A UTV series has told the remarkable story of the Co Tyrone man who was US President John F Kennedy’s chauffeur on the day he was assassinated in Dallas in 1963.
Bill Greer had emigrated to the United States in the 1930s after growing up in the village of Stewartstown . He had gone on to serve in the US Navy before serving as a driver for three Presidents - including on the fateful day JFK was shot in Texas on 22 November.
The latest episode of Mahon’s Way with Co Fermanagh native Joe Mahon looks into the history of the Co Tyrone town, and its links with one of the most historic events of the 20th century.
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Local historian John Glendinning spoke to the presenter, recounting the history of Greer’s time serving under JFK.
Greer served under Presidents Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and the infamous JFK. He first left Stewartstown on a horse and cart and eventually ended up in the presidential vehicle where Kennedy was truck with a fatal gunshot.
“He was caught up in probably the most infamous crime of peacetime in the 20th century,” John told Mahon’s Way.
“He was the driver behind him sat the governor of Texas and his wife, and in the third row of seats was John F Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline.
“Willie Greer, sometimes known as Bill Greer, was brought up in the townland of Drumbonway, two miles north of Stewartstown.
“That’s how we grew interested, particularly the Stewartstown Historical Society. When I first read it I could hardly believe it.”
The latest episode of Mahon’s Way first aired on UTV on Sunday evening, and is available to watch on the ITV Player.
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