Wendy Millar

Wendy Millar (born 1944) is a Northern Irish loyalist and a founding member of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA). She established the first UDA women's unit on her native Shankill Road in Belfast. Her two sons Herbie and James "Sham" Millar are also high-profile UDA members and her daughter's husband is former West Belfast brigadier "Fat" Jackie Thompson.

UDA women's unit Born into a Protestant family in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in about 1944, Wendy Millar was raised on the staunchly loyalist Shankill Road. She was one of the founding members of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) which was set up in September 1971 as an umbrella organisation for the many local vigilante groups that had sprung up in loyalist areas to protect their communities from attacks by Irish republicans following the outbreak of the violent religious-political conflict known as the Troubles in the late 1960s. She had the nicknames of "Bucket" on account of her outspoken, loud-mouthed personality, and "Queen of the UDA" for her devotion to the paramilitary organisation. Described as tough and fearless, she was a heavy smoker and a "leading light in UDA circles".

Shortly afterwards, Millar established the first UDA women's unit on the Shankill Road. Although there were other women's units set up in other areas, the Shankill Road group was particularly active and highly visible on account of the beehive hairstyles the women typically wore. In May 1974, during the Ulster Workers' Council strike, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, Len Murray went to Belfast to lead the striking shipyard workers on a 'back to work' march. Just as the marchers set out for the Harland and Wolff shipyard, furious members of the Shankill Road women's unit arrived on the scene and proceeded to pelt Murray with flour, eggs and other objects. "Romper Rooms" were locations where UDA victims were brought to be "rompered" which was a UDA slang term for a torture and beating session prior to "execution". The name derived from the children's television programme. The brutality of the attack greatly shocked the Protestant community and the UDA leadership which had not sanctioned the killing. Douglas and ten others were imprisoned for Ann Ogilby's murder and the unit was subsequently stood down. Jean Moore and later Hester Dunn headed the UDA women's department from the UDA headquarters on Gawn Street, in east Belfast. The women's units were typically involved in local community work and responsible for the assembly and delivery of food parcels to UDA prisoners. The latter activity was a source of pride for the UDA.

As the Northern Ireland conflict continued over the years and decades, Millar remained within the UDA to serve as a loyal and dedicated member. Her sons Herbie (born c.1965) and James "Sham" Millar (born c.1966) later became high-profile figures inside the organisation, and her daughter married high-ranking member "Fat" Jackie Thompson.

Johnny Adair and C Company

Millar, her sons and son-in-law were part of the UDA West Belfast Brigade's C Company 2nd Battalion based on the Shankill Road which in the early 1990s came under the command of Johnny Adair who was made West Belfast brigadier. On 10 August 1992, the UDA was proscribed by the British government. Up until then it had been a legal organisation. Millar became an ardent supporter of Adair and set herself up as resident cook in the "Big Brother House", a community centre in the lower Shankill which Adair used as his headquarters and where his henchmen brought disobedient locals for punishment beatings. She had previously suffered a stroke and told the News Letter how saddened she was to have lost the caravan: "I have a lot of memories of the place and the people there. I used to go down to the caravan in March and stay there until around the end of September because I loved it so much." Gregg enjoyed much popularity among the loyalist community for his attempted assassination of Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams in 1984. On the day of Gregg's funeral, carloads of angry UDA men led by South Belfast brigadier Jackie McDonald convened on Adair's Boundary Way stronghold in the lower Shankill. McDonald also detested Adair and had been one of the UDA leaders who sanctioned his expulsion. Adair's wife, Gina, John White, and about 20 of his supporters including Millar's sons were compelled to leave Northern Ireland. The rogue group headed for Scotland and afterwards England.

Expulsion from Northern Ireland Millar believed her years of devotion to the organisation would allow her to remain in her Shankill Road home. Her pleas fell on deaf ears as the UDA Inner Council maintained she was fully aware of her sons' drug-dealing and loan-sharking activities, and that they had stolen over ten thousand pounds of UDA funds. Shortly after his return he was abducted and killed by the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a covername for the UDA.