Dungiven landmine and gun attack facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dungiven landmine and gun attack |
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| Part of the Troubles and Operation Banner | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Provisional IRA |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Unknown | Sergeant Stuart Reid † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1 army convoy | |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None | 3 killed 7 wounded 1 vehicle destroyed 1 vehicle damaged |
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On 24 June 1972, a serious event happened in a rural area called Crabarkey, near Dungiven in Northern Ireland. The Provisional IRA, a group involved in the Troubles, used a hidden bomb to attack a British Army vehicle. This attack killed three soldiers. It was one of many similar events that took place during the 1970s.
The Attack in Crabarkey
The attack happened early in the morning on June 24, 1972. It took place on the main A6 road, which connects Belfast to Derry, just outside Dungiven. A Land Rover carrying British Army soldiers was driving ahead of a large truck. The truck was moving a damaged helicopter to RAF Aldergrove.
The bomb was hidden inside two milk churns, which are large metal containers. The bomb weighed about 120 pounds (54 kg). Members of the IRA were hiding about 200 yards away. They set off the bomb using a wire as the army convoy passed by.
The explosion hit the Land Rover, killing three soldiers and injuring four others. Right after the bomb went off, the IRA unit also shot at the truck that was following the Land Rover. This gunfire wounded three more soldiers, including the helicopter pilot.
The three soldiers who died in the blast were:
- Lance-Corporal David Moon (24)
- Private Christopher Stevenson (24)
- Sergeant Stuart Reid (28)
After the Attack
Later, a farmer named Malachy Bernard O'Kane was found responsible for the attack. He was given a long prison sentence. About a year after he was sent to prison, his mother and two brothers tried to help him escape from Magilligan Prison. Their plan was for one brother to pretend to be Malachy and swap places with him. However, they were all caught.
Malachy O'Kane was later released from prison. He tried to become a politician for the Sinn Féin party in 1997 but did not win. However, in the same year, he was elected to the Limavady Council.
See also
