[kj] Back to the Bogside

Tue Apr 12 13:27:34 EDT 2016

Cheers Paul, enjoyed the stroll back in time. The seventies are receding back into the past at quite a clip now innit, esp. with the passing of Bowie and Lemmy, amongst others. 

I’d heave a heavy sigh, but the old lungs aren’t up to it ;)

From: Gathering [mailto:gathering-bounces at misera.net] On Behalf Of Paul
Sent: Monday, 11 April 2016 7:39 a.m.
To: Alex Smith <vassifer at earthlink.net>; A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!) <gathering at misera.net>
Subject: Re: [kj] Back to the Bogside

Link to pic https://i.imgur.com/9EIxjph.jpg (To big to embed in email on the list)

Not "the" picture, but from same series and quiet possibly same riot, is this McCullin, photo.

Just out of boredom, I was able to pinpoint it to William St, Derry. The building the soldiers are running past, is gone, just a market stall there now.

The open door is to a company that was called City Radio Cabs and as can be seen in the picture, had a phone number 4466. The company is still there just at the back of where the stall is in the lower picture and called City Cabs now, but still has the same last 4 digits in their number. The A D that can be seen, is from Bradley & McLaughlin undertakers, who still trade on the other corner of the street. 

As you can see all the buildings are relatively new, possibly 80s.

So again, to try hunt down the exact position of the album cover photo, would be next to impossible, unless you had been there as such. 

I do hope you have more luck though, if you follow it up Alex.

On 8 April 2016 at 23:57, Paul <dubecho at gmail.com <mailto:dubecho at gmail.com> > wrote:

On further examination of the picture, the wall itself, looks like footings or foundations for a building.

You can see what looks like bent rebars, on the tops. So would be a substantial building or most likely a block of low flats, 3 or 4 storeys. 

A lot of these were built in the 70s, because in this particular part of the city, large amounts of houses were burnt out for one reason or another, will leave that aspect to another day : )  Interesting and long history.

Also, the amount of building materials, particularly roof ridge tiles, on the ground, would lead one to think it was a building site anyway. 

The only other identifying parts to buildings are the shutters on the gable of one of the houses. This is possibly a shop, but many such shops in that part of the Bogside, but again may well be long gone. Or may not even be a shutter at all and just a corrugated zinc panel/sheets, they would have been used to shore up burnt out houses. I've looked at other pictures taken by the photographer at around the same time and although features recognisable, they are just other parts of the same area and long since changed. 

So sorry, I can be of no help. Best bet would be ask the man Don McCullin, himself. He is 80 and lives in Somerset. He still exhibits, so may well be contactable, a chance to use your journalistic sleuthing skills : )

Only other thing I can think of is ask one of the Undertones, a band formed in that very place, not to many years after : )

On 8 April 2016 at 22:51, Paul <dubecho at gmail.com <mailto:dubecho at gmail.com> > wrote:

Bogside, Derry, County Derry : ) It comes from the Irish for a line of oak trees, Doire.

Will have a look later and see if anything that stands out and might be able to use Google maps, but to be honest, I would not hold out much hope, as the original picture was from sometime in the 70s, when the troubles were still ongoing, but Derry, as with other cities in the north, has had a huge amount of work done in building and regeneration of areas hit hard, and the Bogside was one place that did get it bad unfortunately. Looks like it was in one of the housing estates (projects) too and them streets are identical for huge parts of the city.

Nice full size of original http://www.tate.org.uk/art/images/work/AR/AR01193_10.jpg

On 8 April 2016 at 22:39, Alex Smith <vassifer at earthlink.net <mailto:vassifer at earthlink.net> > wrote:

Been attempting to compose a longer piece on my silly blog about Mike Coles' iconic artwork for the fist Killing Joke album, and it got me thinking ..... does that very spot (the wall depicted in the shot).... still exist today?

As I understand it (and please jump in if you know more), the original photograph by revered war photographer Don McCullin was snapped circa 1971 in an area known as The Bogside in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It depicts a "gang of boys" fleeing a CS gas attack .... as one would.

I cannot help wondering if that wall is still standing, moreover if anyone has tracked it down to do a sort "then and now" juxtaposition. 

I first spotted the original McCullin photo in a huge book several years back in a photo book store in SoHo, NY (sadly long gone ... now a lingerie emporium) and letting out an audible gasp. I remember being disappointed that it did not, in fact, feature the words KILLING JOKE scrawled menacingly across the brickface.

Are there any Irish Gatherers who might know more?

-Alex in NYC

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