Bloody Sunday (1972) withdrawn from the Shankill. At the end of 1972, Lt Col Wilford, who was directly in charge of the soldiers involved in Bloody Sunday, was awarded the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II. In 1992, John Major, writing to John Hume stated: "The Government made clear in 1974 that those who were killed on 'Bloody Sunday' should be regarded as innocent of any allegation that they were shot whilst handling firearms or explosives". In 2007, General (then Captain) Sir Mike Jackson, adjutant of 1 Para on Bloody Sunday, said: "I have no doubt that innocent people were
Bloody Sunday (1972) of the military but takes a long term view with regard to a solution. In Harper's book ("The Passions of Great Fortune"), his comment on the song ends "…there must always be some hope that the children of 'Bloody Sunday', on both sides, can grow into some wisdom". Brian Friel's 1973 play "The Freedom of the City" deals with the incident from the viewpoint of three civilians. Irish poet Seamus Heaney's "Casualty" (published in "Field Work," 1981) criticizes Britain for the death of his friend. The incident has been commemorated by Irish band, U2, in their 1983 protest song "Sunday