| Attack on Derryard PVC | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theTroubles andOperation Banner | |||||||
 Republican memorial atCarragunt bridge, on the border betweenNorthern Ireland and theRepublic, often crossed byProvisional IRA forces during the Troubles to attack British targets inside County Fermanagh | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Provisional IRA |  United Kingdom• .svg) British Army•  RUC | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Thomas Murphy Michael Ryan | Corporal Robert Duncan | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1Improvised armoured vehicle 11 in attacking unit 9 providing tactical support | 9 in the complex[1] 4 on nearby patrol 1 helicopter | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None | 2 killed 2 wounded | ||||||
  Location within Northern Ireland | |||||||
On 13 December 1989 theProvisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) attacked aBritish Army permanent vehicle checkpoint complex manned by theKing's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSB) near theNorthern Ireland–Republic of Ireland border at Derryardtownland, a few miles north ofRosslea,County Fermanagh. The IRA unit, firing from the back of anarmoured dump truck, attacked the small base with heavy machine-guns, grenades, anti-tank rockets and aflamethrower. A nearby Army patrol arrived at the scene and a fierce firefight erupted. The IRA withdrew after leaving avan bomb inside the complex, but the device did not fully detonate. The assault on the outpost left two soldiers dead and two wounded.
According to journalistEd Moloney, theIRA Army Council, suspecting a great deal of infiltration bydouble agents at thegrassroots level of the IRA, decided to form an experimentalflying column (instead of the usualactive service unit) to mount a large-scale operation against a permanent vehicle checkpoint along the border. It hoped that this would prevent any information leak that could result in another fiasco like theLoughgall Ambush of 1987.[2]
Moloney maintains that the planning was in the charge ofThomas Murphy, alleged leader of theSouth Armagh Brigade, and that the raid was to be led byEast Tyrone Brigade member Michael "Pete" Ryan. Journalist Ian Bruce instead claims that the IRA unit was led by anIrish citizen who had served in theParachute Regiment, citing intelligence sources.[3] The column was made up of about 20 experienced IRAvolunteers from throughout Northern Ireland, 11 of whom would carry out the attack itself.[2] Bruce reported that IRA members fromCounty Monaghan, supported by local Fermanagh militants, carried out the raid.[3]
The target was a permanent vehicle checkpoint at Derryard. Described as a "mini base", it included an accommodation block and defensivesangars.[1] It was manned by eight soldiers of the 1st Battalion,King's Own Scottish Borderers and aRoyal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officer.[1] The 11 IRA members would be driven to the checkpoint in the back of a makeshiftBedford armoured dumper truck. They were armed with 7.62mmAK-47s, 5.56mmArmalite AR-18s, two 12.7mmDShK heavy machine-guns,RPG-7s, different kinds ofgrenades, and aLPO-50flamethrower.[4][5] The heavy machine guns and the flamethrower were mounted on a tripod on the lorry bed.[5] To assure widespread destruction, the column would detonate avan bomb after the initial assault.[2]
The attack took place shortly after 4 p.m.[6] IRA members sealed off roads leading to the checkpoint in an attempt to prevent civilians from getting caught up in the attack.[2] The truck was driven from the border and halted at the checkpoint. As Private James Houston began to check the back of the truck, the IRA opened fire with assault rifles and threw grenades into the compound.[4] Two RPG-7s were fired at the observation sangar while the flamethrower stream was directed at the command sangar. Heavy shooting continued as the truck reversed and smashed through the gates of the compound.[1][4] At least three IRA volunteers dismounted inside the checkpoint and sprayed the portacabins with gunfire and the flamethrower's fire stream, while throwing grenades andnail bombs.[1][7] The defenders were forced to seek shelter in sangars, from where they fired into their own base.[1] A farmer some distance away saw an orange ball of flames and heard gunfire 'raking the fields'.[6] As the truck drove out of the now wrecked compound, a red transit van loaded with a 400 lb (182 kg) bomb[2] was driven inside and set to detonate once the IRA unit had made its escape. However, only the booster charge exploded.[4]
The attack was finally repulsed by a four-men Bordererssection from the checkpoint that was patrolling nearby, with the support of aWessex helicopter. The patrol fired more than 100 rounds at the IRA unit.[1][4] The Wessex received gunfire, and was forced to take evasive action.[8] The IRA column, at risk of being surrounded, broke toward the border in the armoured truck.[2][9] It was found abandoned at the border with a 460-pound (210 kg) bomb on board.[1]
Two soldiers were killed in the attack: Private James Houston (22) from England and Lance-Corporal Michael Patterson (21) from Scotland.[6] Corporal Whitelaw was badly wounded by shrapnel[10][7] and later airlifted for treatment.[1] Another soldier suffered minor injuries.[11]
There was outrage in Westminster and amongunionists, as a supposedly well-defended border post had been overrun by the IRA and two soldiers killed. On the other hand, according to Moloney, there was also some disappointment among republicans. Despite the positive propaganda effect, the quick and strong reaction from the outpost's defenders convinced some high-ranking IRA members that the Army Council had been infiltrated by amole.[12]
A senior British military officer, when quizzed about the IRA attack, said:
They are murdering bastards, but they are not cowards. This team actually pressed home a ground attack right into the heart of the compound. That takes guts when there are people firing back.[1]
KOSB officers and security sources believed that the IRA unit involved was not locally recruited, putting the blame instead on IRA members fromClogher (County Tyrone) andSouth Monaghan (in the Republic).[1] The same sources said that the attack was executed "in true backside-or-bust Para style".[3]
Major Bob Andrew, the KOSB garrison commander atCookstown, went on to say:
The Provos in Belfast or Londonderry tend to stage incidents timed to catch the six o'clock news. The people down here are out to inflict casualties on us. They are a harder breed entirely, and very, very dangerous. This has always been a committed Republican area. The cowboy element was caught or shot years ago. What we have now is an experienced, professional enemy with enormous local support. They should never be underestimated. That can be fatal. Last year, they mortared the unit in our base at 10 minutes to midnight onHogmanay, hoping to catch them off-guard. That's a measure of their calculating approach.[1]
After the action of Derryard, the British Army in Northern Ireland were issued the French designedLuchaire 40mm rifle grenade, fitted on the muzzle of theSA80 rifle. This gave the troops a lightweight armour piercing capability to deal with the threat imposed by improvised armoured vehicles.[7] Permanent checkpoints along the border were also fitted withGPMG machine guns.[7] From 1990 until the end of the IRA campaign in 1997, there were a number of further bloodless, small-scale attacks against permanent vehicle checkpoints along this part of the border using automatic weapons andimprovised mortars, particularly in County Fermanagh[13][14] and against a military outpost atAughnacloy, County Tyrone.[15][16]
Two soldiers, Corporal Robert Duncan and Lance Corporal Ian Harvey, were bestowed theDistinguished Conduct Medal (DCM),[17] whilst Lance-Corporal Patterson received a posthumousmention in dispatches for his actions during the attack. The checkpoint at Derryard was dismantled, along others in the area, in March 1991,[18][19] as part of a major border security re-arrangement codenamed Operation Mutilate.[20]
