Ulster Young Militants - Development

Development

The UYM had its origins in the "Tartan Gangs" of the early 1970s, unofficial loyalist street gangs who gained their name from the tartan scarves and flash of tartan they wore on their denim jackets. The tartan was said to be a memorial to three Scottish soldiers killed in 1971 by the Provisional IRA. Ian S. Wood has also suggested that the fashion may have been inspired by the Bay City Rollers although it has been noted elsewhere that the Bay City Rollers did not take off until 1974 (by which time the Tartan Gangs were well established) and the band's following tended more towards the teenage girl market. The main activities of the Tartan Gangs were the intimidation of Roman Catholic families in loyalist areas of Belfast and on weekends attacks on Catholic youths and businesses in Belfast city centre. These gangs included "The Shankhill Young Tartan", "Ardcarn Boot Boys", "Ballybeen Riot Squad" and the "Young Newton" from the Ballymacarrett area of east Belfast. In the Shankill Road area the Tartan Gang quickly came under UDA control and served as their youth movement although elsewhere in the city they remained independent and during a series of riots in the east in 1972 they proved notoriously difficult for the UDA leadership to control. In east Belfast some Tartan Gang members known to John McKeague formed the basis of the Red Hand Commando when he established that group in 1972. During the Ulster Workers' Council strike of 1974 Tartan Gangs roamed the streets of Belfast, ensuring compliance with the stoppage called by the Ulster Workers' Council. The Tartans would form the first of three major youth subcultures that formed the basis of the UYM, the others being skinheads in the early 1980s and "spides" in the 1990s.

Although the exact date of formal establishment of the UYM as an official group attached to the UDA is unknown it is estimated to have been around 1974. The group was initially restricted to 16 year-olds although demand for membership became so high following the Combined Loyalist Military Command ceasefire of 1994 that the age limit was dropped to fourteen. Many prominent loyalists are believed to have been members of the UYM before joining the UDA, including Johnny Adair and John Gregg, whilst Jim Gray, Billy "Twister" McQuiston and Michael Stone were Tartan Gang members. Adair and a number of friends, including Sam McCrory joined the UYM as a group in 1987.