28 years ago

[damoclese Association Member Find all posts View Profile Close damoclese]

8 members of !st Battalion Light Infantry killed by an IRA landmine at Ballygawley.
RIP lads

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[Bristol Girl Association Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bristol Girl]

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Poppy: Poppy: Poppy: Poppy: Poppy: Poppy: Poppy:

[Jock2413 Association Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jock2413]

Rest easy lads.

[On1on Association Member Find all posts View Profile Close On1on]

[bigal Association Member of WUSA Find all posts View Profile Close bigal]

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WE WILL REMEMBER THEM LEST WE FORGET

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Gone but never forgotten.

R.I.P. lads.

[Lynx7 Association Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lynx7]

RIP.

I crewed the Lynx landing the follow-up troops on the road the next day pictured on the front page of the Times Newspaper. Shortly afterwards, coming back from R&R I walked out of Belfast International Airport to find my transport back to Ballykelly was a big white bus! I went back inside the terminal, phoned up 655 SQN AAC and said I was not happy with the transport arrangements so if you want me on duty next day at Omagh you better come up with a better plan. Spending the night sleeping in NI Regt AAC's Ops Room, next day a Lynx arrived from BK to take me to Omagh.

[Jock2413 Association Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jock2413]

How many of us out there did the journey from Aldergrove to Londonderry aboard a civilian coach with a couple of Bedfords containing the baggage for company. One lad in the back of each Bedford with 10 rounds for his rifle and one on the coach with a 9mm Browning and 5 rounds to his name. Coupled with a civvie driver and using the same route time after same time, it is a miracle that the tragedy of Ballygawley didn't happen years earlier and repeated several times over.
This is the wrong place to throw out pertinent accusations but I think you will get my drift.

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R&R escort was a killer and had to be done on top of all other duties. Sometimes getting no rest for over three days. I know others have done longer; but us Bleeps are a delicate bunch. Can't say we wuz much use after so many hours. At least that escort duty only came round once a month.

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How many of us out there did the journey from Aldergrove to Londonderry aboard a civilian coach with a couple of Bedfords containing the baggage for company. One lad in the back of each Bedford with 10 rounds for his rifle and one on the coach with a 9mm Browning and 5 rounds to his name. Coupled with a civvie driver and using the same route time after same time, it is a miracle that the tragedy of Ballygawley didn't happen years earlier and repeated several times over.
This is the wrong place to throw out pertinent accusations but I think you will get my drift.

Just one example of repetitive, predictable deployments ordered by people who were paid and trained to know better.

[Speedy Association Member Find all posts View Profile Close Speedy]

How many of us out there did the journey from Aldergrove to Londonderry aboard a civilian coach with a couple of Bedfords containing the baggage for company. One lad in the back of each Bedford with 10 rounds for his rifle....
This is the wrong place to throw out pertinent accusations but I think you will get my drift.

You had a coach! We just had the Bedfords all the way from Alcatraz (Bessbrook), we were grateful for the bulletproof canvas.

[On1on Association Member Find all posts View Profile Close On1on]

You had a coach! We just had the Bedfords all the way from Alcatraz (Bessbrook), we were grateful for the bulletproof canvas.

Yep, 2 tours and each time transported from Aldergrove to Belfast (and back) in a Bedford in convoy with a Landy escort front and rear and we didn't pick up our 20 rounds and flak jacket until we got there, how the hell we weren't hit I'll never knowas the locals always used to know turn round dates and what unit was coming.