Trails of blood in the snow - 40 years on from the Glencorse Massacre

It is 40 years since the bloodied bodies of 3 soldiers were recovered successful a heap adjacent to a reservoir successful Scotland's Pentland Hills.

A husbandman came crossed the country connected 17 January 1985, aft pursuing a way of humor successful the snowfall from a crashed Land Rover helium discovered with the motor inactive running.

With the IRA bombings astatine their height, the soldiers from Midlothian's Glencorse Barracks were initially thought to beryllium the victims of a violent attack.

But Tom Walker, past a constabulary inspector who was 1 of the archetypal connected the scene, said the grounds rapidly led them to a chap soldier.

He has spoken to BBC Scotland News astir his memories of the triple execution connected the 40th day of the alleged Glencorse Massacre.

The men were discovered beside a tiny derelict location astatine Loganlea reservoir, astir 10 miles southbound of Edinburgh.

Staff Sgt Terrance Hosker, 39, and Pte John Thomson, 25, were successful uniform. They were recovered alongside retired Major David Cunningham, 56.

"When I got determination astatine the backmost of the location and astatine the bottommost of the stairs were 3 dormant bodies each lying connected apical of each different successful a crumpled heap," Mr Walker told BBC Scotland News.

"There was humor and cartridge cases lying astir connected the snowfall astatine the bottommost of the stairs."

He said they were shocked arsenic it looked similar a violent attack, which would person been the archetypal of its benignant successful Scotland.

But precise rapidly the grounds pointed to Andrew Walker, a long-serving corporal teacher from The Royal Scots, who was 30 astatine the time.

Walker had been hopeless for money. He knew that Thursday was wage time for the inferior soldiers grooming astatine Glencorse Barracks, and they got paid successful cash.

Every Thursday "regular arsenic clockwork" a Land Rover and a unit of 3 soldiers would marque the travel to the slope successful adjacent Penicuik.

No peculiar information arrangements were made and the escort was unarmed.

Walker took a Sterling sub instrumentality weapon from the armoury and loaded it with ammunition helium kept arsenic spare.

Then, concealing the abbreviated barrelled limb nether his service coat, helium flagged down the payroll Land Rover and asked for a assistance backmost to the barracks.

Being known to the payroll crew, they allowed him to leap into the backmost of the vehicle.

He had planned to sprout each 3 of them heavy successful the Pentland Hills but arsenic helium hijacked them astatine gunpoint determination was a scuffle successful the backmost of the conveyance and Staff Sgt Hosker was shot.

Walker past besides killed Maj Cunningham.

Next helium forced Pte Thomson to instrumentality a detour into the Pentland Hills astatine Flotterstone and up to Loganlea reservoir.

There helium made the young worker assistance him resistance the bodies to the backmost of the cottage.

However, if Pte Thomson thought his assistance would gain him mercy helium was wrong.

Walker would permission nary witnesses - Pte Thomson was executed, with a slug successful the head.

"This is simply a worker shooting his brothers successful arms. It's diabolical, it truly is," said Mr Wood.

And each for conscionable £19,000 - capable to bargain 2 cars astatine the time.

Walker had been heavy successful indebtedness and helium had thought helium could marque it look similar an IRA violent onslaught and robbery.

But his program went incorrect erstwhile his getaway conveyance skidded connected the slippery way connected his mode retired of the Pentland Hills to the main roadworthy - getting stuck successful an icy ditch.

"He had astir apt planned to dump the Land Rover, cleanable the weapon and rapidly instrumentality to barracks earlier helium was missed," Mr Wood said.

"As it was, his program and timescales were successful tatters. He was present connected ft with a bloodied uniform, an inconvenient weapon helium had to return, and a container of currency helium had to hide.

"Being skilled successful the creation of concealment helium astir apt hid retired for a portion earlier making disconnected crossed the snowy landscape."

When it was harmless helium made his mode backmost to barracks but by that clip his movements were nether scrutiny.

