Timeline of British undercover forces in Operation Banner facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

During a difficult time in Northern Ireland called The Troubles (from 1969 to 1998), the British Army and a police force called the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) carried out secret operations. These operations involved undercover soldiers and police officers. This timeline lists some of these secret missions that led to people being killed or injured. It includes actions by special groups like the SAS, 14 Intelligence Company, the Military Reaction Force (MRF), and RUC Special Patrol Group and Special Branch.

Dates where three or more people died are marked in bold.

1970s

1972: Secret Operations Begin

15 April – Two Catholic brothers, Gerry and John Conway, were shot and wounded by three men in plain clothes in Belfast. Witnesses saw these men talk to uniformed soldiers in armored vehicles before leaving. The British Army said they had fired back at wanted men. Later, a former MRF member said he was one of the gunmen. In 2020, a court ordered money to be paid to John Conway's family, confirming the brothers were shot by a special unit.
6 May – An 18-year-old boy was shot and hurt by the MRF in west Belfast.
7 May – A 15-year-old boy was shot and hurt by the MRF outside a disco in west Belfast.
9 May – The MRF fired shots at a car in west Belfast, but no one was hurt.
12 May – Patrick McVeigh, a 44-year-old Catholic man, was shot dead by the MRF in Belfast. Four other people were also injured.
12 May – Later that night, the MRF shot and injured an 18-year-old man in west Belfast.
26 May – The MRF shot and injured a 34-year-old man in north Belfast.
22 June – In the afternoon, the MRF shot and injured four people in west Belfast.
26 June – Daniel Rooney, a 19-year-old Catholic man, was shot dead by the MRF in Belfast. Another 18-year-old man was also injured.
Between April and June 1972, at least two people were killed and 13 injured by the MRF.
2 October – The Provisional IRA Belfast Brigade attacked the MRF after learning about their secret operations. They attacked a laundry van and a massage parlor, which were secret MRF bases. The IRA claimed they killed five undercover soldiers, but the British Army only said one driver was killed.

1973: Undercover Snipers

4 February – Four men, including an IRA member and three civilians, were shot dead by British undercover snipers in the New Lodge area of Belfast. This event is also known as the New Lodge Six shooting.

1974: Undercover Deaths

14 April – Captain Anthony Pollen was shot dead by the IRA in Derry. He was secretly watching a protest.
3 August – IRA member Martin Skillen was shot dead by soldiers from a secret British Army post in a cinema along the Falls Road.

1976: SAS Actions

March 1976 – The SAS, a special British Army unit, secretly crossed the border into the Republic of Ireland. They took Sean McKenna, an IRA member, from his home while he was sleeping. He was then officially arrested by other British soldiers.
16 April – Peter Cleary, an IRA member, was shot dead by the SAS in south Armagh near his sister's home.
5 May – The Irish Army and police (Garda Síochána) arrested an 8-man SAS unit. The SAS team had accidentally crossed into the Republic of Ireland during a secret mission. They had weapons in their car and surrendered when the Irish Army appeared.
2 November – The IRA shot dead Noel McCabe, an undercover RUC officer, while he was in his car in Belfast.

1977: More Undercover Deaths

16 January – Seamus Harvey, an IRA member, was shot dead by four SAS soldiers in Armagh.
15 May – Captain Robert Nairac was kidnapped while on a secret mission in a pub in south Armagh. He was shot by the IRA, and his body was never found.
12 December – Colm “Rooster” McNutt, an INLA member, was shot dead by the 14 Intelligence Company in Derry.
14 December – Corporal Paul Harman was shot dead by the IRA in west Belfast. He was undercover when his car was attacked and set on fire.

