Raymond talks about being on holiday when hearing about internment.
Recalls the events on Bloody Sunday and how it changed everything.
Eventually he was interned himself. Describes life in internment.
He and his brother were both internees at the same time.
Grandfather had been interned in the 1920s.
Introduction. Married to former POW, one son, imprisoned 3 times, including a period of internment. 00:00:00.851 00:00:48.951 00:00:48.099
August 09th 1971 was on holiday in Donegal. Got word that internment had been introduced. Returned to Derry and learnt that a number of men had been taken away but still confusion as to what was happening to them. 00:00:48.951 00:03:20.572 00:02:31.620
Describes build up to internment. Conflict escalating. Anti internment marches. Bloody Sunday changed everything. 00:03:20.572 00:07:31.043 00:04:10.470
Establishment of Prisoner Dependents Fund (PDF) to help support internees’ families. Initial view that internment policy would end soon. Families sacrifice and commitment. 00:07:31.043 00:13:18.127 00:05:47.084
Key role of women in developing PDF and its broader role. Campaigning home and abroad. The rapid growth of number of internees. 00:13:18.127 00:16:14.139 00:02:56.011
Lifted from the street by British army and interned. British changed terminology around internment to make it sound ‘lawful’. Arrival in Long Kesh. 00:16:14.139 00:19:44.857 00:03:30.718
Facing the reality of internment, British army raids, overcrowding, people from different backgrounds, ages, sharing limited facilities. Describes ‘organised chaos’ and comradeship. 00:19:44.857 00:23:48.588 00:04:03.730
Commissions – ‘quasi courts’. Uncertainty of internment with no release date. Among the chaos there was organisational capacity, his introduction to political thinking, discussions/debates. 00:23:48.588 00:27:13.941 00:03:25.353
Parents from generation that recognised the wrongs of the state but didn’t have the vehicle to challenge it. Supportive of their sons. Mother’s father had been interned in 1920s he was active in getting people on electoral register. 00:27:13.941 00:30:38.648 00:03:24.706
Grandfather had been interned in Derry Gaol and Ballykinlar Camp. In Glasgow in 1916 on political work. 00:30:38.648 00:32:54.009 00:02:15.361
Explaining ‘interim custody orders’ issued to internees. Terminology used by the British around ‘internee and detainee’.00.32:54.009 00.35.37
He and his brother interned over the same period. Recalling day of release. Later ruled that his, and others, custody orders were unlawful.
