From the pages of the Down Recorder, February 18, 1975

From the pages of the Down Recorder, February 18, 1975

18 February 2015

NEWCASTLE — A 350lb. terrorist proxy bomb intended for Newcastle police station exploded instead in one of the town’s residential areas and left a husband and wife with a possible five-figure damage bill for their home.

The bomb left dozens of families in Bryansford Road without electricity for six hours and caused extensive damage to several houses. Most of the damage was concentrated on the £30,000 bungalow belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Harold Davies, which was left with only two of its windows intact.

The drama started shortly before 1pm last Monday when a postman, who was finishing his morning round, was hijacked by two masked gunmen at Slievenabahn and forced to drive to a nearby quarry where two more gunmen helped load four milk churns packed with Anfo — a mixture of ammoniate and fertiliser — into the van.

One of the gunmen then told the postman to drive the bomb to the yard of a house next door to the police station. This involved driving the vehicle down the Bryansford Road, along the Shimna Road and then down Main Street on to the South Promenade.

However, when he was within a quarter of a mile from the Shimna Road, the driver was stopped and searched at a vehicle checkpoint manned by soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment and the deadly cargo was discovered.

The area was immediately cleared and the van with the explosive device was left to explode less than half an hour later. Police detained the van driver for a short period afterwards, but it is unlikely that he will be charged in connection with the incident.

CASTLEWELLAN — In Castlewellan an army ammunitions technical officer defused a complex 25lb. booby trap device in a house at Burrenreagh on Tuesday. A senior police officer said they had received a number of telephone calls about the device which they think was planted about ten days ago. It is believed that the device was intended to lure members of the security forces into the house.

CROSSGAR — A Crossgar garage owner was held at gunpoint on Sunday night as a man set fire to his premises and left a suspect parcel to thwart firemen’s attempts to check the blaze.

Mr. William Ferguson was held up for the second time in as many months as terrorists again attempted to burn down his garage on the Saintfield Road. This time it worked and a hoax kept firemen away from the scene and ensured maximum damage to the building.

Mr. Ferguson was flagged down near his garage by a man who ostensibly wanted petrol for his car. The man then produced a gun and ordered the garage owner to take a ‘bomb’ to his premises.

When they arrived at the garage the man placed a package at the front door and ordered Mr. Ferguson to open up. Once inside the gunman sprinkled petrol and set it alight. He then made off and left his victim to raise the alarm.

Mr. Ferguson was told that his wife was being held at gunpoint during the incident and warned of the consequences of not co-operating. Police later said this was not true, but believed that another man may have been involved in the attack.

ARDGLASS — The need for a sports and recreation committee to look after the interests of sports enthusiasts in Ardglass has been raised by local councillor Dermot Curran.

At the monthly meeting of the Ardglass and Dunsford branch of the SDLP, Mr. Curran emphasised the fact that the six sports clubs in the town had to share one small hall, part of an old school building, both in need of repair, and a football pitch which has never been levelled.

Both football teams in the town have no changing facilities according to Mr. Curran, who also said that he thought it was a disgrace.

DOWNPATRICK — Next week sees the second performance of ‘The Mikado’ by St. Patrick’s Choral Society in a three-night stand at St. Patrick’s High School, Downpatrick.

Gerry Kelly steps under the spotlight as the Mikado and another new face, Edward Kerr, appears as Nanki-Poo. Vincent McIlwrath (Ko-Ko) and Francis Bradley (Pooh-Bah) are survivors from the original cast when the show was first performed by the society.

Other survivors are Ann Quinn (Yum-Yum), Maureen Keohane (Pitti-Sing), Ann Grant (Peep-Bo) and Lilian Lundy (Katisha). Once again, the production is in the capable hands of Frank and Angela Bradley with Declan McGrady as musical director and Percy Artherton in charge of stage decor.

BALLYNAHINCH — A 27 year-old Ballynahinch man made history in the Royal Victoria Hospital last week when he became the first male nurse to be awarded a gold medal for his all-round ability.

He is Horace Reid, of Lisburn Road, and he received his medal at a presentation ceremony last Wednesday. The award is made each year by the hospital for the nurse with the most all-round ability. This takes in examination results, personality, contribution to the hospital and an all-round efficiency.

Horace, who also received a third year medicine prize and his State Registration Certificate, started the three-year course having graduatred from Queen’s University with a B.A. Hons. degree. His earlier education was at Ballynahinch Primary School and Down High School.

CLOUGH — Farmers Action Group members will stage a display of vehicles in Clough this morning to demonstrate their opposition to the feeds supplement scheme. A spokesman to the Recorder yesterday that they will be quite obvious between 11am and 2pm and that police permission for the demonstration has been obtained.

“We do not intend to give any offence, but if we don’t get help herd owners will be wiped out financially,” he said. “Housewives should think just for a moment just how expensive next year’s beef will be, wherever it comes from.”

BALLYKINLAR — Ballykinlar lad Edward Glendenning has finishes second in the Northern Ireland Stage 1 finals of the BP Apprentice Car Mechanic of the Year contest.

Edward, who is serving his time at the Black and White garage in Downpatrick, was told the news recently and will be awarded a diploma to mark the achievement in due course. He is also a day release student at Downpatrick Technical College where he is studying the City and Guilds motor vehicle craft studies course.

STRANGFORD — The SDLP have criticised the Housing Executive for not having fitted many post-war built houses in the Strangford area with bathrooms. At the party’s branch meeting in Strangford recently, they decided to bring pressure to bear in order to rectify the disgraceful state of affairs as soon as possible.

SEAFORDE — Former Campbell College student Colin Drummond, of Seaforde, has won a major fellowship to Harvard University in the United States. The award, valued at thousands of dollars, includes three months’ travel in the US.

Colin took a double first in ‘Greats’ at Wadham College, Oxford. He is the younger son of the Rev. and Mrs. Balfour Drummond.

LOUGHINISLAND — Loughinisland’s hopes of overhauling rivals Bryansford in the Gaelic football title race were well and truly crushed on Sunday when the visitors convincingly came out on top by 3-5 to 0-8.

Best for Loughinisland were Kevin Gordon, Tommy McLeigh, Gerry O’Prey, Donal Gordon, John Killen and Kieran O’Toole. Bryansford had stars in Oliver Burns, Cecil Ward, Eugene Grant, Willie Kane and Barney Cunningham.

HILLTOWN — The officers and members of the recently re-organised James Conno0lly Republican Club, Hilltown, have welcomed the Provisional ceasefire and said in a statement this week that they hope from this initiative a real progress can come which will mean peace and prosperity for the people of Ireland.