Augustus Andrew (“Gusty”) Spence was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland on June 28, 1933. His father, William Edward Spence, was a member of the Ulster Volunteers, and the family had a distinct commitment to loyalist activity: Gusty’s brother, Billy Spence, was a founding member of Ulster Protestant Action, and even at an early age, Gusty participated in various loyalist organizations, including the Prince Albert Temperance Orange Lodge and the Royal Black Institution. Gusty married Louisa (“Louie”) Donaldson in 1953. In 1957, he enlisted in the British Army and served in Cyprus.

In 1965, Spence joined the newly-reestablished Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), and was subsequently chosen as the UVF’s military commander. In May and June of 1966, a UVF gang organized by Spence killed two Catholic civilians; Spence and three others were arrested for murder, and Spence was sentenced to life in prison.

While in prison, Spence continued his involvement with the UVF, serving as the commander of the UVF prisoners at Long Kesh Prison. In 1972, Spence, who had been granted a brief parole to attend his daughter's wedding, escaped, only to be returned to prison in the same year. During his imprisonment, Spence grew increasingly frustrated with UVF leadership, and left the organization altogether in 1978. In 1984, Gusty was released from prison, and became a leading figure in the Progressive Unionist Party and in the Northern Ireland peace process, including the 1998 Belfast Agreement. He died on September 25, 2011.

Sources

"Loyalist Terror Chief Turned Peacemaker Gusty Spence Dies in Hospital." Belfast Telegraph, September 25, 2011. Accessed January 13, 2014.

MacDonald, Henry. "Gusty Spence Obituary." The Guardian, September 25, 2011. Accessed January 13, 2014.