The 24-hour period in 1976 witnessed 16 murders – within minutes of the Whitecross attack, the UVF shot Joe, Barry and Declan O’Dowd near Gilford.

The following day, IRA gunmen murdered 10 Protestant workmen at Kingsmills.

Mr Reavey is suing the MoD and the PSNI over alleged collusion in the murder of his brothers.

The case has been put back until April because of a delay involving the disclosure of sensitive documents.

“I thought I was going to have the law cases all sorted by this 50th anniversary,” he said.

“That was going to be the end of my involvement… I’m not fit for it.

“I’d myself built up to get this finished, and I thought I would have, but the MoD and the PSNI had other thoughts.”

Mr Reavey said he was “satisfied” the names of he and his siblings have been cleared.

Vowing to battle on in court, he added: “You can’t have three innocent lads murdered and have the population think they were in the IRA.

“I would never let that happen and my father asked me on his death bed to make sure to try to get justice for the boys.”