New appeal on 50th anniversary of disappearance of Belfast schoolboys

Detectives have made a new appeal for information on the 50th anniversary of the disappearance of two young boys in west Belfast.

The PSNI said the disappearance of Thomas Spence, 11, and John Rodgers, 13, in 1974 remains “unexplained and potentially suspicious”.

Thomas, from Rockdale Street, and John, from Rodney Drive, were last seen on the morning of Tuesday November 26 when they left their homes to walk to the bus stop in the Falls Road to catch a bus to St Aloysius School in Somerton Road.

They never made it to school and have not been seen since.

A PSNI spokesman said: “Fifty years have now passed since that day and the police service is very aware of the pain and suffering that the families of Thomas and John continue to feel today, particularly with not knowing the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of these two young, innocent boys.

“Our thoughts very much remain with them at this time.

“This remains an open missing persons case with the circumstances around their disappearance still unexplained and potentially suspicious.”

The spokesman added: “The PSNI will consider all investigative opportunities as part of the review and will consider all potential criminal offences that may be linked to their disappearance.

“If anyone has any information in relation to Thomas and John’s disappearance, we would ask them to contact Legacy Investigation Branch where all information will be assessed and considered by investigators.

“Detectives can be contacted on 101, quoting reference RM05011374.”

In 2001, police dug up the back yards of two houses in Rodney Drive as part of a bid to find the bodies of the two boys.

A man was questioned about their disappearance but was not charged.

The dig, codenamed Operation Galena, involved more than 100 officers, some whom took part in the search for mass graves in Kosovo, together with experts flown in from England.