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A pleasant surprise.

I often receive messages of support from members of the public

and or facebook friends but this one stood out and I felt the need

to share it with you.

I have redacted the name of the author as well as other detail,

geographical location/s, those that relate to both the author and

their family.

Conversation started today

Date: 29 June 2013

Time: 17:48

From: Redacted -----

Dear Martin

Hope you don’ t mind some private words from me.

Just want to write to you and express my support for you

personally.

I first heard about you 7 years ago when I was visiting Belfast

in 2006 and got a guided taxi tour round the city’s trouble

spots, saw the murals from both sides, the first thing the driver

said was 'before you ask, I am a Nationalist Catholic' , 'good

start' I thought, but as we were going round Republican Areas,

he got on about the IRA, supposed defenders of Republican

Ulster and got talking about punishment beatings and penalties

for 'treason' and 'collaboration, obviously, discussing that, your

name came up in the same breath as words like 'scum, traitor

and tout, and to be honest, I did know what to make of you,

that is a biased and judgmental comment from someone from

a Nationalist area, who also failed to mention the amount of 

 

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lives you undoubtedly saved...He talked about you as if you

were the love child of Bertie Smalls, not very nice at all.

I read 50DWM, saw the film and read the sequel and realised

 just how much of a man you are, if I remember right and feel

free to correct me, where you still only a kid when recruited as

an informant, 17-18 rings a bell, to be doing that so young

must be hard.

Anyway to infiltrate a group of thugs and morons was

remarkable, I am a very patriotic man, I love my country and it

makes me sick knowing they treat you like shite, the fact they

always saw you as expendable is sickening.

Saving 1 life would be an achievement in itself, but 40-50 is

truly inspiring and something to be proud of, MI5, the RUC,

Special Branch should be kissing your arse and give you a

king’s ransom for doing so, and makes me sick knowing one of 

my local constabularies has targeted you, my local police is

Durham Constabulary, but I have had dealings with

Northumbria Force.

Some People may think you’re a hero and a legend, others may

think you are a common tout, a traitor, no offence mate, but I

don’t think your either a hero or traitor, your just you, plain old

Martin McGartland, who happened to save more lives than

most people would in 50 lifetimes...

Couple of questions, if you don’t mind me asking

1. Do you have many regrets? If so, what

2. If you had your time again, would you change any of it?

Again, if so, what

Anyway keep fighting, you’re like a cat, you got 9 lives,

 jumping out windows, getting shot and surviving everything

the Security Services throw at you...

 

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It is a real shame you can’t go back home, I have been to

Northern Ireland 4 times now ('04, '05, '06 and '08) and had

few drinking sessions with Northern Irish Football fans in Gran

Canaria who were there for a game in Las Palmas and find

most people from NI to be friendly, hospitable with a good

attitude, very welcoming, I have family in Redacted and I love

Belfast.

Keep it up mate and take care

Redacted

My Reply:

From: Martin 'Marty' McGartland

Hi Redacted, Great to hear from you. Thank you for taking the

time to message me and also for your kind words.

More than happy to answer your questions;

Question 1: Do you have many regrets? If so, what?

Answer: I would like to say No but there is the regret that I

(and Special Branch) were not able to save the life of Private

Tony Harrison.

Question 2: If you had your time again, would you change any

of it? Again, if so, what

Answer: I would have done it in the very same way (save for 1

above) - I may have asked for a written contract maybe I

would not be still fighting State 22 years on.

Martin