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The Kingsmills Memorial Committee organized a service of remembrance on the 50th anniversary of the massacre, held at 3 pm GMT in Bessbrook Town Hall. Over 400 attendees gathered to honor the victims, including relatives, friends, members of the church, police officers, and political figures. The event featured musical accompaniment by the Tullyvallen Silver Band and included readings of letters from family members who were unable to be present, alongside speeches from local church leaders. Presbyterian minister Rev Keith McIntyre expressed the deep sorrow felt by many, stating, “There has been no earthly justice, those inquests have delivered nothing only pain.”
Outside the town hall, family members laid roses at the Kingsmills memorial in tribute to those who lost their lives during the tragic event. Alan Black, the only survivor of the attack, laid a wreath to mark the solemn occasion. Shirley Norris (née Lemmon), daughter of Joseph Lemmon, shared her poignant memories of her father, recalling a household filled with music and joy. At 18, Shirley was preparing for her wedding around Christmas 1975, and dancing was never a concern for her as she had learned waltzing from her father, who also sang in the church choir every Sunday. Her life was shattered in early January when Joseph and nine of his work colleagues were shot dead on a road in south Armagh. Miraculously, Alan Black survived despite receiving 18 gunshot wounds.
Shirley vividly recalled how the devastating news came in fragments. On the day of the attack, she had been out with her twin nieces, who were just four years old, delighted to show their flower girl dresses to their grandfather—yet he never saw them alive again because “when he came home it was in a coffin.” She reflected on the impact this loss had on her family’s next generation, noting that her son and her sister’s children would never know their grandfather. The annual memorial plays an important role in passing on the story to younger generations, with Shirley emphasizing the importance of learning from the past. “I have four grandsons, four wonderful boys, and I try to teach them as my granny taught me, respect people, treat them the way you want to be treated,” she said.
Alan Black, who lives near the Kingsmills memorial in Bessbrook, recounted the harrowing experience that has marked his life. He described the somber mood at the factory that Monday, as the community was still reeling from the shooting of three members of the Reavey family the previous night. The minibus he and his colleagues were traveling in passed close to the Reavey house shortly before the massacre. Alan recalled hearing the groans of his fellow workers and then a chilling command to “Finish them off.” He suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was rushed to Daisy Hill hospital in Newry, where he physically recovered, though the psychological scars remained for much longer. The events of Kingsmills, he said, left an indelible mark that changed Bessbrook forever
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