular.

[Dr Phoenix notes: Sectarian attacks by nationalists on shipyard trams were a feature of the 1920 disturbances. As the subsequent inquests showed, most of those shot dead were innocent civilians caught up in the early morning melee. Carson’s statement hinted at an imminent announcement on the formation of the Ulster Specials which would absorb the UVF and Imperial Guards in the countdown to partition.]