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January 30th, 1972 is remembered as arguably the deadliest – and consequential – dates during three decades of unrest in this area.

Within the community where events unfolded – the legacy of that fateful day are painted on the buildings and embedded in collective memory.

A protest demonstration was organized on a cold but bright day in the city.

The demonstration was a protest against the policy of imprisonment without charges – imprisoning people without legal proceedings – which had been implemented following three years of conflict.

Troops from the Parachute Regiment shot dead thirteen individuals in the neighborhood – which was, and remains, a overwhelmingly Irish nationalist area.

A specific visual became notably prominent.

Pictures showed a Catholic priest, Father Daly, waving a bloodied white handkerchief in his effort to shield a group moving a teenager, the injured teenager, who had been mortally injured.

News camera operators captured much footage on the day.

Historical records includes Father Daly telling a media representative that soldiers "appeared to shoot indiscriminately" and he was "totally convinced" that there was no reason for the discharge of weapons.

This account of what happened was rejected by the first inquiry.

The Widgery Tribunal found the soldiers had been shot at first.

In the negotiation period, Tony Blair's government commissioned another inquiry, after campaigning by surviving kin, who said the first investigation had been a whitewash.

That year, the report by the inquiry said that generally, the military personnel had discharged weapons initially and that none of the casualties had presented danger.

The contemporary head of state, the Prime Minister, issued an apology in the Parliament – declaring fatalities were "without justification and unacceptable."

The police started to look into the matter.

One former paratrooper, identified as Soldier F, was brought to trial for homicide.

Indictments were filed concerning the deaths of one victim, twenty-two, and 26-year-old William McKinney.

The accused was further implicated of seeking to harm multiple individuals, other civilians, further individuals, Michael Quinn, and an unknown person.

There is a court ruling maintaining the defendant's identity protection, which his attorneys have argued is essential because he is at threat.

He testified the investigation that he had only fired at individuals who were armed.

The statement was disputed in the concluding document.

Information from the inquiry was unable to be used straightforwardly as evidence in the criminal process.

During the trial, the accused was screened from view behind a privacy screen.

He addressed the court for the opening instance in the hearing at a hearing in that month, to answer "not guilty" when the allegations were put to him.

Kin of the deceased on that day made the trip from Londonderry to Belfast Crown Court each day of the proceedings.

John Kelly, whose sibling was killed, said they understood that listening to the proceedings would be emotional.

"I can see everything in my memory," John said, as we visited the primary sites mentioned in the trial – from the location, where his brother was fatally wounded, to the adjacent the area, where James Wray and another victim were died.

"It reminds me to where I was that day.

"I assisted with my brother and place him in the vehicle.

"I relived each detail during the evidence.

"But even with having to go through all that – it's still worthwhile for me."