Attack on Ballygawley barracks

Attack on Ballygawley RUC barracks
Part of The Troubles
Date 7 December 1985 Location Ballygawley, County Tyrone 54°27′45.02″N 7°1′50″W / 54.4625056°N 7.03056°W / 54.4625056; -7.03056 Result RUC barracks completely destroyed
Belligerents
Provisional IRA	RUC
Commanders and leaders
Patrick Joseph Kelly	Unknown
Strength
2 active service units	5 constables
Casualties and losses
None	2 dead

The attack on Ballygawley RUC barracks was an attack carried out on 7 December 1985 by a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) group against a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) barracks at Ballygawley, County Tyrone. The attack left two police officers dead and resulted in the complete destruction of the barracks in the subsequent bomb explosion.

Background

Starting in early 1985, the IRA began a campaign aimed at the destruction of British Army and RUC bases in Northern Ireland. During that year alone there were 44 such attacks.^[1] Among the most devastating was the Newry mortar attack.

In Tyrone the Provisional IRA East Tyrone Brigade had during 1985 come to be led by Patrick Kelly. He began developing tactics for attacking secluded bases in Tyrone. During the same time other East Tyrone Brigade members such as Jim Lynagh and Pádraig McKearney advocated creating flying columns, attacking British security forces in larger attacks and destroying their infrastructure.

To give all these views and tactics a test the IRA Army Council authorized a large-scale attack in late 1985.^[2]

The attack

The attack involved two IRA active service units from the East Tyrone Brigade, an armed assault unit and a bomb making unit.^[3] There were also several teams of IRA observers situated in the area. The assault team were armed with AK-47 and AR-15 rifles, while the bombing unit carried a 200 pound bomb.^[4] They were all led by Patrick Kelly.

The assault was launched on Saturday 7 December at 18:55.^[5] In the initial burst of automatic fire the two guards at the entrance to the barracks were killed, Constable George Gilliland, and Reserve Constable William Clements.^[6] Constable Clement's Ruger security six revolver was taken by the attackers.^[7] The weapon was later found by the security forces after the Loughgall Ambush, 18 months later.^[8] The barracks was then raked with gunfire. Another three policemen who were inside managed to escape through the back door.^[3] The IRA members went into the building and took documents and weapons. The large bomb was placed inside and, after being detonated, destroyed the entire barracks.^[7]

The first British army unit to arrive at the barracks that evening was D Company, 1st Battalion, Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment.^[9]

Aftermath

The attack was one of the largest attacks conducted by the Provisional IRA during this period. The British Government responded by increasing Army, and especially Ulster Defence Regiment patrols, in isolated areas.^{[citation needed]} The British Army Royal Engineers rebuilt Ballygawley barracks in 1986.^[10] The East Tyrone IRA launched two similar attacks in the following years, the successful attack on the Birches base in 1986, and the ill-fated attack on Loughgall barracks in 1987, in which Patrick Joseph Kelly was killed.

See also

• Timeline of Provisional Irish Republican Army actions
• Ballygawley bus bombing

References

Further reading

• Moloney, Ed: A secret history of the IRA. Penguin Books (2002).
• Urban, Mark: Big Boys’ Rules: The SAS and the Secret Struggle Against the IRA. Faber and Faber (1992).