Attack on Ballygawley barracks facts for kids

On 7 December 1985, a group called the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) attacked a police station in Ballygawley, County Tyrone. This police station belonged to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). During the attack, two RUC officers were killed. The building was shot at many times and then completely destroyed by a bomb. Three other officers were also hurt.

What Led to the Attack?

In 1985, a person named Patrick Kelly became a leader of the Provisional IRA East Tyrone Brigade. He and other members, Jim Lynagh and Pádraig McKearney, had an idea. They wanted to use small, mobile groups of fighters, called "flying columns," to attack and destroy isolated police and army bases. Their goal was to make these bases impossible to fix. They hoped this would create "liberated zones" where the IRA would have control. These zones would then slowly grow bigger.

Even though the main leader of the IRA, Kevin McKenna, didn't like the "flying column" idea, the IRA's Northern Command approved the plan to destroy bases. In 1985 alone, there were 44 such attacks. One of the most serious was a mortar attack on the Newry RUC police station in March of that year.

How the Attack Happened

The attack on the Ballygawley police station involved two special groups from the East Tyrone Brigade. One group was an armed assault unit, and the other was a bomb unit. There were also several teams of IRA observers watching the area. The assault team carried powerful rifles like the AK-47 and AR-15. The bomb unit was in charge of placing and setting off a 100-pound (about 45 kg) bomb. Patrick Kelly was in charge of both of these groups.

The attack began on Saturday, 7 December, at 6:55 PM. At that time, the few RUC officers working at the station were getting ready to switch shifts with other officers. As the attack started, the two guards at the entrance were immediately killed by gunfire. Their names were Constable George Gilliland and Reserve Constable William Clements. The attackers took Constable Clements' revolver.

The police station was then shot at heavily. Three other RUC officers who were inside ran to the back of the building, hoping the walls would protect them. IRA members went into the building and took important papers and weapons. The bomb was then placed inside. When it exploded, the entire police station was destroyed. Three officers were injured in the blast.

A republican magazine called IRIS Magazine described the attack. It said that one volunteer shot the two RUC men at the gate. Then, other volunteers with rifles went into the barracks, firing their weapons. After securing the building, they placed a 100-pound bomb inside. The bomb exploded, completely destroying the building after the volunteers had safely left.

The first British Army unit to arrive at the destroyed station was X Company, from the 1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

What Happened After

This attack was one of the biggest carried out by the Provisional IRA during that time. Just twelve days later, the same IRA group attacked the RUC station in Castlederg with mortars. That attack badly damaged the base and hurt four people. The Ballygawley police station was rebuilt by the Royal Engineers in 1986.

The East Tyrone IRA carried out two similar attacks in the years that followed. One was a successful attack on the Birches base in 1986. The other was an attack on the Loughgall base in 1987, which did not go as planned. In that event, eight IRA members were killed. Ballygawley itself had seen violence before, like the Ballygawley land mine attack in 1983. It also saw more violence in 1988 with the Ballygawley bus bombing, where eight British soldiers died. The gun taken from Constable Clements during the 1985 attack was later found by security forces after the Loughgall event.

The RUC police station in Ballygawley was attacked again by the East Tyrone Brigade on 7 December 1992. This attack was the first time the IRA used their new Mark-15 improvised mortar, which became known as the "Barrack Buster". Another attack with a horizontal mortar happened on 30 April 1993. This time, an RUC police patrol leaving the Ballygawley compound was targeted. According to a statement from the IRA, the projectile missed one of the vehicles, hit a wall, and exploded.

See also

• Chronology of Provisional Irish Republican Army actions (1980-1989)
• Ballygawley bus bombing
• Clive Barracks bombing
• 1993 Fivemiletown ambush
• The Troubles in Ballygawley