William ‘Plum’ Smith: Played central role in bringing about loyalist ceasefire
‘He was in the first group to study for the Open University in Long Kesh. It comprised Loyalists and Official IRA members’
William “Plum” Smith: January 26th, 1954-June 8th, 2016. Photograph courtesy of EPIC prisoners’ group
William “Plum” Smith, who has died after a short illness, chaired the press conference that announced the Combined Loyalist Military Command’s ceasefire. He was one of those central to bringing about that ceasefire. He was also a trade union activist; a former loyalist prisoner, who worked to find ways of reintegrating prisoners into society; chair of the Progressive Unionist Party and campaigner for social and economic justice. He was committed to tackling the lack of educational attainment among Protestant working-class boys.
Smith spent five years in Long Kesh prison camp, convicted of shooting a Catholic man 18 times: the man survived. By necessity he was forced to talk and negotiate with republicans. After release in 1977, he built on that experience.