Army commander was 'worried'

General Ford (L) said he was 'extremely disturbed'

The former Commander of Land Forces in Northern Ireland has told the Saville Inquiry that he was extremely disturbed and worried on the evening of Bloody Sunday.

However, General Sir Robert Ford refused to comment on suggestions that he knew that something had gone badly wrong.

The Bloody Sunday Inquiry is investigating the events of 30 January 1972 when paratroops opened fire on civilians at a civil rights march in the Bogside in Londonderry.

The inquiry is currently sitting in London.

Lord Saville is heading up inquiry

During Monday's hearing, the inquiry chairman, Lord Saville, said to General Ford that on the face of it, "something went very wrong" so surely on the evening of Bloody Sunday he must have said to someone "what on earth went on?"

General Ford replied that he must have done as he was worried and extremely disturbed and he knew there would be a need for an inquiry to find out what happened.

However, he said he did not remember what answers he was given and could not honestly remember if he realised at that stage that something had gone wrong.

He said he was not prepared to comment now on whether something had gone drastically wrong for 13 people to have been killed and 14 wounded.

But he said that if the Saville Inquiry established that there were serious mistakes it would be appropriate for apologies to be made as it was an absolute tragedy that people died.

The inquiry has been sitting in Derry for the last two years, but was moved to London to hear evidence from military witnesses following court action in which they argued they could be targeted by dissident republicans if they had to travel to Northern Ireland.

The Army has always maintained that it was fired on by IRA gunmen before it opened fire and this view was upheld by the Widgery Inquiry, held shortly after the shootings.

The relatives of those killed and injured have always denied that the Army were fired on before they opened fire.

The Saville Inquiry was set up by Prime Minister Tony Blair to reinvestigate the evidence because the relatives felt the first inquiry was a whitewash.

Lord Saville and the Commonwealth judges who comprise the inquiry, are not expected to report back until 2004.