I often heard the story of James Connolly and others, but James Connolly struck me with his bravery on how he was captured, tortured and shot by a firing squad.
To think the same thing happened to my brother Vol Seamus Bradley, but sadly his commanding officer and other comrades who knew the truth on how Vol. Seamus Bradley died did not come forward.
Forty nine years ago at the age of 19 with Operation Motorman taking place and Vol. Seamus Bradley decided to protect myself and others from being murdered at the Creggan shops by running down Bishop's Field drawing attention to himself. He was shot twice. After falling, a Saracen went towards him and picked him up and took him away, stripped him naked, badly beat him, threw him on the ground where they shot him another three times while interrogating him. I can safely say my brother would not have given any information. So they decided as he was bleeding to death to put the belt of an army rifle around his neck to hang him.
Vol. Seamus Bradley was informed on. The morning of Operation Motorman British soldiers entered our home with pictures of my brother and asked where he was by name. Arresting my father and putting him in a Saracen it came over the radio that Vol. Seamus Bradley was dead.
At the age of 16 I decided to seek information on who informed on my brother, this informer was well protected by MI5. I suffered at the hands of MI5, the police and sadly the IRA. As the years went by I fought my brother's case, seeking a new inquest, the truth and justice. I approached a certain IRA man seeking witnesses. The next day I received a phone call telling me to go to Creggan where I was to meet two people, where one man said to me, "Bradley, the IRA haven't gone away you know." As I stood up him the other quietly said "we will do our investigations." They got back to me 3 months later with the message that they did not get anything.
My question today is: what happened to all those other Volunteers that were there that night, why were they told to step down and not come forward?
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