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Rt. Hon. Sir Norman Stronge, 8th Baronet
Arms of the Stronge Baronets, of Tynan
Speaker of the Northern Ireland Parliament
In office 1938-1969
Preceded by	John Clarke Davison
Succeeded by	James Stronge
Constituency	Mid Armagh
Personal details
Born	Arms of the Stronge Baronets, of Tynan 23 July 1894 Bryansford, County Down
Died	21 January 1981 Tynan Abbey, County Armagh
Resting place	Arms of the Stronge Baronets, of Tynan
Political party	Ulster Unionist Party
Height	160px
Spouse	Gladys Olive Hall
Children	Sir James Stronge, 9th Baronet and others
Parent	Arms of the Stronge Baronets, of Tynan

Captain Sir Charles Norman Lockhart Stronge, 8th Baronet, PC (NI), MC, JP (23 July 1894 – 21 January 1981) was a senior unionist politician in Northern Ireland.

He was murdered by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in 1981 at Tynan Abbey, his home.

Family life

Sir Norman was born in Bryansford, County Down.

The son of Sir Charles Stronge, 7th Baronet, Sir Norman was married to Gladys Olive Hall and had issue:

• James Stronge. Killed with his father.
• Daphne Marian Stronge. Married Mr Thomas Kinghan.
• Evelyn Elizabeth Stronge
• Rosemary Diana Stronge (died as a child)

Career

Sir Norman was educated at Eton. In the First World War he served with the 10th Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, as Lieutenant and later as Captain. He was decorated with the Military Cross and the Belgian Croix de Guerre. After the Battle of the Somme began he was the first soldier mentioned in despatches by Lord Haig after the Battle of the Somme began. In April 1918, he was appointed adjutant of the 15th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles. He was wounded near Courtrai on October 20, 1918.

Politics

Sir Norman was an Ulster Unionist Northern Ireland parliament MP for Mid-Armagh from the byelection of 29th September 1938 until the general election of 1969 when he retired.

In his career at Stormont, he became Assistant Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Finance (Assistant Whip) from 16th January 1941 to 6th February 1942 and Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Finance (Chief Whip) from 6th February 1942 to 3rd November 1944. He was Speaker of the Northern Ireland House of Commons for 23 years. Sir Norman was appointed as a member of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland in 1946. .

He was also Chairman of Armagh County Council from 1944 to 1955.

Other positions

He was Lord Lieutenant of Armagh from 1939 to 1981, President of the Northern Ireland Council of the Royal British Legion and was a Justice of the Peace for both Counties Armagh and Londonderry. Sir Norman was the Sovereign Grand Master of the Royal Black Institution and member of the Orange Order.

In latter years he farmed the family's several thousand acre estate based at Tynan Abbey

Death

After his retirement from politics in 1969, Stronge was killed aged 86, alongside his son James, by around eight, heavily armed, members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army in the library of his home, Tynan Abbey, on the evening of 21st January 1981.

The Stronge family's home was then burnt to the ground. The bodies of the father and son were later recovered from their blazing home. On seeing the explosions at the house (and a flare Stronge lit in an attempt to alert the authorities), policemen and British troops arrived at the scene and established a road-block at the gate lodge. They encountered at least eight fleeing gunmen. There followed a gunfight lasting 20 minutes in which at least 200 shots were fired. There were no casualties among the security forces.

Aftermath

Sir Norman is presumed to have been succeeded to the Baronetcy, albeit only briefly, by his son James, who was killed alongside him. . As James was shot alongside his father, and it is not known who was shot first, he is presumed to have momentarily succeeded as 9th Baronet under the legal fiction known as the doctrine of survival.

The IRA stated, "Sir Norman Stronge and his son were shot and their home burned because sectarian assassinations were claiming the lives of Catholics" . They went on "This deliberate attack on the symbols of hated unionism was a direct reprisal for a whole series of loyalist assassinations and murder attacks on nationalist peoples and nationalist activities"; the statement did not claim any direct connection between the Stronges personally and the activities of loyalists.

Five days previous to this a number of UDA gunmen attempted to kill a leading Tyrone republican politician

When discussing the killing of the Stronges and the Kingsmill massacre, a Tyrone republican and Gaelic Athletic Association veteran speaking to Ed Moloney stated, "It's a lesson you learn quickly on the football field...If you're fouled, you hit back".

Sir Norman was described at the time of his death by SDLP politician Austin Currie as having been "even at 86 years of age...still incomparably more of a man than the cowardly dregs of humanity who ended his life in this barbaric way."

Sir Norman was buried in Tynan Parish church in a joint service for his son. The sword and cap of the Lord Lieutenant of Tyrone had to be placed on his coffin as all his possessions had been destroyed . The coffin was carried by the 5th Battalion the Royal Irish Rangers (the successors to his old regiment). During the service a telegram sent from Queen Elizabeth II (to one of Sir Norman's daughters) was read, it stated; "I was deeply shocked to learn of the tragic death of your father and brother; Prince Philip joins me in sending you and your sister all our deepest sympathy on your dreadful loss. Sir Norman's loyal and distinguished service will be remembered".

In 1984, Seamus Shannon was arrested by the Garda in the Republic of Ireland and handed over to the RUC on a warrant accusing him of involvement in the killing of the Sir Norman and his son. The Irish Supreme Court considering his extradition to Northern Ireland rejected the defence that these were political offences saying that they were "so brutal, cowardly and callous that it would be a distortion of language if they were to be accorded the status of a political offence". The charges were later dropped against Shannon.

Memorial

Sir Norman is remembered with a tablet in the assembly chamber in the Parliament Buildings at Stormont.

See also

• The Troubles in Tynan

Notes and references

1. 5th Battalion, The Royal Irish FusiliersRegiments.org
2. ^ Tit-for-Tat MurderTime magazine 1981
3. *Time (in partnership with CNN), 2 February, 1981
   • The New York Times, 30 January, 1981
   • Commons Hansard, Rev. Ian Paisley, 1992-06-10
   • The Spectator, 13 December, 1997
   • Lords Hansard, Lord Cooke of Islandreagh, 22 March, 2000
   • The News Letter (Belfast, Northern Ireland), January 19, 2001
   • The Daily Telegraph, 22 November, 2001
   • The Scotsman, 10 April, 2006
4. ^ Stronge of Tynan Abbey, Co. Armagh Turtle Bunbury
5. Mid Armagh election results
6. Biographies of Members of the Northern Ireland House of Commons
7. Burkes Peerage
8. 'The Green Book: I' from 'The IRA' by Tim Pat Coogan (1993)
9. Christopher Thomas, "Ex-Speaker killed by IRA as reprisal", The Times, 23 January, 1981.
10. p.320
11. In the Shadow of the GunmenTime Magazine
12. The Massacre of Sir Norman Stronge ex-M.P. and SonIRA atrocities website
13. Seanad Éireann - Volume 139 - 24 March, 1994. Extradition (Amendment) Bill, 1994: Second StageOireachtas historical debates
14. House of Commons Hansard Debates for 10 Jun 1992United Kingdom Parliament website
15. 'Memorials to the Casualties of Conflict: Northern Ireland 1969 to 1997' by Jane Leonard (1997) Cain Webservice

• Burke's Peerage & Baronetage. 1975.

External links

• Photograph

• Ulster Unionist Party politicians
• People killed by IRA
• British military personnel of World War I
• Croix de guerre recipients
• Recipients of the Military Cross
• Old Etonians
• Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom
• 1894 births
• 1981 deaths
• British Army officers
• Members of the Parliament of Northern Ireland
• Councillors in Northern Ireland
• Members of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland