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Op Banner photos - some memories for the old and bold

Anyone remember them or this place
 

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Meh.

He was a vicious psychopath, a chaotic personality who hooked his criminal tendencies to the Republican cause because it was convenient. His behaviour in the end bad enough that he was disowned even by the Provies. In 1978 he organised and led the attempted murder of one of my friends, which was carried out as the man left the church, bride on his arm, on the day of his wedding (in the ROI).

Vicious bastard had the devil's own luck, the number of times he evaded capture, or survived when his muckers didn't.

Worth a Google, for his name or for 'the Border Fox' or both for details on the latter point.

Robin Hood? My arrse.
Sorry Stonker, I never came across him, fortunately so it seems!
 
Meh.

He was a vicious psychopath, a chaotic personality who hooked his criminal tendencies to the Republican cause because it was convenient. His behaviour in the end bad enough that he was disowned even by the Provies. In 1978 he organised and led the attempted murder of one of my friends, which was carried out as the man left the church, bride on his arm, on the day of his wedding (in the ROI).

Vicious bastard had the devil's own luck, the number of times he evaded capture, or survived when his muckers didn't.

Worth a Google, for his name or for 'the Border Fox' or both for details on the latter point.

Robin Hood? My arrse.

An RRF officer, used to be a platoon commander in 1st Battalion.
 
An RRF officer, used to be a platoon commander in 1st Battalion.
I'm not sure if that's a question or what?

We were at RMAS together, and at the time, we were recruit platoon commanders at Depot Queens Div.

His wife (likewise several guests and bridesmaids) was a nurse, which made an enormous difference to his survival, as did plain luck.

He was hit, IIRC, by 4 rounds of pistol ammunition, .32 I think, the first of which hit is shoulder and made him turn. The rest hit his pelvis,. All hit bone, flattened, and stopped, causing no more than flesh wounds.

The rotation the first rounds caused served to ensure that when he was shot with both barrels of a 12 bore (sawed off), his flank was towards the muzzle, which meant that his vital organs were untouched, since most of the pellets lodged in the flesh and fatty tissues there*

Even so, he was grievously hurt - close to death, in truth - and there was something of a diplomatic incident as a consequence, but (IIRC) it culminated with him being casevaced to Woolwich by Wessex helo, after which Dublin (whose SB had been made aware of the nuptials, and done sweet FA by way of precautionary planning) simply STFU.
- - -
* It's been a year or two since I saw him, but he was still squeezing the odd shotgun pellet out of his body, as a matter of routine while sitting in a hot bath . .
 
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fortunately
Indeed. His name became the one which was used to bait the toms on patrol; a psychopathic nut by any standard. One company in residence while I lived in my garden shed in the Keady station had a good answer; one of their Cpls was a champion shot, and they would reply to the baiting by telling the usual suspects that the Gillie was on the hunt, was being fed intelligence by the SAS etc, and had been given a Superexpensive Special NightSight which could see through hedges, and O'Hare would get it between the eyes. As usual, this story got around (rather like the 'Black Box' with a red and a green bulb on top, used for P Checks) and their tour was fairly uneventful - O'Hare was arrested in the south about halfway through it, as I recollect,
 
I'm not sure if that's a question or what?

We were at RMAS together, and at the time, we were recruit platoon commanders at Depot Queens Div.

His wife (likewise several guests and bridesmaids) was a nurse, which made an enormous difference to his survival, as did plain luck.

He was hit, IIRC, by 4 rounds of pistol ammunition, .32 I think, the first of which hit is shoulder and made him turn. The rest hit his pelvis,. All hit bone, flattened, and stopped, causing no more than flesh wounds.

The rotation the first rounds caused served to ensure that when he was shot with both barrels of a 12 bore (sawed off), his flank was towards the muzzle, which meant that his vital organs were untouched, since most of the pellets lodged in the flesh and fatty tissues there*

Even so, he was grievously hurt - close to death, in truth - and there was something of a diplomatic incident as a consequence, but (IIRC) it culminated with him being casevaced to Woolwich by Wessex helo, after which Dublin (whose SB had been made aware of the nuptials, and done sweet FA by way of precautionary planning) simply STFU.
- - -
* It's been a year or two since I saw him, but he was still squeezing the odd shotgun pellet out of his body, as a matter of routine while sitting in a hot bath . .

No, it's not a question. He was a Platoon Commander.in the company I was in.
 
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Indeed. His name became the one which was used to bait the toms on patrol; a psychopathic nut by any standard. One company in residence while I lived in my garden shed in the Keady station had a good answer; one of their Cpls was a champion shot, and they would reply to the baiting by telling the usual suspects that the Gillie was on the hunt, was being fed intelligence by the SAS etc, and had been given a Superexpensive Special NightSight which could see through hedges, and O'Hare would get it between the eyes. As usual, this story got around (rather like the 'Black Box' with a red and a green bulb on top, used for P Checks) and their tour was fairly uneventful - O'Hare was arrested in the south about halfway through it, as I recollect,
He's a Wiki page documenting his history of violence:
Dessie O'Hare - Wikipedia

And the years have not wearied him, by the looks of this. Still as nasty at 62 as he was at 22:
'Border Fox' Dessie O'Hare bailed as he awaits trial decision - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk
 
Stonker, How on earth was that officer allowed to get married in County Meath. I feel he put his head above the parapet there! During the many funerals around and about South Armagh there was always a few Pls to cordon off the area, also the usual chopper. The officer was certainly a target long before he got there, The Banns would have been read announcing his arrival.
 
Stonker, How on earth was that officer allowed to get married in County Meath. I feel he put his head above the parapet there! During the many funerals around and about South Armagh there was always a few Pls to cordon off the area, also the usual chopper. The officer was certainly a target long before he got there, The Banns would have been read announcing his arrival.

I got married to wife #2 in a small Catholic Church in Belfast. The Banns were not read for security reasons.
 
Stonker, How on earth was that officer allowed to get married in County Meath. I feel he put his head above the parapet there! During the many funerals around and about South Armagh there was always a few Pls to cordon off the area, also the usual chopper. The officer was certainly a target long before he got there, The Banns would have been read announcing his arrival.
Went through all due military/diplomatic process as required at the time, as I understand it - hence it's a fact that the local (Oirish) Special Branch were made aware, but put in place no precautions of any kind.

As for your other point: indeed, yes.
 
Went through all due military/diplomatic process as required at the time, as I understand it - hence it's a fact that the local (Oirish) Special Branch were made aware, but put in place no precautions of any kind.

As for your other point: indeed, yes.
What year did the shooting happen?
 
Although not a photo, there was a video shown on the NIRT course that always brought a smile. I wish I could find a copy

The scene is of a line of protesters facing off a line of police behind riot shields. A young woman steps forward towards the police. Two of the riot shields part and a police officer sticks his head out. The woman smiles and holds up a flower to the police officer. The officer looks down at the flower and then wacks the lass over the head with a riot baton.

Yeah remember that video well the other i remember was the FRG getting fired and it hit the bloke in the bollocks he went straight down.
 

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