Brave maverick who paid ultimate price for one risk too many in a personal spy game

MORE than 31 years after his disappearance in South Armagh's notorious "bandit country", the story of Captain Robert Nairac, undercover soldier and Grenadier Guards officer, continues to hold its fascination.

Yesterday's revelation of the arrest of another Irishman suspected of involvement in his murder is the latest development in a long-running saga which has all the elements of a successful spy thriller.

Capt Nairac was undoubtedly out on some sort of spying mission when he was captured by a mob outside the Three Steps Inn at Drumintee in May 1977, after which he was taken over the border, mercilessly beaten, tortured and shot in the head by Liam Townson, the Yorkshire-born local IRA commander.

However, this was a thriller almost entirely created by Capt Nairac's vivid imagination, because he was not authorised by army commanders to work undercover on his own in such unforgiving territory.

His role was that of liaison officer to the newly arrived SAS squadron and he was responsible for the collection and distribution of intelligence from Special Branch and other such official sources.

But frustrated by a lack of progress – perhaps understandably so – he decided, brave maverick that he was, to get out on his own and develop his own network.

As his senior intelligence staff officer director, he had already approached me for financial support to develop his understanding of the Irish language, but I had dismissed this as pure fantasy.

How could an Ampleforth-educated individual, also a graduate of Oxford, ever pass himself off as one of South Armagh's own?

Similarly, I turned down his request for "an old banger of a car", not least because I had observed that most of the farmers, pig smugglers and others in the area drove much more impressive vehicles.

Source reports also indicated that his habit of dressing up in local army uniform and sporting a pump-action shotgun and parachute jump-boots had been picked up on more than one occasion by the opposition, who were no fools by any standards.

When confronted, he laughed in the engaging way that only he – that lone falconer, boxer, gameshot and romantic – ever could.

On the night of his death, he even took it upon himself to get up in the Three Steps Inn and sing rebel songs with the local band, such was his confidence and bravery – although some might also call it foolhardiness.

A large mob had collected "ootside" and were waiting for him.

In return, he gave as good as he got in an uneven brawl which then saw him bundled into a car and over the border into Ravensdale Forest.

There he was savagely beaten with stakes for several hours. The watching Townson even pretended to be a priest and take Capt Nairac's "confession".

Despite nearly escaping several times and being severely injured, the young captain still, amazingly, gave nothing away.

This was what his killer told the Gardai after his arrest.

At his trial, after he had been convicted, Townson also told me that Capt Nairac was "the bravest man he had ever met", a phrase that was used in the citation for the George Cross later awarded to Capt Nairac.

Yet his body has never been found, though all the indications are that it was dumped in bog – and perhaps later buried more carefully by others a day or two later.

The final chapter in this sad story will only come if and when Robert Nairac's body is recovered for a Christian burial; only then will justice be done for the remaining members of his family.

Ironically, however, it was his romantic love of the Irish that has made him a memorable martyr.



• Clive Fairweather is a former deputy commander of the SAS who served in Lisburn from 1977-78.