page_title: UDA South Belfast Brigade
section_title: 1977-84
hierarchical_section_title: UDA South Belfast Brigade / John McMichael / 1977-84
caption_attribution_description: English: Mural commemorating UDA Brigadier John McMichael in Lemberg Street, Belfast
context_page_description: The UDA South Belfast Brigade is the section of the Ulster loyalist paramilitary group, the Ulster Defence Association, based in the southern quarter of Belfast, as well as in surrounding areas. Initially a battalion, the South Belfast Brigade emerged from the local "defence associations" active in the city at the beginning of the Troubles. It subsequently emerged as the largest of the UDA's six brigades and expanded to cover an area much wider than its initial South Belfast borders.
context_section_description: With South Belfast formalised as a brigade, Lisburn-based John McMichael emerged as the brigadier and, due to his closeness to UDA leader Andy Tyrie, soon became one of the most prominent figures within the wider movement. Following the heavy activity of the years before, under the guidance of McMichael and Tyrie the UDA slowed down their run of killings. They were responsible for the deaths of three Catholics in 1977 and two in 1978.
  This changed in 1979, when a group of commando units was formed within the UDA under the name Ulster Defence Force (UDF), in order to take advantage of British Intelligence Corps documents that the UDA had obtained detailing the whereabouts of several republican leaders. Although the UDF was officially outside the UDA's brigade structure it was under the overall command of McMichael and included several of his most trusted South Belfast Brigade lieutenants within its ranks. A notable action by the UDF, an attack on the home of Bernadette McAliskey, was carried out by South Belfast members of the UDF, including McMichael's closest confidante Ray Smallwoods. Tom Graham of Lisburn and Andrew Watson from Seymour Hill, Dunmurry, both parts of the South Belfast Brigade area, were subsequently convicted and imprisoned along with Smallwoods for the attack. When news of the army intelligence list being in UDA possession was leaked to the press during the trial, the UDF project was abandoned amid awkward questions about military-UDA collusion. McMichael was amongst a number of UDA leaders arrested during subsequent investigations into collusion, although no charges were brought against him. With McMichael a candidate in the 1982 Belfast South by-election, the South Belfast Brigade scaled down its role.
caption: McMichael depicted on a mural in Roden Street
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