The second UDR Soldier murdered during The Troubles in Fermanagh was remembered this week, with his sister saying that she has never got over his death.
Johnny Fletcher (43) was abducted from his farm in Garrison, Co. Fermanagh, and shot on March 1, 1972.
The late Johnny Fletcher
His life was remembered on Sunday afternoon with a church service in Garrison Parish Church that was widely attended by friends, family, and those who had served alongside Johnny.
Johnny’s 92-year old sister Katie Bleakley, who travelled from England for the service in Garrison, described him as "a well-liked, hardy, local farming man”.
She continued: “He had many friends in the community and worked for the Forestry Commission as well as serving part-time in the UDR, having served many years with the B-Specials prior to their disbandment.
"He was just 15-years-old when he joined the Home Guard in support of his country during the war."
Reflecting on how she has never got over his murder, she said: "50 years on, I have never got over the loss of my brother, in particular the nature of his violent death.
"The local and wider community, including the UDR and SEFF [South East Fermanagh Foundation] have been very supportive over the years, which has been a great comfort, knowing that people still remember Johnny."
Katie Bleakley and John McClure at a service in Garrison Parish Church to mark 50 years since Johnny Fletchers death
One of those in attendance was John McClure, who recalled his best friend Johnny, who was like an older brother and a father to him.
“People like Johnny should never be forgotten; they should always be remembered. The service was very rewarding to see so many people turned out to remember him.”
Reflecting on his close friend and colleague's murder, he said: “It was a cowardly act, what the IRA did – it took four heavily armed men to murder one unarmed man, which showed the cowards that they were.”
The McClures were one of a number of families which left the Garrison area following Johnny’s death. Mr. McClure said: “There was a threat, we were advised to leave.”
He added it was difficult to leave the area, given that he and his family had built a life there: "We were very vulnerable; we took our basic belongings [and left]. I still kept the land; the house is still there, and rented out.”
Mr. McClure explained that, tragically, a resident of the home was later killed because of an attack by the IRA: "There was a bomb put in it, and a woman in her sixties was killed – Mrs. Kilfedder.”
A ceremony at the graveside of Johnny Fletcher
Speaking about the impact of Mr. Fletcher's murder, Kenny Donaldson, SEFF's Director of Services, said: "Johnny Fletcher was the second of 25 UDR-linked members to be murdered across Co. Fermanagh by Provisional IRA terrorists.
“The Fletchers had no children, but they owned a 20-acre farm along the Garrison/Leitrim Border.
"It is widely believed that Johnny Fletcher's murder was fuelled by a Provisional IRA campaign to ethnically cleanse the Fermanagh borderlands of the Protestant community.
"His murder had a devastating impact on the Fletcher family, but also on other UDR-linked families within the Garrison area, and also across the broader Protestant community."
The service took place in Garrison Parish Churhc
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