Bullet scorched my coat, woman tells inquiry

A woman today told the Saville Inquiry that her coat suffered scorch holes on Bloody Sunday when a bullet shot past her.

Clare Cregan also recalled seeing a car dripping with blood speed past her carrying a man being cradled in another’s arms.

Mrs Cregan told the tribunal she had gone on the civil rights march in January 1972, when she was 18, with her future husband, Michael.

By the time shooting, which led to 14 deaths, broke out Mrs Cregan had been separated from her boyfriend and was frantically trying to escape.

Fleeing from the north end of Rossville Street she claimed she would have trampled over anyone who got in her way.

After reaching Free Derry Corner she was unable to gain entry to any of the closed doors on Fahan Street and headed for St Columb’s Well.

"I heard a sharp whistle and I felt something flying past me very quickly on my right-hand side at about thigh height," she said.

"At the time, I thought that I may have been hit by a bullet."

She then threw herself on the ground and recalled a hand coming out from a parked car beside her and dragging her under.

"When I did get out from under the car, I realised that a hole had been scorched in the right side of my coat," she said.

"I was certain that the bullet I had felt shoot past me had made the hole. I am still certain that this is what happened."

As she ran, Mrs Cregan heard a car which may have been a Ford Capri speeding up behind her from the direction of Free Derry Corner.

Along with a driver she said there were up to three men in the back seat, one of whom was being cradled in another’s arms.

"I had a vivid memory of seeing blood dripping from the back of the car," she said.

"I think that the blood was all around the back wheel arch on the passenger side of the car.

"There was so much blood that I have a memory of seeing it dripping onto the road."

Later, although fearing for her boyfriend Michael’s safety, she was too frightened to return to the Bogside and went instead to her grandmother’s house in Cable Street.

Despite the chaos of the day, the elderly woman’s disabilities meant she knew nothing of the events.

Mrs Cregan explained: "My granny is profoundly deaf and she was unaware of the disturbance which had been going on outside."