Wendy Millar

Wendy Millar
Born	1944 (age 72–73) Belfast, Northern Ireland
Nationality	British
Other names	"Bucket" "Queen of the UDA"
Known for	Ulster Defence Association member and founder of its first women's unit
Relatives	Herbie Millar (son) James "Sham" Millar (son) "Fat" Jackie Thompson (son-in-law)

Wendy Millar (born 1944) also known as "Bucket" and "Queen of the UDA" is a Northern Irish loyalist and a founding member of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA). She established the first UDA women's unit on her native Shankill Road in Belfast. Her two sons Herbie and James "Sham" Millar are also high-profile UDA members and her daughter's husband is former West Belfast brigadier "Fat" Jackie Thompson.

Born into a Protestant family in Belfast, Northern Ireland in about 1944, Millar was raised on the staunchly loyalist Shankill Road. She was one of the founding members of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) which was set up in September 1971 as an umbrella organisation for the many local vigilante groups that had sprung up in loyalist areas to protect their communities from attacks by Irish republicans following the outbreak of the violent religious-political conflict known as the Troubles in the late 1960s. She had the nicknames of "Bucket" on account of her outspoken, loud-mouthed personality, and "Queen of the UDA" for her devotion to the paramilitary organisation. Described as tough and fearless she was a heavy smoker and a "leading light in UDA circles".

Shortly afterwards, Millar established the first UDA women's unit on the Shankill Road. Although there were other women's units set up in other areas, the Shankill Road group was particularly active and highly visible on account of the beehive hairstyles the women typically wore. In May 1974 during the Ulster Workers' Council strike, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, Len Murray went to Belfast to lead the striking shipyard workers on a 'back to work' march. Just as the marchers set out for the Harland and Wolff shipyard, furious members of the Shankill Road women's unit arrived on the scene and proceeded to pelt Murray with flour, eggs and other objects.Glen Barr, the chairman of the strike co-ordinating committee witnessed the assault. In an interview with British journalist Peter Taylor he described the UDA women with their beehives as looking "quite frightening" and resembled six feet tall Amazons. Barr had had encounters with the women on previous occasions and was intimidated by them.

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