1978 Crossmaglen ambush

Since the Troubles began, the South Armagh area—especially around Crossmaglen and other similar republican strongholds—was one of the most dangerous places for the British security forces, and the IRA's South Armagh brigade carried out numerous ambushes on the British Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). This included the 1975 Drummuckavall ambush[3] and the 1978 downing of a British Army Gazelle helicopter which led to the death of one British soldier and four others being seriously injured.[4]

A number of British security force members had been killed in Crossmaglen during 1978. On 4 March, Nicholas Smith (20), 7 Platoon, B Company, 2 Royal Green Jackets, was killed by an IRA booby trap bomb while attempting to remove an Irish flag from a telegraph pole in Crossmaglen.[5] On 17 June, William Turbitt (42) and Hugh McConnell (32), both Protestant RUC officers, were shot by the IRA while on mobile patrol near Crossmaglen. McConnell was killed at the scene, but Turbitt was kidnapped. The next day, a Catholic priest, Fr. Hugh Murphy, was kidnapped in retaliation but later released after appeals from Protestant clergy. The body of Turbitt was found on 10 July 1978.[6]

When the patrol was near Rio's Bar in Crossmaglen coming around a bend, a red Royal Mail-type van was spotted by the patrol's commander, Sergeant Richard Garmory.[7] The van was fitted with armour plating and was facing away from the patrol, which Garmory believed to be in a suspicious place on the other side of the street. Just as Garmory noticed what looked like boxes in the back of the van (it was sand bag covering for the IRA) IRA volunteers opened fire from the back of the van with an M60 machine gun which was fitted to the van's floor. Four other IRA volunteers armed with AR-15 ArmaLite rifles and an AK47 opened fire on the patrol and the British soldiers returned fire but did not claim any hits. A handful of Christmas shoppers scrambled for cover. Three soldiers at the front of the patrol were fatally wounded. They were treated by staff at a nearby health centre and then taken to Musgrave Park Hospital but were declared dead on arrival.[8] The soldiers killed were Graham Duggan (22), Kevin Johnson (20) and Glen Ling (18). All were members of the Grenadier Guards regiment.[9]

• Chronology of Provisional Irish Republican Army actions (1970–79)
• 1970 RUC booby-trap bombing
• Attack on Cloghoge checkpoint
• Attack on Derryard checkpoint
• Glasdrumman ambush
• Operation Conservation