1 R IRISH under fire in Fermanagh and Tyrone

Event
Sat, 12/03/1988

During the weekend of 2-3 December 1988, PIRA terrorists attacked members of the 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Rangers in two separate incidents. During the evening of Friday 2 December, three terrorists fired approximately 50 rounds of automatic fire at a four man foot patrol from 9 Pl C Coy in the village of Belleek, County Fermanagh. Despite a well-planned attack by the terrorists there were no casualties to the patrol.

The following morning terrorists attempted to mortar D Company in their base at Clogher, County Tyrone. Four home made Mark 10A mortars had been mounted in a horsebox towed behind a tractor. The tractor was unable to reach its intended firing point because it could not negotiate the steep hill in the field north of the base. Nevertheless two mortars were fired, which crashed into a derelict house 250 m due east of the base close to the road used to reach the entrance of the base. There were no casualties.