The Bloody Sunday Inquiry/Day 372: The sergeant major who was in charge of the company of paratroopers who carried out the Bloody Sunday killings in the Bogside area of Derry in January 1972, said yesterday that "a lot of" the 13 civilians who were killed on the day were innocent.
He also told the inquiry into the killings that he felt guilty about the consequences of Bloody Sunday because he believed a lack of discipline among the soldiers under his command had contributed to the killings and to the wounding of 13 other civilians.
Known to the inquiry as Coy Sgt Maj Lewis, he told the inquiry that when he and the soldiers under his command were deployed into the Bogside during a civil rights march, they believed they would come "face to face" with Provisional IRA gunmen.
He told the inquiry's three judges that he wanted the IRA to come "out in the open and fight what I could call, this is a personal opinion, honourably".
The former paratrooper said he believed there would be a clear possibility of a gun battle with the IRA during which he realised there would be a danger to innocent civilians.
He said there was a "cautious enthusiasm" among his men when they entered the Bogside but what transpired after his soldiers moved into the area was "nothing to be proud of in soldiering terms about what happened on Bloody Sunday".
Sgt Maj Lewis said following their deployment, discipline broke down among his soldiers. "I don't think that discipline totally broke down but where there were specific breaches of discipline, I, along with others, have to take some responsibility for it.
"I feel personally that a lot of those who died were innocent, but I can't comment on the rights and wrongs of individual incidents on the day. I didn't see them.
"I feel very much for the families of those who died on Bloody Sunday. I feel guilty about the subsequent effects of Bloody Sunday, particularly when I think about the friends I lost in Northern Ireland," he added.
"I do feel, and did at the time, an element of personal responsibility for what happened on Bloody Sunday.
"I feel guilty about the consequences of Bloody Sunday. I lost a lot of friends in Northern Ireland and I think Bloody Sunday contributed to a lot of the incidents that took place later.
"It is tragic for the families who lost their loved ones on Bloody Sunday. I cannot say whether any of those killed or injured were armed, but in my own mind I do believe that a lot of these people were not armed," he said.
Sgt Maj Lewis said that in the immediate aftermath of the killings, his commanding officer was "shaken" and said "we were in trouble" when the death toll became known.
The inquiry continues.