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January 30th, 1972 is remembered as among the most fatal – and consequential – dates during thirty years of unrest in this area.

Throughout the area where events unfolded – the legacy of that fateful day are painted on the walls and embedded in collective memory.

A public gathering was held on a chilly yet clear day in the city.

The demonstration was a protest against the practice of detention without trial – detaining individuals without due process – which had been implemented after three years of violence.

Troops from the specialized division fatally wounded multiple civilians in the Bogside area – which was, and still is, a overwhelmingly nationalist community.

A specific visual became particularly memorable.

Pictures showed a Catholic priest, the priest, using a blood-stained white handkerchief as he tried to protect a assembly transporting a youth, the fatally wounded individual, who had been killed.

Journalists recorded much footage on the day.

The archive contains Father Daly telling a journalist that military personnel "gave the impression they would fire in all directions" and he was "totally convinced" that there was no justification for the shooting.

The narrative of the incident wasn't accepted by the initial investigation.

The Widgery Tribunal found the Army had been fired upon initially.

In the negotiation period, the administration commissioned another inquiry, following pressure by surviving kin, who said Widgery had been a cover-up.

That year, the conclusion by the investigation said that on balance, the soldiers had initiated shooting and that none of the individuals had posed any threat.

The contemporary Prime Minister, David Cameron, issued an apology in the Parliament – declaring killings were "without justification and unacceptable."

Authorities started to investigate the events.

An ex-soldier, identified as Soldier F, was prosecuted for murder.

Indictments were filed over the deaths of James Wray, twenty-two, and in his mid-twenties William McKinney.

Soldier F was additionally charged of attempting to murder several people, other civilians, more people, Michael Quinn, and an unidentified individual.

There is a judicial decision preserving the veteran's identity protection, which his lawyers have claimed is required because he is at risk of attack.

He testified the examination that he had solely shot at persons who were armed.

That claim was dismissed in the concluding document.

Information from the examination would not be used straightforwardly as testimony in the legal proceedings.

During the trial, the accused was shielded from sight behind a blue curtain.

He spoke for the initial occasion in court at a proceeding in late 2024, to answer "not guilty" when the accusations were read.

Family members of the victims on the incident made the trip from the city to Belfast Crown Court every day of the trial.

One relative, whose brother Michael was killed, said they were aware that hearing the proceedings would be difficult.

"I can see everything in my mind's eye," he said, as we walked around the main locations referenced in the trial – from the street, where Michael was shot dead, to the adjacent the area, where James Wray and another victim were fatally wounded.

"It reminds me to my location that day.

"I helped to carry Michael and place him in the vehicle.

"I experienced again every moment during the proceedings.

"But even with experiencing the process – it's still valuable for me."