'Gunner Honeysett on Grand Central Hotel Guard. Sanger 3. Berry Street, Belfast', Northern Ireland, 15 April 1974

Graphite by Ralph Lillford, 1974.

Despite being protected by a sangar or breastwork made from concrete blocks to limit the effects of automatic weapons fire, Gunner Honeysett and his fellow soldier might still have cause to look concerned, for as the principal Army billet in Belfast, the Grand Central Hotel was a major target for Republican paramilitary groups. Honeysett wears combat dress under a fragmentation vest, or flak jacket, affording some protection against weapons such as blast bombs, but not from rifle rounds. He is armed with a pistol for security when carrying out vehicle searches, while his comrade in the sangar covers him with his rifle.

Between 1971 and 1976, drawn by an interest in the civil conflict, Ralph Lillford made repeated trips to Northern Ireland to draw what he saw in the streets.