Groups and Single Decorations for Gallantry
It was the best news I'd heard. The little black dots on the skyline were G Squadron. When I got back to Bob, he'd already guessed and had sent Fuzz with the other medical pack to the gun pit. Then he picked up his SLR and began sniping at the retreating enemy. And I followed suit with the Browning. I began to wonder how it had happened, why we had not been warned by the ‘green slime’ (Intelligence Corps), then I turned to see a Huey chopper take off from the gun pit and come towards us. It landed a few feet away from the building, but before I could take a look I was ordered downstairs to help with the casevac. The ground floor was like an abattoir, littered with the wounded, stinking of piss, sweat and blood; flies were all over the place. There were plenty of the old Askaris from the wali's fort and they all had the same skin wounds on the scalps where rounds had grazed them as they popped their heads over the wall. Some had more than one wound. Another centimetre and they would have been dead. Amazing wounds. Then there was an adoo with a dreadful throat wound. He was making a terrible sucking sound. Even now in my front room in Hereford I can still hear that horrible sound. He died later.
I looked out and saw the chopper pilot gesturing me to come over. He wanted me to check the bodies in the back to find out which one was ours. There were six on stretcher racks. I pulled the blanket off the nearest and saw an Arab with his head caved in; then a young one, maybe seventeen - I couldn't see the wound, just the dead, open eyes. The third was face down, lying on the crook of his arm. I attempted to roll the body over but rigor mortis had set in. It was solid. I then had to lever the whole body up, using the elbow, and as I did so I could just see Laba's features. The jaw line had been shot away but I could tell it was Laba by his eyes. They were still open. It was like a sledgehammer blow to the morale. I was still hyped up after the battle but all feelings of exhilaration disappeared in a flash. Here was a man I'd drunk with, fought with, laughed with... and here he was, laid out on a stretcher, stiff as a board. It was just too much. I was engulfed with sorrow at the loss of such a comrade.
Tommy Tobin died of his wound. The guerrillas left behind thirty bodies and ten wounded, although sources later indicated that the casualties had been much higher, probably half the force having been killed or wounded. Mirbat was the beginning of the end of the rebellion, the adoo having received a loss of credibility along with their casualties, and they never again deployed such a large attacking force.’
Sold with copy of original recommendation and Certificate of Service ‘Red Book’.
163
A 1919 Constabulary Medal (Ireland) awarded to Constable (later Sergeant) J. F. Barry, Royal Irish Constabulary, for his gallantry when the Moynoe Police Hut, Co. Clare, was attacked with rifle and revolver fire by a party of over 30 men on the night of 8 August 1919
Constabulary Medal (Ireland), 2nd type, ‘Reward of Merit Royal Irish Constabulary’ (Constable John F. Barry 67082. 1919) with top silver riband bar, suspension bar very slightly bent, otherwise extremely fine, scarce
£3,000-£4,000
Royal Irish Constabulary Medal of Merit for Bravery granted 9 September 1919. The recommendation states: ‘On the night of 8 August Moynoe Police Hut was attacked with rifle fire by a party of men. The attack which lasted about an hour was beaten off by the police who returned the fire and wounded at least one of the attacking party.’
The Freeman’s Journal noted that: ‘Another daring outrage is reported from East Clare, when the police hut at Moynoe, about four miles from Scariff, and close to the residence of Dr F. C. Sampson, J.P., for whose protection it was established, was attacked yesterday morning about 2:00 a.m. by a party of between thirty and forty men, who opened violent rifle and revolver fire at it. The men in the hut, four constables, in the charge of Sergeant Burke, who has been there but a short time, replied vigourously to the fire, and the siege lasted for about an hour and a quarter. None of the police were hit, but it is believed on very good grounds that two at least of the attacking party were injured. Considerable damage was done to the hut. When news of the raid reached Ennis, Mr. Flower, Assistant Inspector General, motored from there to the district.’
John Francis Barry served with the Royal Irish Constabulary, and was one of five policemen (the others being Sergeant P. Burke, and Constables P. Murphy, Peter Murphy, and D. Keeffe) who were awarded the Royal Irish Constabulary Medal of Merit for Bravery for their gallantry during the attack on the Moynoe Police Hut in County Clare on 8 August 1919. As a consequence Barry had to leave Ireland because he felt that if he remained his family might suffer at the hands of the Rebels, and resigned on 16 October 1920, subsequently joining the Monmouthshire Police. Whilst in Monmouth he appeared before the County’s Joint Standing Committee at Newport, applying for his service in the Royal Irish Constabulary to count for pension purposes- in view of his ‘outstanding conduct’, the Committee sanctioned the request (newspaper cutting with lot refers). He died in December 1949, and is buried in Cwmbran Cemetery. (Irish Decorations and Medals 1783-1922, by Roger Willoughby refers).
Sold with a newspaper cutting containing a photograph of the recipient, and various other research.
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