The Roslea Attacks
Introduction
from Chronology
On the night of March 22nd, the IRA launched attacks on 14 (or 21) homes in the Roslea area of Co. Fermanagh - mostly the homes of B members of the newly formed Ulster Special Constabulary (USC). These attacks led to the deaths of two Special Constables and one young Catholic.
More Detail
The two Special Constables killed are S/Sgt Samuel Nixon and S/Sgt
William Gorden. S/Sgt Nixon was killed after he
surrendered. According to Abbott and Lawlor, another man who was in S/Sgt
Gorden's house was taken from the house and badly
beaten. They say that he later died of his wounds. Lynch says that “another local man was taken
from his house and bludgeoned to death” (Lynch (2006), pg
53). O’Halpin
and Ó Corráin make no mention of the man in S/Sgt Gorden’s house or other local man but do say that the house
of Sgt Joseph Douglas near Clones in Co. Monaghan was also attacked on this
night. They say that Douglas was taken
from his home and badly beaten and that he was initially reported to have died.
O’Halpin and Ó Corráin
name some of the other houses attacked on this night as belonging to Edward
Nelson; Thomas Lester, William Andrews, William Leary, John Johnston and Mrs Megwood.
Later, the USC kill a young Catholic, Francis Connolly. The USC allege
that he was carrying a rifle but he was not a member of the IRA.
Matt Fitzpatrick, O/C 1st (Clones) Battalion, Monaghan Brigade, IRA (and one of the leaders of the raids) was wounded and captured – see Mar-30-21/3.
It would seem that these attacks were ordered by Eoin O’Duffy of the Monaghan Brigade of IRA with (initially
reluctant) help from the South Armagh Brigade under Frank Aiken. They were ordered in retaliation of the
earlier burning (in late February) of nationalist houses in Roslea
by the Specials which in turn arose from the wounding of a ‘notorious’ Special
on February 21st (see Feb-21-21/3). The
attack on Lester was ordered because of his intimation of young
nationalists.
Commenting on these killings and
attack on houses, O’Halpin and Ó Corráin
say that they suggest that “under O’Duffy the IRA
carried out sectarian operations in much the same manner as had been so
strongly deplored when loyalists attacked nationalist communities
indiscriminately in Belfast, Derry and Lisburn” (O’Halpin
and Ó Corráin (2020), pg
353. The strange word in this comment is
“indiscriminately”. As have been seen,
attacks in Derry City and Belfast were truly indiscriminate in the sense that
it was frequently random Catholics and Protestants who were attacked and
killed. For example, during the major
riots in Derry City in June 1920 (see Jun-18 to 26- 20/1), fourteen Catholics
and six Protestants were killed (with one of the Protestants killed by loyalists). As far as came be discerned, all of the
Catholics and Protestants were civilians.
Similarly, during the major riots in Belfast in July 1920 (see Jul 21 to
25-20/1) at least twenty-one people were killed or fatally wounded in Belfast
of whom eleven were Catholics and ten were Protestants. Most of the people killed were not members of
any paramilitary organisations. Most of
people killed in both Derry City and Belfast were killed indiscriminately in
what can clearly said to be sectarian killings. Conversely, the attacks in Roslea
were planned attacks on chosen targets.
According to Lynch, the date of exactly one month after the USC burning
of houses in Roslea (see Feb-21-21/3) was chosen
because “O’Duffy wished to make it clear that the IRA
operation was a reprisal” (Lynch (2006), pg 52). According to Lawlor, the “month had been used
to gather intelligence on where Special Constables lived in the Roslea district and how best to attack and burn their
homes” (Lawlor (2011), pg 117). Lawlor points out
that one of the people engaged in gathering intelligence on the Special
Constables was Paddy Colgan of the Wattlebridge
Company of the IRA. His job was “to
collect milk from farmers in the Roslea district and
take it to the creamery. As a result, he knew every farmyard in the area and
the layout of the houses” (Lawlor (2011), pg
117). Whatever else can be said about
the killing of the two Special Constables and the other attacks in Roslea, they were not indiscriminate.
When news of the killing of the two Special Constables in Roslea reached Belfast, trouble broke out in the York St. area with an exchange of gunfire. This led to the death of Annie Jamison or Jamieson (who was a Catholic from Moffat St.) on Vere St and the wounding of Robert McCracken, who had gone to her aid. Jamison was probably shot by a loyalist sniper. This could be much more accurately be described as an indiscriminate killing. (Two Catholic brothers were charged with her murder but were acquitted.)