Youngest victim of the Troubles to be remembered 50 years on

“BARBARA hurried away, and as she passed the Ulster Bank, the bomb exploded, causing glass in 30 nearby buildings to shatter. Cruelly, a piece of quarter inch plate glass fell from a window in the Ulster Bank into the pram, hitting baby Alan in the head and face. He didn’t stand a chance.”

This was just one part of a harrowing statement released this week by the family of Alan Jack, who, at aged five months, is believed to be the youngest person to perish in the Troubles.

Tuesday will mark five decades since the baby boy was tragically killed in a bomb blast in Abercorn Square in Strabane. While no-one has ever been held accountable for the death, the Provisional IRA claimed responsibility for the blast. Five other people were injured, but none seriously.

Yesterday (Wednesday), the Jack family made a statement through South East Fermanagh Foundation’s (SEFF) Kenny Donaldson, who has been supporting the family in recent years.

“Alan was a five-month-old baby who was treasured by all of us,” the statement from the family explained. “He was born on February 19, 1972. At the time of his death, his parents William and Barbara (both now deceased), were aged just 27 years and 23 years respectively. They had their whole lives ahead of them with their two boys – baby Alan and his brother, Robert, aged just two-years-old.”

On Wednesday, July 19, 1972, mum Barbara had been warned by police to ‘move on’, after she and her two boys, Robert and Alan, emerged from a sweet shop on Abercorn Square.

And it was as Barbara was pushing the pram past the Ulster Bank that the bomb exploded at Linton and Robinson’s, and the family was showered with glass.

“It is a source of frustration and disappointment for the family that no-one has ever been arrested or interviewed for the murder of our little Alan,” the statement continued.

“There is little ever said of our baby Alan, but his life mattered to us; he was truly an innocent, whose life was erased before it had barely even started. We have never received an apology or acknowledgement for what happened.

“Alan’s life was not for others to take. It was a terrible blow and for William and Barbara. They were truly devastated. Yes, there were siblings born, but there was always this emptiness. Baby Alan was never forgotten by our family, nor will he ever be forgotten.

“Yes, he is the youngest victim of the Troubles, but for us, and most importantly, he was ours, and he was loved so much.”

The family statement concluded, “On Sunday, July 24 at 12pm in Leckpatrick Parish Church, there will be a special Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving for baby Alan. We are indebted to the church for laying this on for us and to SEFF for all the organising support given over preceding weeks.”

Commenting on the killing, Mr Donaldson, SEFF’s director of services, added, “We have been privileged to support the Jack family in recent years. At the point little Alan was murdered, the crime was largely brushed aside, the family were made to feel that his life had limited value – for them Alan meant everything.

“The murder of a child so young was and remains a tragedy, and in this milestone anniversary year, it is important that Alan Jack’s name is heard, and heard loudly…

“The Provisional IRA are responsible for what unfolded that fateful day in Strabane – no-one else – and it is a calamity that no-one has ever been held accountable.”