Lance Bombardier John Laurie.

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In Memory of Lance Bombardier John "Jock" Laurie of 57 (Bhurtpore) Battery, 94 Locating Regiment, Royal Regiment of Artillery.

15 February 1971. Ardoyne, Belfast.

At 2145 hours on the evening of the 8 February 1971, L/Bdr Laurie was the driver of the rear landrover in a two vehicle mobile patrol driving up the Crumlin Road. As they passed the junction with Butler Street, a blast bomb was thrown at them which exploded between the two vehicles. A gunman then opened up on the rear vehicle with a long burst of automatic fire from a Thompson SMG, wounding the driver and another Gunner who was in the back of the vehicle. The injury to the soldier in the back was not serious, but Jock was hit in the head and sadly, he died seven days later.
L/Bdr Laurie is officially recognised as the second fatality due to terrorist action and both of those losses were incurred by the same Regiment.
A good soldier and a better mate.

R.I.P. Jock

We Will Remember Them.

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we will remember them

[P-C Association Member/NIVA Merit Award Winner 2017/18 Find all posts View Profile Close P-C]

Each and every one lost.
A mothers son or daughter
a Husband or wife
A father or Mother
Brother or sister
Each and everyone a Comrade.
ne'er a day passes without
a thought of family and friends who died
lives cut short, families devastated.



We Will Remember Them

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We Will Remember

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Lest We Forget

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57 (BHURTPORE) BATTERY ROYAL ARTILLERY

57 (Bhurtpore) Battery was raised in 1786 as 3 Company, 3 Battalion, The Bengal Artillery. In 1825 it became 3 Company, 4 Battalion, and in December of that year, marched on the city of Bhurtpore which culminated on 18th January 1826 with the breaching of the city walls and the storming of the inner citadel.
The Battery fought in the action at Maharajpore on 29 December 1843 in the Gwalior campaign. It was also present at the Battles of Moodkee, 18 December 1843, Ferozeshah, 21 – 22 December 1843, and Sobraon, 10 February 1846, during the campaign in Sutlej in the First Sikh War.
In 1876, after 90 years service overseas the Battery was posted back to the UK.
On the 5th June 1936, the Battery was awarded the title of “Bhurtpore” to commemorate both the battle and 150 years of service.
On the 29th January 1940 the Battery joined 1 HAA Regiment covering the withdrawal of the British troops from Dunkirk with its two remaining guns.
From 1940 onwards the Battery served in the Western desert, Greece, and then in Crete during 1941. In 1942 the Battery was in Cyprus before deploying to Egypt, until their return to the UK on 6th May 1945.
In 1962 the Battery changed roles and moved overseas again to become the Surveillance Battery, 21 Regiment RA in Fallingbostel. In 1964 the Battery joined 94 Locating Regiment RA in Celle and in 1966 they became 57 (Bhurtpore) Locating Battery RA.
On 1st February 1985, the Battery moved from Celle to Dortmund to become part of 32 Heavy Regiment RA. In January 1991 the Battery deployed to Saudi Arabia on Op GRANBY, seeing active service in both Iraq and Kuwait. In 1993 the Battery left 32 Regiment RA and along with former members of Q Battery RA joined 39 Regiment RA in Paderborn. Shortly after joining elements of the Battery deployed on a UN tour of Cyprus.
In August 1995 the Regiment moved from Paderborn to Albemarle Barracks near Newcastle. During 1996 elements of the Battery deployed on another UN Tour of Cyprus.
In July 1998 the Battery deployed to Northern Ireland with the Regiment as the Urban Reinforcement Battalion and again in June 2000.
2001 saw the Battery deploy to Kosovo on a very successful 6-month tour where the Battery carried out 182 operational flights.
The Battery deployed once again to Northern Ireland in October 2002 and returned in March 2003.In June 2003 the Battery once more joined 32 Regiment Royal Artillery, this time in Larkhill. It then deployed to Southern Iraq in October of that year as part of the OP TELIC Orbat.
In October 2005 the Battery once again deployed to Iraq, this time as part of the OP TELIC 7 Orbat.
In April 2007 57 (Bhurtpore) Battery deployed to Afghanistan as the Theatre UAV Battery to support 12 Mechanised Brigade on Op Herrick 6. The first 4 months with the Desert Hawk Mini UAV (MUAV), then in August bringing Hermes 450 into Initial Operating Capability (IOC) as the Tactical UAV (TUAV).

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We will remember them

[Guest Close yanto888]

I helped carry John back to base, the stretcher slipped as I lifted it into the ambulance, I still see his brains on my boots to this day. I helped guard him in victoria Hospital

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a lot of sorrow,ime really sorry Yanto888.o7

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thoughts are with you Yanto888

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

Once again that night has come back to haunt me. One question remained unanswered. Who sent those lads up the Crumlin Road in soft skinned vehicles when there had already been several contacts in the area that evening? Jock Laurie was a friend of mine and many others who asked the same question. The wounded lad in the back was Taff L****. Remember "mad Taffy" Yanto?

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I was in one of the Ferrets when John was shot. What a bloody mess that was. Thoughts are with you and Yanto, Jock.

If it's any consalation, they got the shooter in Butler Street some time later. Sniper shot him as they were handing out M16s some months later. (I think thats correct).

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Famous picture of the above. He shot four or five, I think.

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

The night before (7 Feb) a sergeant sniper from the Queens Regiment hit two with four shots using a platform that was built inside the chimney stack at Flax St Mill. I was in the vehicle park when the base came under attack and the sound of the sniper's rifle fire, a .303 Lee Enfield, was weird as hell. A sort of hollow pop. There was a story going the rounds afterwards that the platform gave way but the sniper had attached a safety line to the outside ladders so didn't fall down the chimney. I don't know how true that was but it cheered us up at the time. There wasn't too much to laugh about that week.