Thread by @SEFFLisnaskea

SEFF remembers Kings Own Scottish Borderers L/Cpl Michael Paterson, 21, from Edinburgh & Private James Houston, 22, married with a child, from Essex, murdered by PIRA following a sustained & unusually large scale attack on a permanent vehicle checkpoint at Derryard on 13/12/89...

..It was believed that more than 2 dozen IRA men were involved. It was the 1st time a flamethrower had been used.
Around 4:00pm a high-sided lorry was backed into an enclosed area of the checkpoint Two soldiers approached the lorry when the driver sounded the horn. PIRA, hiding..

..in the back of the lorry opened fire with assault rifles & lobbed grenades.
Michael was killed instantly when a bomb inside the lorry exploded. PVT. James was shot as he provided cover while an injured colleague was being dragged to safety. A 3rd soldier was seriously injured..

..& airlifted to Enniskillen Erne Hospital .

KOSB officers & security sources believed that the PIRA unit involved was not locally recruited, putting the blame instead on IRA members from Clogher (Co Tyrone) & S Monaghan (in RoI). The same sources said that the plan of the ...

.. attack was executed "in true backside-or-bust Para style".

SEFF is in contact with both families and hopes to be able to continue to support them in the years ahead.