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January 30th, 1972 remains among the most deadly – and consequential – days in thirty years of unrest in the region.

Throughout the area of the incident – the memories of that fateful day are displayed on the structures and embedded in collective memory.

A civil rights march was held on a wintry, sunny day in the city.

The protest was opposing the system of imprisonment without charges – imprisoning people without legal proceedings – which had been implemented after three years of conflict.

Soldiers from the elite army unit fatally wounded multiple civilians in the Bogside area – which was, and continues to be, a strongly nationalist community.

One image became notably prominent.

Pictures showed a Catholic priest, Father Daly, waving a blood-stained white handkerchief while attempting to shield a crowd carrying a teenager, the injured teenager, who had been fatally wounded.

News camera operators recorded extensive video on the day.

The archive features Fr Daly informing a media representative that soldiers "appeared to discharge weapons randomly" and he was "completely sure" that there was no reason for the shooting.

That version of what happened was disputed by the original examination.

The initial inquiry determined the Army had been attacked first.

In the resolution efforts, the administration established a fresh examination, following pressure by family members, who said the initial inquiry had been a whitewash.

That year, the findings by the inquiry said that generally, the soldiers had discharged weapons initially and that not one of the victims had been armed.

The then Prime Minister, the Prime Minister, expressed regret in the House of Commons – stating fatalities were "improper and inexcusable."

Law enforcement started to examine the events.

One former paratrooper, known as the defendant, was brought to trial for killing.

Accusations were made over the fatalities of James Wray, in his twenties, and twenty-six-year-old another victim.

The defendant was further implicated of seeking to harm Patrick O'Donnell, other civilians, more people, another person, and an unidentified individual.

Exists a judicial decision maintaining the veteran's privacy, which his lawyers have argued is necessary because he is at threat.

He stated to the investigation that he had only fired at persons who were armed.

This assertion was disputed in the concluding document.

Material from the inquiry was unable to be used immediately as evidence in the legal proceedings.

In the dock, the veteran was shielded from sight with a blue curtain.

He addressed the court for the initial occasion in court at a proceeding in late 2024, to answer "innocent" when the allegations were put to him.

Relatives of those who were killed on the incident journeyed from Derry to Belfast Crown Court every day of the trial.

A family member, whose sibling was fatally wounded, said they always knew that listening to the case would be difficult.

"I remember everything in my mind's eye," he said, as we examined the key areas discussed in the case – from the location, where his brother was killed, to the nearby Glenfada Park, where James Wray and another victim were killed.

"It even takes me back to my position that day.

"I assisted with the victim and lay him in the ambulance.

"I experienced again each detail during the proceedings.

"Despite experiencing all that – it's still valuable for me."