Warrenpoint ambush
Updated: 12/11/2025, 5:34:04 PM Wikipedia source
The Warrenpoint ambush, also known as the Narrow Water ambush, the Warrenpoint massacre or the Narrow Water massacre, was a guerrilla attack by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA) on 27 August 1979. The Provisional IRA's South Armagh Brigade ambushed a British Army convoy with two large roadside bombs at Narrow Water Castle outside Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland. The first bomb was aimed at the convoy itself, and the second targeted the incoming reinforcements and the command point set up to deal with the incident. Provisional IRA volunteers hidden in nearby woodland also allegedly fired on the troops, who returned fire. The castle is on the banks of the Newry River, which marks the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Eighteen British soldiers were killed and over twenty were seriously injured, making it the deadliest attack on the British Army during the Troubles. A British civilian was also killed and an Irish civilian wounded, both by British soldiers firing across the border after the first blast. The attack happened on the same day that the Provisional IRA assassinated Lord Louis Mountbatten, a retired British statesman and close relative of the British royal family.
Infobox
Date
27 August 1979
Location
Narrow Water Castle near Warrenpoint, County Down, Northern Ireland 54°06′42″N 06°16′45″W / 54.11167°N 6.27917°W / 54.11167; -6.27917
Result
mw- li Provisional IRA victory Deadliest attack on the British Army by the Provisional IRA
Tables
Soldiers killed at the Warrenpoint ambush on 27 August 1979[39][40][41] · Aftermath
David Blair
David Blair
Rank
Lieutenant-Colonel
Age
40
Name
David Blair
Unit
The Queen’s Own Highlanders
Peter Fursman
Peter Fursman
Rank
Major
Age
35
Name
Peter Fursman
Unit
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Victor MacLeod
Victor MacLeod
Rank
Lance Corporal
Age
24
Name
Victor MacLeod
Unit
The Queen’s Own Highlanders
Christopher G. Ireland
Christopher G. Ireland
Rank
Lance Corporal
Age
25
Name
Christopher G. Ireland
Unit
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Ian A. Rogers
Ian A. Rogers
Rank
Sergeant
Age
31
Name
Ian A. Rogers
Unit
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Walter Beard
Walter Beard
Rank
Sergeant
Age
33
Name
Walter Beard
Unit
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Jeffrey Jones
Jeffrey Jones
Rank
Private
Age
18
Name
Jeffrey Jones
Unit
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Gary I. Barnes
Gary I. Barnes
Rank
Private
Age
18
Name
Gary I. Barnes
Unit
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Anthony Wood
Anthony Wood
Rank
Private
Age
19
Name
Anthony Wood
Unit
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
John Giles
John Giles
Rank
Private
Age
22
Name
John Giles
Unit
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Leonard Jones
Leonard Jones
Rank
Private
Age
26
Name
Leonard Jones
Unit
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Robert Jones
Robert Jones
Rank
Private
Age
18
Name
Robert Jones
Unit
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Donald Blair
Donald Blair
Rank
Private
Age
23
Name
Donald Blair
Unit
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Nicholas Andrew
Nicholas Andrew
Rank
Private
Age
24
Name
Nicholas Andrew
Unit
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Raymond Dunn
Raymond Dunn
Rank
Private
Age
20
Name
Raymond Dunn
Unit
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Michael Woods
Michael Woods
Rank
Private
Age
18
Name
Michael Woods
Unit
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Thomas Vance
Thomas Vance
Rank
Private
Age
23
Name
Thomas Vance
Unit
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
Robert England
Robert England
Rank
Private
Age
23
Name
Robert England
Unit
2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment
| Rank | Age | Name | Unit |
| Lieutenant-Colonel | 40 | David Blair | The Queen’s Own Highlanders |
| Major | 35 | Peter Fursman | 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment |
| Lance Corporal | 24 | Victor MacLeod | The Queen’s Own Highlanders |
| Lance Corporal | 25 | Christopher G. Ireland | 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment |
| Sergeant | 31 | Ian A. Rogers | 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment |
| Sergeant | 33 | Walter Beard | 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment |
| Private | 18 | Jeffrey Jones | 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment |
| Private | 18 | Gary I. Barnes | 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment |
| Private | 19 | Anthony Wood | 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment |
| Private | 22 | John Giles | 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment |
| Private | 26 | Leonard Jones | 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment |
| Private | 18 | Robert Jones | 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment |
| Private | 23 | Donald Blair | 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment |
| Private | 24 | Nicholas Andrew | 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment |
| Private | 20 | Raymond Dunn | 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment |
| Private | 18 | Michael Woods | 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment |
| Private | 23 | Thomas Vance | 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment |
| Private | 23 | Robert England | 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment |
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- Loyalists
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