Dungannon land mine attack

In the Dungannon land mine attack of 16 December 1979, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) ambushed two British Army landrovers with an improvised land mine and gunfire outside Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Four British soldiers were killed in the attack.[1]

Dungannon land mine attack
Part of the Troubles and Operation Banner
Date16 December 1979
Location
Near Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
54.50°N 6.77°W / 54.50; -6.77
Result IRA victory
Belligerents
Provisional IRA (East Tyrone Brigade) United Kingdom British Army
Strength
2 active service units (bomb unit & shooting unit) 1 mobile patrol
Casualties and losses
None 4 killed, 1 vehicle destroyed
Dungannon land mine attack is located in Northern Ireland
Dungannon land mine attack
Location within Northern Ireland

Background

Since the beginning of its campaign in 1970, the Provisional IRA had carried out many improvised landmine and roadside bomb attacks on British forces in the region. In September 1972, three British soldiers were killed when their armoured vehicle was blown up by an IRA land mine at Sanaghanroe, near Dungannon.[2] In March 1974, two IRA members were killed on the Aughnacloy Road near Dungannon when the landmine they were planting exploded prematurely.[3]

On 27 August 1979, the IRA killed 18 British soldiers with roadside bombs in the Warrenpoint ambush in south County Down; the deadliest attack on British troops during the conflict.[4]

Attack

On 16 December 1979, two armoured British Army landrovers were driving along Ballygawley Road, about two miles outside Dungannon.[5] A unit of the IRA's East Tyrone Brigade had planted a 600–1,000-pound (270–450 kg)[6] improvised landmine in a culvert under the road at Glenadush.[5] When the second vehicle reached the culvert,[5] the landmine was detonated by remote control.[6] It blew the vehicle into the air and killed four soldiers outright: William Beck (23), Keith Richards (22), Simon Evans (19) and Allan Ayrton (23).[5] The IRA also opened fire on the first landrover after the blast, but there were no further casualties.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Sutton Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland: 16 December 1979". Conflict Archive on the Internet.
  2. "Sutton Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland: 10 September 1972". Conflict Archive on the Internet.
  3. "Sutton Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland: 15 March 1974". Conflict Archive on the Internet.
  4. Moloney, Ed (2007). A Secret History of the IRA (2nd ed.). Penguin Books. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-14-102876-7.
  5. McKittrick, David (2001). Lost Lives: The Stories of the Men, Women and Children who Died as a Result of the Northern Ireland Troubles. Random House. pp. 809–810.
  6. "Northern Ireland (terrorist activities) (Hansard, 17 December 1979)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
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