Shootings were uncommon successful the eastbound of Scotland, aggregate shootings rarer still.

This was nary mean crime, Mr Wood said.

"On the look of it, the crimes bore immoderate of the hallmarks of a violent attack.

"The Provisional IRA were progressive connected the mainland of Britain, they favoured subject targets, and were ever looking for funds.

"They weren't averse to a spot of robbery successful pursuit of their cause."

However, determination were problems with the violent theory.

"First the Provisional IRA had ne'er carried retired an onslaught successful Scotland - seeing the Scots arsenic Gaelic cousins they had privately declared Scotland 'out of bounds'.

"Secondly, it was the wont of the IRA to assertion work for their attacks, truthful arsenic to heighten their reputations arsenic good arsenic spreading terror."

No-one had claimed responsibility.

Col Clive Fairweather, the commanding serviceman astatine Glencorse Barracks, worked with constabulary officers investigating the murders.

An experienced subject man, helium had been second successful bid of the SAS cognition that stormed the Iranian Embassy successful London successful 1980.

"No-one knew the Army oregon its soldiers amended than Col Fairweather, and helium rapidly spotted the slug cases successful the backmost of the bloodied Land Rover," Mr Woods said.

"He knew the benignant well, they were each 9mm parabellum cases, a calibre not usually favoured by terrorists but successful communal usage by the British Army for each its tiny arms, pistols and Sterling sub instrumentality guns."

The Det Ch Supt and Col Fairweather were opening to fishy the robbery was an "inside job".

A witnesser had besides travel guardant to accidental they had seen 4 men successful the Land Rover extracurricular the slope - and 3 had been successful uniform.

"It was a important portion of information," said Mr Wood.

There was besides 1 weapon that had been taken retired of the armoury and replaced by Walker successful the logs that time which matched with a slug lodged successful Staff Sgt Hosker's shoulder.

"Each firearm tube is antithetic successful infinitesimal item and leaves chiseled striation marks connected the brushed pb of a slug caput arsenic it passes down the barrel," Mr Woods said.

"The firing pins of idiosyncratic weapons besides permission distinctive marks connected the detonator caps of slug casings.

"It was champion and conclusive evidence."

Walker returned the weapon earlier going absent without permission for 3 days.

He yet returned to the barracks and attempted to bluster it out, denying each knowledge, and suggesting it had been the IRA that had been liable but helium was detained.

Shortly afterwards helium was arrested erstwhile ballistic results arrived backmost from the lab.

Walker denied his crimes but a assemblage successful the High Court successful Edinburgh recovered him blameworthy of the murders.

Judge Lord Grieve recommended helium service astatine slightest 30 years successful situation due to the fact that of his "callous disregard for quality life". This was reduced to 27 years connected appeal.

In 2011 Walker was released from situation connected compassionate grounds, 2 years aft a changeable near him severely disabled.

He died from a respiratory corruption and suspected crab successful a attraction location successful Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, successful 2021 astatine the property of 67.

"Andrew Walker was a cold-hearted slayer who acceptable retired to rob successful the definite cognition that to flight helium would person to termination his 3 comrades successful arms," said Mr Wood.

"I fishy helium was progressive successful immoderate beauteous brutal worldly successful Northern Ireland due to the fact that what helium did was a cold-hearted execution."

He doesn't deliberation Walker was mentally ill, helium was "just a wicked guy".

"He had perfectly nary empathy for quality suffering and that's what makes maine wonderment what helium had been exposed to aboriginal successful his Army service."

His readying of the transgression was elemental and audacious but poorly thought through, helium added.

Mr Woods said, similar galore criminals, his program of onslaught was overmuch amended planned than his program of escape.

"As a subject antheral helium should person known that nary program survives interaction with reality, yet erstwhile the archetypal happening went incorrect helium had nary backmost up plan," helium said.

"The elemental enactment of skidding connected an icy roadworthy derailed his brutal enterprise."