Graham DUGGAN, Kevin Leo JOHNSON, Glen LING

Lest We Forget.
RG. I was the muliple commander My call sign was 24L My multiple was responsible for the XMG town patrol I had split my multiple into three bricks one in the north one in the south and one in the middle!
I was patrolling along the castleblanny road when we heard a shot from the direction of the camp we legged it back towards the square only to be told that the shot was a ND from a sanger sentry! rather than create a pattern I did not return to the Castleblany Road and went down the Newry road This road was the only road that led away from the border! As we approached the Rio bar I noticed a van on myside of the road 50 meters away half palked on the pavement it was like the old British mail delivery vans with 18 tailboard which was up and the roller shutter type which was also up it appeared full of boxes which went all the way up to the roof! I put my slr into the shoulder to look through suite sight and then many things happened at once!
As I looked through the sight I saw four slits cut in the boxes, My safety catch was coming off on to full auto ( I had converted my rifle to fire on full auto! and I fired a full mag into the back of the wagon every third round in my mag was tracer which I could see was hitting the wagon and going straight up in the air the wagon was armour plated! they opened fire at the same time with three M16's and one AK47 when my mag was empty I ducked back behind a wall and saw that all of hy men were down I gave a brief contact report and ran back to graham who had the LMG I Let them have the whole mag of this weapon also ran over the road to Kevin and took his rifle fired half a mag at a now retreating vehicle! How they missed me I will never Know!
I was under fire most of the time and could see the rounds hitting all around me had a couple of holes through my smock and was deaf for hours after! a very sad day for me! Did my best to save them! But to no avail
The day this happened was Thursday 21st December 1978 names of the lads killed were Guardsman Graham Duggan, Guardsman Kevin Johnson and Guardsman Glen Ling.
Murdered by the P.I.R.A
Rest In Peace

Permission granted for upload, by the author, Andy Gamble

Thanks, Andy

Additional informatin courtsey of the Armed Forces Memorial N.M.A. and NIVA

DUGGAN, Graham Robert, Guardsman 24407341, killed aged 22. He is at rest St Mary's, Lyme, Cheshire.

JOHNSON Kevin Leo. Guardsman 24355102, killed aged 20. He is at rest in Carleton Cemetery, Stocks Lane, Poulton le Fylde, Lancashire.

LING Glen Norman. Guardsman 24464123, killed aged 18. He was born at Saxmundham, Suffolk.

All three were casvaced to Musgrave Park Hospital, Military Wing, South Belfast. but were dead on arrival.