Half a century on from the Kingsmills murders, the daughter of one of the 10 Protestant men killed on his way home from work says she feels her father's loss every day. A memorial service marking 50 years since the attack will be held in Bessbrook, the village that most of the victims called home. The attack took place on 5 January 1976, just after 17:30 GMT. A red Ford Transit bus was carrying the men home from their workplace in Glenanne, along the rural road to Bessbrook. As the bus cleared the rise of a hill, it was stopped by a man standing in the road flashing a torch. As the vehicle came to a halt, 11 other men, all masked and armed, emerged from hedges around the road. The IRA men ordered the passengers out of the bus demanding to know the religion of each of the men. One of the workers, who identified himself as a Catholic, was told to leave. The gang then opened fire on the remaining passengers, killing 10 Protestant workmen and seriously wounding another. No-one has ever been held to account for the murders. The attack was found to be an overtly sectarian attack mounted by the IRA. The judge at the inquest added Kingsmills was 'ostensibly in direct response' to attacks on the Catholic Reavey and O'Dowd families by loyalist terrorists the previous day, though Kingsmills was not spontaneous and had been planned 'well in advance'. The Kingsmills Memorial Committee is holding a 50th Anniversary Service of Remembrance on Sunday at 15:00 GMT in Bessbrook Town Hall. The service will be conducted by local clergy, with music provided by the Tullyvallen Silver Band. The organisers say the service will 'provide an opportunity for families, friends, and members of the wider community to gather in reflection, remembrance, and unity'. On Monday, a roadside remembrance service, at the site of the atrocity, will be held at 11:00 GMT. This service, organised by Families Acting for Innocent Relatives (Fair), will be conducted by local clergy.