1978: SAS and IRA Clashes

26 February – Paul Duffy, an IRA member, was shot by the SAS at a farm in County Tyrone while getting hidden weapons. He was the first IRA member killed by special forces outside of south Armagh.
17 March – During a gunfight between the SAS and IRA near Maghera, the IRA killed SAS Lance-Corporal David Jones. The SAS badly injured and arrested Francis Hughes, an IRA commander.
10 June – Denis Heaney, an IRA member, was shot dead by soldiers from the 14 Intelligence Company while trying to steal a car in Derry.
21 June – Three IRA members were shot and killed by the SAS in Belfast while trying to plant a bomb. They were Denis Brown, William Mailey, and John Mulvenna. An Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) member, William Hanna, was also shot by the SAS.
11 July – John Boyle, a 16-year-old Catholic civilian, was shot dead by the SAS in County Antrim near a hidden IRA weapons store.
11 August – Lance Corporal Alan Swift was shot dead while undercover in Derry. Two IRA members fired into his car.
30 September – James Taylor, a Protestant civilian, was shot dead by the SAS in County Tyrone.
24 November – Patrick Duffy, a 50-year-old IRA member, was shot dead by the SAS in Derry.

1979: Undercover Officers Killed

6 May – Sergeant Robert Maughan from the 14 Intelligence Company and Norman Prue, an undercover RUC officer, were both shot dead by the IRA in Lisnaskea. They were sitting in a parked car outside a church.

1980s

1980: Senior Officer Killed

2 May – SAS Captain Herbert Richard Westmacott was killed by an IRA unit in Belfast during a shootout. He was one of the most senior British Army officers killed by the IRA during The Troubles.

1981: Intelligence Company Action

28 May – IRA members George McBrearty and Charles Maguire were shot dead by the 14 Intelligence Company in south Derry.

1982: Shoot-to-Kill Allegations

11 November – Three unarmed IRA members, Sean Burns, Eugene Toman, and Gervaise McKerr, were killed at an RUC checkpoint in Lurgan. This led to claims that the police had a "shoot-to-kill" policy, meaning they were trying to kill rather than arrest suspects. Three officers were later found not guilty, with the judge praising their actions.
24 November – Michael Tighe was killed, and his friend Martin McCauley was wounded by an RUC undercover unit near Lurgan. This incident also fueled claims of a "shoot-to-kill" policy.
12 December – Two INLA members, Seamus Grew and Roddy Carroll, were shot dead by the same RUC units at a checkpoint in County Armagh. This happened just six days after the INLA carried out a bombing that killed 17 people.

1983: More Undercover Operations

2 February – Eugene McMonagle, an INLA member, was shot dead by the 14 Intelligence Company near County Londonderry.
13 August – Undercover RUC officers shot dead two INLA members, Gerard Mallon and Brendan Convery, as they were about to attack RUC officers in Dungannon.
4 December – IRA members Brian Campbell and Com McGirrr were shot dead by the SAS in Tyrone.

1984: Deadly Ambushes

21 February – A gun battle broke out between an IRA unit and the 14 Intelligence Company. IRA members Henry Hogan and Declan Martin were killed. One British undercover soldier, Sergeant Paul Oram, was also killed.
2 December – An IRA unit was ambushed by the SAS in Kesh, west County Fermanagh. IRA member Kieran Fleming was killed, and two others were captured. A SAS soldier, Lance Corporal Alistair Slater, was also killed.
6 December – Two IRA members, William Fleming and Danny Doherty, were shot by the SAS in Derry while on a motorbike. William Fleming was the brother of Kieran Fleming, who died four days earlier.

1985: Strabane Ambush

23 February – A three-man IRA unit was ambushed and killed by the SAS in Strabane, County Tyrone. Those killed were Charles Breslin and brothers Michael and David Devine. David Devine, at 16, was the youngest IRA member killed by enemy forces.

1986: SAS Kills Commander

26 April – Séamus McElwaine, an IRA commander, was shot dead by the SAS while preparing an ambush near Rosslea, County Fermanagh. Another IRA member, Sean Lynch, was badly injured.

1987: Loughgall and RUC Deaths

8 May – Loughgall Ambush – The IRA suffered its biggest loss since 1921 when the SAS ambushed them at Loughgall police station. The SAS had received a tip-off about the planned attack. Eight experienced IRA members were killed, along with a civilian named Oliver Hughes. His brother was also badly injured.
26 August – IRA members shot dead two plainclothes RUC officers in a bar in Belfast. The IRA claimed the officers were part of the RUC Special Branch and were watching Republicans.

