Private A J Richardson.
12th March 1997: Private Andrew J Richardson aged 20. killed in an incident while on patrol duty in an armoured vehicle in Belfast.
He had just returned to his base having spent 2 weeks on home leave with his family and friends in South Shields; 12 march 1997
Private J R Rudman. Aged 21. Shot while travelling to Coalisland.
A year later his brother was also murdered in Ulster. From West Hartlepool, Co. Durham.
15th Sept 1971:
Sergeant A B Whitelock. Aged 24. Shot by a sniper while on patrol in Londonderry.
It was his third tour of Ulster. From Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.
24th Aug 1972:
Corporal T P Taylor. Aged 26. Killed by a bomb in a derelict factory in Donegall Road. From Sunderland.
13th May 1973:
Private J Gaskell. Aged 22.
Fatally wounded by a bomb in a derelict factory the previous day. From Thornley, Co. Durham.
14th May 1973:
Private R B Roberts. Aged 25. Shot by a sniper in the Ballymurphy estate.
It was the day of his 25th birthday.
Ten days later his wife went into labour and both babies died.
1st July 1973:
Private Ronald Stafford.
Was killed in a tragic car accident on 20 July 1979
Private P Turner. Aged 18. Shot by a sniper in Crossmaglen. From Herefordshire.
Private A J Richardson.
In brief, I believe to my knowledge that Pte Richardson died in Northern Ireland due to a planned attack, also called "come on" by the IRA. Two of the armoured land rovers were on patrol when I was informed that an IRA member was waiting in an alleyway with an RPG ready to take out the rear APC (in which Pte Richardson was formally carrying out top cover). As the two vehicles drove on their route, a civilian car pulled out between the patrol cars and deliberately slowed down, causing the rear APC to also slow; this was a planned manoeuvre to aid the IRA to deliver his RPG on the intended target.
The driver of the land rover knew this was a "come on" and decided to try to drive out of danger and tried to overtake the civilian vehicle; as it did so, the car then speeded up and would not let the APC back in. As a result, the armoured land rover then had no choice but to hit a central reservation on a roundabout causing it to flip over several times with Pte Richardson still on top cover along side his comrade. He was crushed to death and his top cover partner flung out hitting a lamp post square on.
The above info is to the best of my knowledge and I hope this will help you to decide if it was an accident. I feel this is what happened and see his death as a murder.
The death of Private Richardson occurred a full month after the murder of Lance-Bombardier Restorick and was clearly – viewed either objectively or subjectively – as a consequence of active service and was caused by the IRA. Why then do only the Light Infantry Reunited and NIVETS list this soldier on their roll of honour and no other agency or institution include him on their respective Rolls of Honour ?






