William James Johnston

William James Johnston

Felonious
End of Watch December 18, 1972
Age 48
The Vigil Panel 209 ›
Gender Male

Incident

A Police Authority Member, he was shot dead when abducted by terrorists.

Found shot dead in Knockbane, near Middletown, County Armagh, a short time after being abducted from a house on the Drumarg Estate in Armagh as a consequence of his roles as an Ulster Unionist Party Councillor and a member of the Police Authority.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-GB-RUC-004B96CD
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Officer Johnston served with the Royal Ulster Constabulary Police Authority.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Johnston.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Location NIR
Platform Identity rucpaco.bfs.nir.gb.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 18, 1972
Age 48
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Homicide - Shot

William James Johnston is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In NIR, 422 of 599 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 70.5% of this state's fallen. That is 70.5 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Royal Ulster Constabulary Police Authority, 2 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Royal Ulster Constabulary Police Authority
2
of 2 officers
100% Felonious
NIR — Statewide
422
of 599 officers
70.5% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William James Johnston's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How William James Johnston Compares

Age at Death
48
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William James Johnston is highlighted in Dec.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Others Who Wore This Badge

1 officer from Royal Ulster Constabulary Police Authority are honored on badge.nw.