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Sunday 30 January 1972 remains among the most deadly – and significant – days in three decades of unrest in this area.

In the streets where it happened – the legacy of the tragic events are displayed on the buildings and embedded in collective memory.

A civil rights march was held on a chilly yet clear period in the city.

The demonstration was challenging the system of internment – imprisoning people without due process – which had been established in response to three years of violence.

Military personnel from the elite army unit shot dead multiple civilians in the neighborhood – which was, and still is, a predominantly nationalist area.

A particular photograph became notably prominent.

Photographs showed a religious figure, the priest, waving a stained with blood cloth in his effort to shield a assembly carrying a teenager, the injured teenager, who had been killed.

Journalists documented much footage on the day.

The archive includes Father Daly explaining to a reporter that military personnel "appeared to shoot indiscriminately" and he was "absolutely certain" that there was no provocation for the shooting.

The narrative of the incident was rejected by the initial investigation.

The initial inquiry concluded the military had been attacked first.

In the resolution efforts, the administration established a fresh examination, following pressure by surviving kin, who said Widgery had been a inadequate investigation.

That year, the findings by the inquiry said that on balance, the military personnel had discharged weapons initially and that none of the individuals had posed any threat.

At that time government leader, the leader, apologised in the House of Commons – declaring fatalities were "without justification and unjustifiable."

Authorities began to look into the events.

An ex-soldier, known as the defendant, was brought to trial for murder.

Accusations were made regarding the deaths of the first individual, twenty-two, and twenty-six-year-old William McKinney.

Soldier F was also accused of trying to kill Patrick O'Donnell, Joseph Friel, further individuals, Michael Quinn, and an unnamed civilian.

There is a court ruling maintaining the defendant's identity protection, which his lawyers have maintained is essential because he is at danger.

He told the examination that he had only fired at persons who were carrying weapons.

That claim was dismissed in the concluding document.

Information from the inquiry would not be used directly as testimony in the legal proceedings.

During the trial, the defendant was hidden from public with a privacy screen.

He made statements for the initial occasion in the proceedings at a hearing in December 2024, to reply "not guilty" when the allegations were read.

Relatives of those who were killed on the incident made the trip from Londonderry to the judicial building every day of the case.

A family member, whose brother Michael was killed, said they were aware that hearing the proceedings would be painful.

"I visualize all details in my mind's eye," he said, as we walked around the key areas referenced in the trial – from the street, where Michael was killed, to the adjacent Glenfada Park, where James Wray and another victim were fatally wounded.

"It reminds me to where I was that day.

"I helped to carry my brother and lay him in the vehicle.

"I experienced again the entire event during the evidence.

"Despite enduring everything – it's still valuable for me."