Time to remember: Sir Knight William Irvine recalls time in UDR

A member of the Royal Black Institution has told how his neighbours bravely thwarted an attempt on his life by the IRA during the Troubles. Sir Knight William Irvine, 73, is a retired farmer and school bus driver. In 1991, he was the target of a three-man republican terror gang who were intent on murdering the UDR man as he left his Fermanagh home on his morning bus run. But just as Sir Knight Irvine was about to drive off in his vehicle, his wife ran out of the house to tell him he was wanted on the phone - and that's when he found out that the IRA gunmen were lying in wait to launch their deadly ambush. Having been held hostage overnight by the IRA gang, the neighbours - two Catholic brothers - defied the orders of the would-be assassins, with one of them racing across fields to reach a neighbour's telephone and raise the alarm. Their actions that day saved Sir Knight Irvine's life. The married father-of-two recounted the frightening episode as part of the Royal Black Institution's 'Time to Remember' series, which over the last month and into the New Year is recognising the bravery and sacrifice of those who served their country in defence of democracy and the freedoms we enjoy today. Sir Knight Irvine's story is particularly poignant as 2020 has been the 50th anniversary of the formation of the UDR. Sir Knight Irvine, from the townland of Glasmullagh in north Fermanagh, is a member of RBP 1235. He served 19 years with the UDR and a further 12 with the RIR.