Army chiefs 'did not know civilians had been shot'

British military chiefs did not know that paratroopers had shot two members of the public just minutes before soldiers shot dead a dozen unarmed men on Bloody Sunday, it was disclosed today.

Major General Michael Steele, a Brigade Major of 8 Infantry Brigade, admitted it was ‘‘extraordinary’’ the shooting was not reported to brigade headquarters at Ebrington Barracks.

Support Company, the machine gun platoon of 1 Para, carried out the shootings in William Street about 15 minutes before paratroopers were ordered into the Bogside to arrest rioters on a civil rights march on 30 January 1972.

British paratroopers killed 13 unarmed men that day.

Maj Gen Steele told the Bloody Sunday Inquiry that headquarters did not know where Support Company was or that they had opened fire.

Under cross-examination from Arthur Harvey QC, representing many of the bereaved families, he said ‘‘no, it was not reported’’ adding that he was ‘‘surprised’’ by the omission.

Mr Harvey added: ‘‘It is a bit more than being surprised. Military operations work on the basis of communications, timing, co-ordination and command structures?

‘‘All of those are defeated if soldiers shoot to kill during the course of an operation and before the arrest operation is launched, and yet there is not one mention of it on the battalion net and not one mention on the brigade net.’’

Maj Gen Steele accepted that if headquarters had been earlier alerted of the circumstances of the William Street shootings it ‘‘may or may not have’’ had an impact on the crucial decision to launch the arrest operation in which people were killed.

John Johnston, 59, and Damien Donaghy, 15, survived the William Street shooting.