Ballymurphy Inquest: Mother tells of how her children narrowly avoided death during gunfire

A MOTHER has told the Ballymurphy Inquest how her two small children narrowly avoided death from British army gunfire.
Tuesday was the last scheduled day of evidence in the inquest, which began in November last year to investigate the circumstances of eleven deaths over three days in August 1971.
Anne-Marie Young's statement was read out in court because she has been excused from appearing in person for medical reasons.
The court heard that Mrs Young lived in a maisonette in Moyard with her husband George and their two children, George (3) and Anne-Marie (18 months).
Her children’s bedroom directly overlooked the temporary fortifications of the Vere Foster and Henry Taggart Army base, then occupied by B Company 2 Para.
Mrs Young said when the shooting began, the two children were trapped in their cots in their bedrooms with dozens of bullets passing just an inch or two overhead.
Photographs from the time show bullet holes in the wall and in the wood of their cots.
She explained how herself and her husband were forced to crawl into the room on their hands and knees and pulled the cots out with the children inside.
Mrs Young also believes soldiers were shooting at her flat from two different directions.
The inquest has previously heard that soldiers from 2 Para Support Company and 2 Queens were in Springmartin, firing at Moyard flats.
It has also heard that soldiers on the roof of Vere Foster school fired at the flats from the opposite direction.
Both groups of soldiers said they believed they were returning fire at IRA gunmen.
Mrs Young, however, believes both groups of soldiers were inadvertently firing at each other with their flat caught in the middle.
No gunmen, bodies or bloodstains were ever found in the flat, despite soldiers saying they had seen them.
The Young family flat was so badly damaged in the gunfire that they were forced to move in with Mrs Young's parents.
Having sat for almost 100 days of hearings, the court heard statements were being prepared from at least three more former soldiers, and it is possible more evidence might be heard from them at a later date.