The Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving was held in the Ulster Hall, Belfast, on Sunday, April 10, at 3.30pm.

Many of those attending were relatives of the members of the Orange Institution who were killed.

At the service a memorial stone was dedicated to the Murdered Brethren. It will be erected at a later date at Schomberg House, headquarters of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland.

The service was conducted by Rev. David Reid and the address was given by Rev. Ron Johnstone, a Grand Chaplain.

The praise was led by Tullyvallen Silver Band.

The Grand Master, Edward Stevenson said:
“Three hundred and thirty six members of the Orange Institution lost their lives at the hands of terrorists and we must never forget them, nor the families who still grieve.

“When I was elected as Grand Master, I gave a pledge that victims and their families would remain a key priority for the Orange Institution. And that will be the case, I promise you.

There is a very serious commitment within the Orange Institution to remembering our Murdered Brethren.

“There has been much work done to ensure that the memories of our Murdered Brethren are kept alive. I would like to pay tribute to all the people who have worked hard behind the scenes to organise this service.”

In his address, Rev. Ron Johnstone, a Grand Chaplain of the Orange Order, said the service honoured Orangemen and women who in a time of rebellion, terrorism and conflict had stood faithfully for law and order.

He said:

“The Orange Institution sends out a message from this service.

We honour and encourage loyalty. Loyalty to our Protestant faith —the gospel of Christ—and loyalty to this country we love.

“By your presence here today you are declaring that: – We honour our murdered brethren and sisters. We pledge ourselves to hold their memory dear for future generations so that their loyalty, courage and sacrifice will never be forgotten.

We are proud to belong to the same institution.

“Now in the quietness, names of those who paid the supreme sacrifice come into each of our minds.

“They paid the supreme sacrifice for our protestant faith and way of life.

“We have remembered those who lived faithfully, who served courageously opposing Republican terrorism, and who died nobly.

“We salute their sacrifice. We give thanks for their memory and example.

“And as we do so we declare again that, we have been bombed but we are not bowed, have sorrowed but we have not surrendered, have wept but we have not weakened in our resolve to maintain our Protestant faith and culture.

“Rather as we have remembered our murdered brethren and sisters we are more determined to stand for the same Orange principles that motivated them.

“Their sacrifice challenges each of us to fulfil our Christian duty as citizens to stand for right and freedom in our day. Let us rededicate ourselves today so to do.