David Cuthbert is not listed among those who lost their lives in the Troubles. The young Royal Navy sailor was shot dead 50 years ago this month by Brazilian guerrillas waging an armed struggle against their own country's military dictatorship. But his death illustrates how the bloody turmoil that engulfed Northern Ireland in 1972 reverberated about the world.
Cuthbert arrived in Rio de Janeiro aboard the HMS Triumph, one of six ships visiting Brazil's former capital to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Brazil's independence from Portugal. On a hot Saturday night, he and a shipmate caught a taxi from the quays where their squadron had docked to attend one of the receptions being held in honour of the visiting British.
As their taxi made its way down Avenida Rio Branco, it was followed by two cars filled with eight guerrillas drawn from local far-left organisations. The taxi stopped in front of the São Francisco hotel and Cuthbert’s shipmate entered with their driver looking for someone who spoke enough English to communicate where the sailors wanted to go. These language difficulties probably saved their lives.
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Never heard of this case before. Fascinating read.
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