Sent: Mon, 19 Nov
2012 14:08
Subject: The Derryard Attack
Sir,
What a blast from the Past! I’d thought the King’s Own Scottish Borderers had long since vanished
together with other vestiges of a sad past.
They were best, if that’s the right word, remembered in Ireland for firing on unarmed Dubliners,
killing four and wounding others,including Luke Kelly, (whose son, also called Luke. won fame with “THE DUBLINERS” ) at Bachelor’s Walk, on Sunday 26th July 1914.
I don‘t know whether the Regiment commissioned a painting of the incident, but the funeral of those killed can be seen on British Pathe Newsreels accessible on the internet.
Nine days later Britain went to war with Germany.
Nine days before Britain went to war with Germany in 1939, an IRA bomb left in Coventry killed British civilians.
In 1940 two IRA men were hanged for that incident.
Asymmetric Warfare or Asymmetrical Warfare is a term used by theorists such as General Kitson to describe wars such as those in Malaya, Kenya, Cyprus and Ireland where Kitson earned his spurs and his various Orders of Chivalry.
Asymmetrical Justice seems to have applied as no soldiers suffered for the first incident.
Yours faithfully
Donal Kennedy
London
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