William Craig

William Craig (2 December 1924 – 24 April 2011) was a Northern Irish unionist politician and solicitor, best known for forming the Unionist Vanguard movement.

Early life From Cookstown, County Tyrone. His father William was a manager in the Ulster Bank, including the Ballyconnell branch between 1938-1941. Craig was educated at Royal School Dungannon, Larne Grammar School and Queen's University Belfast.

After serving in the Royal Air Force (as a Lancaster bomber rear gunner) during World War II, he became a solicitor. Vanguard also staged a two-day strike in protest at the prorogation of the Stormont Parliament.

In April 1972, Vanguard issued a policy statement "Ulster – A Nation" which said that Northern Ireland might have to consider independence. In October, he spoke at a meeting of the Conservative Monday Club, a group of right-wing Conservative MPs at Westminster. He told them he could mobilise 80,000 men to oppose the UK Government, adding: "We are prepared to come out and shoot and kill. I am prepared to come out and shoot and kill, let's put the bluff aside".