1977-78

5 Pl. members at Bessbrook Mill waiting to fly in to Crossmaglen - l to R. ?,
Andy begley, Davie Senior, Wacker Mc Bride and Mick Cooke.

John Saxelby, Sigs Cpl. and Capt. James Robertson-McLeod, Coy 2i/c B Coy

Gerry Copp, Paddy Maher and Arthur Bradbury, all 5 Pl. NCO’s, at Bessbrook Mill, 2 November 1977.

The TV room at Crossmaglen, Andy Maple standing side-on, Rfn. Dalton with cup. Steve batty next to him and possibly Rf. Murphy right below Steve and partially obscured.

Sgt. Ray Bennett MM , Platoon Sgt of 5 Platoon, on a patrol some weeks before he was severely injured in an explosion near the Border.

Barry Kavanagh and I outside Crossmaglen in 1978

Jim Hooton (RIP), Barry Kavanagh, Lt. .Mostyn and Gerry Copp. Extreme left in background is Taff Dwyer

Cpl. Paddy Maher and L/Cpl/ Barry Kavanagh, 5 pl., on return from a fairly mucky rural patrol, as they always were!

Sgt. Ray Bennett again, inside Crossmaglen RUC Station/Base. Conditions were cramped in the extreme with only two of the platoons, 5 & 6 accommodated in the “Hardened” area, safe from mortar-attack. Poor old 7 Platoon (and the officers and sets in fairness) were in wooden huts protected only by chicken-wire and creosote !

Barry Kavanagh and Rfn. John Dalton on Barry’s bunk after a patrol. The bunks were three high and although the room was designed for 9 men it actually held 18! Privacy was non-existent.

Call-sign 21B, L. to R., Steve McCoy, Wacker McBride, Dave Senior and Paddy Maher, patrol commander. We didn’t call them “bricks” at the time. This is at the front-gate of Crossmaglen with the Loading bay in the background and just prior to going on Town patrol, hence no cam-cream..Each patrol had either a GPMG or an LMG and there was a 24hr presence in the town with two Saracens under command. Crossmaglen was not a big town at the time, but it was very dangerous.

Dave Senior and Dave Payne (who was on a years attachment from the TA at the time) at the foot of the Barucki Sangar in XMG town-centre. It was named after Pte. Barucki of the Paras who was killed nearby and placed to dominate the Market Square in which a significant number of soldiers of all regiments had been killed and wounded. The photo was taken some hours after an IED had been placed by the wire gate where Dave S is standing, a disturbance had been staged in order to distract the two guys in the hangar (“Doc” Savage and “Czar” Shamlian) with the intention of killing one or both of the reliefs when they arrived. Fortunately it was spotted By Dave Senior as he passed-by on a foot-patrol and then destroyed by ATO once the sangar had been evacuated. The debris on the ground by the lads feet is the result. This happened on the first month of the tour.

Padddy Maher in one of the Saracens used to support foot-patrols in the town. They were restricted to the town itself and never used outside due to the threat of IED’s (the Welsh Guards lost three men when one was blown up a few years previously) The .30 Browning provided welcome reassurance and there was always an urn of hot tea in the rear for refreshments, patrols were typically y 4 hours long so it was very welcome, NI is cold in winter! The damage to the Bar Armour at top-right was caused by the IED which killed Rfn. Nicky Smith in March ’78 (RIP). The M79 was usually carried on rural patrols.

Paddy Maher on patrol on the edge of Crossmaglen.

Barry Kavanagh and Rfn “Jock” Scannell in the background, the cramped conditions are obvious. Taken just before a meal by the looks of it.

End of tour, messing about at the Heli-pad gate and waiting to fly out. L. to R., Cpl Arthur “Brad” Bradbury, L/Cpl. Gerry Copp, Paddy Maher, lt. Phillip Mostyn, OC 5 Platoon, Ian Lindsay (Coy. Clerk) and Dave Picket, signaller. The Cpl. in the centre background looks to be Rich Gimmick of 7 platoon.