Madam, - It was with a feeling of great sadness that I read in your issue of June 17th of the death of the former RUC assistant chief constable Frank Lagan. By dying in his 89th year he proved that the good do not all die young.
In my opinion he was one of the finest, most honest, upright, unbiased and impartial men ever to wear a police uniform. I served under him from 1949 to 1951 as a constable, when he was the sergeant in charge of Cranagh, Co Tyrone. Subsequently, in 1957, I transferred to the London Metropolitan Police, by which time he was the district inspector in charge of Lurgan, Co Armagh.
I have no hesitation in saying that had he been allowed to do things his way the murderous débâcle of Bloody Sunday would never have occurred. The comments in your obituary of him about his efforts to prevent this shameful incident taking place are completely accurate. Through my personal contacts with senior RUC officers serving at the time and now retired, I learned that on the morning of Bloody Sunday, when he made a personal appeal to a member of the British Army command to be allowed to go into the Bogside and made contact with the demonstration leaders, the reply he got was: "It is going to be dealt with". Sadly it was; the paras saw to that.
Frank Lagan was a charming man with an equally charming wife who is still alive, I am happy to say. All my sympathies go out to her and the family.
The best news I could hear right now would be that Frank took the time to sit down and write his memoirs. If he did they will make enthralling reading. Rest in peace, Frank. - Yours, etc,
WGA SCOTT, Friar's Hill, Wicklow.