1988: Gibraltar and Corporals Killings

6 March – Operation Flavius – Three unarmed IRA members were killed by the SAS in Gibraltar. They were Seán Savage, Daniel McCann, and Mairéad Farrell, who were senior IRA members.
19 March – Corporals killings – Two undercover British Army corporals, Derek Wood and David Howes, were attacked by a crowd at an IRA funeral in Belfast and shot dead by the IRA.
4 July – Kenneth Stronge, a Protestant civilian, was shot dead by the SAS while driving his taxi past an RUC station.
30 August – Ambush at Drumnakilly – Three IRA members, brothers Gerard and Martin Harte, and their brother-in-law Brian Mullin, were ambushed and killed by the SAS. They were trying to kill a UDR soldier.

1989: Undercover Soldier Kills UVF Member

2 September – A female undercover British soldier shot dead Brian Robinson, a UVF member. He and another UVF member had just shot and killed a Catholic civilian in Belfast and were escaping on a motorbike.

1990s

1990: More Fatal Encounters

13 January – Three Catholic men, who had no links to paramilitary groups and were escaping after robbing a shop, were shot dead by an undercover British army unit in west Belfast.
24 March – A gun battle happened between an IRA unit and undercover British forces in County Tyrone. An undercover agent's car was fired upon by IRA members. No British soldiers were hurt.
6 May – A British soldier was shot dead when an IRA unit attacked a British Army observation post in County Armagh. This was part of a secret operation to lure an IRA unit into an ambush.
9 October – Two wanted IRA members, Martin McCaughey and Dessie Grew, were ambushed and shot dead by the 14 Intelligence Company while returning weapons to a hidden store in Loughgall.
22 November – Undercover British soldiers shot dead Alexander Patterson, an INLA member, as he tried to kill an off-duty soldier in Strabane.

1991: Coagh Ambush

3 June – Coagh ambush – Three IRA members, Tony Doris, Michael "Pete" Ryan, and Lawrence McNally, were shot and killed by the SAS in an ambush in County Tyrone. A UDR soldier was used as bait to draw the unit out.

1992: Clonoe and Falls Road Shootings

16 February – Clonoe ambush – Two IRA units attacked an RUC station in Coalisland, County Tyrone. One of the units was ambushed by the SAS shortly after firing on the police base. Four IRA members were killed: Patrick Vincent, Peter Clancy, Kevin O'Donnell, and Sean O'Farrell.
25 November – Pearse Jordan, an unarmed IRA member, was shot dead on the Falls Road in Belfast by an undercover RUC patrol. He was given no chance to surrender.

1993: Fivemiletown Ambush

12 December – Fivemiletown ambush – IRA members ambushed and killed two RUC officers, Constables Andrew Beacom and Ernest Smith, in Fivemiletown, County Tyrone. They were patrolling in a civilian car. Later, an IRA unit fired at a British Army helicopter.

1997: Last Encounters

26 March – 1997 Coalisland attack – Undercover British soldiers shot and seriously injured 19-year-old Gareth Doris after an IRA bomb was thrown at an Army/RUC base in Coalisland, County Tyrone. The soldiers left the scene under police protection after being surrounded by a crowd and firing shots into the air.
10 April – A group of 16 undercover SAS members captured four IRA members from a sniper team in South Armagh. They handed them over to the RUC. The SAS had strict orders to avoid killing IRA members because a ceasefire was expected.
10 June – An IRA unit fired at undercover soldiers in a stationary van in Derry. No injuries were reported, but families were moved from the area while experts examined the abandoned van.

1998: Friendly Fire Incident

14 January – A "friendly-fire" incident happened in Belfast between an RUC patrol and two unmarked British Army vehicles. The RUC chased the army cars, and one crashed. A female undercover soldier shot and seriously wounded an RUC officer in the chest as his patrol approached the vehicle.