communities had more in common with each other than their respective middle classes. However, despite his avowed conversion to Marxism, Elliott remained active in the UDA's campaign of sectarian murder and after his death was identified as having taken part in the torture of Patrick Devaney, a Catholic former British Army soldier who was brutally killed on 30 August 1972. His professed views were also not shared by many of his fellow WDA members, with 1 May 1972 issue of WDA News including an article that featured far right calls for racial purity. Fall from grace Some of his underlings took to his new ideas but for most within the arch-conservative UDA, including the leadership, Elliott's flirtation with Marxism was dangerously subversive. The British Intelligence Corps, which considered the UDA no threat to their interests, were also deeply worried by Elliott's new interests. In particular they feared the possibility of a relationship developing between elements of the UDA and the Official IRA. As a consequence, the military authorities decided that it was imperative to remove Elliott and so they enlisted loyalist veteran and British agent William McGrath to lead a whispering campaign designed at blackening Elliott's name. Charles Harding Smith returned to Belfast in December 1972 and was informed by his allies in the WDA that in his absence the UDA in West Belfast had become closely involved in racketeering. They added that not only had Elliott done nothing to stop this crime wave, but that he had also reaped financial benefits from activities such as hijacking trucks carrying alcohol and selling the goods in shebeens. Harding Smith called a meeting of Shankill commanders, inviting all but Elliott, ordering a cleaning up of UDA activities. Those present, many of whom had themselves been involved in the crimes, all placed the blame on Elliott. Death On 7 December 1972 a car was found abandoned near the Village area of the Donegall Road with a cardboard box in the back. Police and the army were called to the scene where they initially treated it as a bomb, carrying out a controlled explosion. However, when the box was finally removed from the car it was found to contain not a bomb but rather a corpse, which was soon identified as that of Elliott. He had been blasted in the face with a shotgun. Another UDA member, who was not identified, was discovered in