| Description |
William "Budgie" Allen, a former member of the UVF, turned informant in 1984 while only two years into a fourteen year sentence for Troubles crimes. This act is known as "turning supergrass", a name derived from the British underground slang for informant, "grass." His testimony named over two dozen men as being members of the proscribed paramilitary the UVF. Though he later recanted his assertions, the damage was done. His prison term was reduced to time served and he fled to the south of England. Because of a death sentence imposed on him by Unionists he never returned to Northern Ireland. The meaning of the initials BJR on the obverse is unknown to me. By style, both slogans were struck by the same person. Since BJR is applied vertically over the Queen's portrait, it suggests a Nationalist defacement so I've designated it as such. Purchased from Jan Ladysz, Lichfield, Staffordshire, UK. (Fb. 11, 2021) ($12). |
