Private James Borucki - 3 Para

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Private James Borucki killed in action by a bomb whilst on foot patrol in Crossmaglen on 8th August 1976 aged 19.



Private Borucki is buried in Wales cemetery, South Yorkshire.



"The Borucki Sangar observation post was built in 1976 after the IRA killed six members of the security forces in separate incidents in the village.

It was named after a soldier who was killed near to where it was erected in the market square." BBC

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

R.I.P. James.

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Was this the chap killed by a bicycle whose frame had been filled with semtex in XMG town, or the poor chap killed when he picked up an Army angle torch when on foot patrol??

RIP a brave Paratrooper.

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The former Slaps, the Corporal i/c spotted it and a parcel on the rear pannier but recognised it as belonging to an older gentleman in the village so ignored it according to "Lost Lives". It was remotely detonated when he walked past...

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RIP.

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always remember rip airborne all the way

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RIP

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

When I did my first patrol in 1977 it was XMG Square, the story I got from the SGT showing me the sites about PTE Borucki is a bit different from the versions I have read in Lost Lives and other books. In his tale he was riding the bike, not for the first time I was told, as it exploded.

On my first Patrol in 1977 and on my last operational patrol in 1997 I did XMG.
BORUCKI-Sanger-R850-XMG.jpg

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'Lost Lives' isn't infallible and I hope when and if it's reprinted they include the amendments I've sent them. To be fair, they acknowledge they won't have everything spot on but at least they tried. Again, to be fair, if you were his mum and dad or his section commander, would you want it recorded for posterity he was clowning around? (If indeed that's happened)

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G, there was a second edition that was printed about two years after the original - I have the first print as, regardless of inaccuracies, it is still a valuable source and, being honest, £30 is hard to find to buy the newer version, but it would be a good investment.

I'd agree with your point regarding the circumstances of Pte Borucki's death; I think you may have hit the nub as to why so many of the Fallen have no detail as to how they met their deaths. What would be more easily accepted nowadays may well have been too much for people to accept at the time, but there will always be a valid case for discretion - it has nothing to do with obscuring truth.

RIP, Para. Utrinque Paratus.

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

What we at NIVA must always take into consideration is the feelings of the bereaved families. There have been occasions when we have been contacted by a bereaved person(s) who wanted to know the truth. In cases like this, although it is upsetting for them, they usually handle it well....but not always.
Whenever I/we uncover the true cause of death of a comrade, what has to be weighed up before revealing it on site or in any publication is the question "What good will it do." I know we all consider the MOD to be a bunch of unfeeling bas*ards, but I'm fairly sure there were times when they took into consideration the feelings of the family and basically lied to save them further anguish. But there were also many times that they mislead people to save causing embarrassment to ranking officials whose stupidity or stubborness were partly to blame for certain deaths. Add to that, sub-standard kit and equipment failures plus as we all know, carelessness and breaking SOPs by the soldiers themselves.
So it is a bit of a juggling act for lack of better words. But the truth has to be written down somewhere, for posterity if nothing else, and that's why our Archive is so important.