Officer 'did not order in troops'

General Ford (L) said he did not order soldiers in

The former Commander of Land Forces, General Sir Robert Ford, has told the Saville Inquiry he did not order the parachute regiment into the Bogside on Bloody Sunday.

General Ford said he was mistaken when he told a journalist in 1984 he sent a message to Brigadier Pat McLellan suggesting he "get a move on" and send paratroops into the Bogside.

The Saville Inquiry is investigating the circumstances of the shooting of civilians at a civil rights march by British soldiers on 30 January 1972. Thirteen men and boys were killed and a 14th man died later.

Lord Saville is heading up inquiry

General Ford told the tribunal on Thursday while he thought the time was right to send the paratroops forward, he did not put the brigadier under any pressure to do so as he was there as an observer.

In his statement to the Saville Inquiry, Brigadier McLellan said he had no contact with General Ford and that he gave the orders for the parachute regiment to move in.

As Commander of Land Forces, General Ford was responsible for the day-to-day conduct of army operations throughout Northern Ireland.

'Another regiment'

General Ford is expected to give evidence over a two week period.

As he is now aged 78 he will only testify in the mornings.

Giving evidence on Wednesday, the general said soldiers sent into Londonderry on Bloody Sunday were the right men to deal with hooligans.

He said the 1st Parachute Regiment were simply the right men for a "quick in-and-out arrest operation" to stop an illegal march where violence was expected.

When asked whey 1 Para were sent into the Bogside, Sir Robert said it was because they "had plenty of experience of rounding up hooligans".

General Ford said he was not aware that the commander of another regiment protested about the use of the soldiers because they had not been to Derry before and would not know the Bogside area.

Lord Widgery: Headed original inquiry

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.