William Marchant (loyalist)

William "Frenchie" Marchant (c. 1948 – 28 April 1987) was a Northern Irish loyalist from the Shankill Road, Belfast, and a middle-ranking officer in the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). He was on a Garda list of suspects in the 1974 Dublin car bombings and allegedly the leader of the Belfast UVF unit known as "Freddie and the Dreamers" which hijacked and stole the three cars used in the bombings.

Nine days after the bombings he was arrested and interned at the Maze Prison in relation to the bombings. When questioned by detectives regarding the latter he refused to answer questions. He was never brought to trial due to lack of evidence. Marchant held the rank of major in the UVF's A Company, 1st Battalion, Belfast Brigade. In April 1987, he was shot by the Provisional IRA from a passing car as he stood on the Shankill and died in hospital.