Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
The South Armagh Brigade operated as one of the IRA's most heavily armed and active units during the conflict, notorious for executing large-scale operations against British security forces along the border.
The attackers drove the truck to a steep hill overlooking the Glenanne UDR base.
The driver aligned the vehicle with the base, blocked the accelerator pedal to keep the engine revving, put it in gear, and jumped out.
The unmanned truck crashed through the perimeter fence, rolled down the slope, and came to a halt directly against the main administrative and accommodation buildings of the barracks.
A timed fuse or remote detonator triggered the bomb, creating a massive explosion heard up to 30 miles away.
The Crater: The detonation left a crater 20 feet deep and 30 feet wide.
The blast completely leveled the two-story main accommodation building and caused severe structural failure across the entire compound, rendering it permanently unusable.
The shockwave blew the roofs off nearby civilian homes, smashed windows for miles around, and damaged local livestock and farmland.
Fatalities: Three UDR soldiers—Lance Corporal Robert Crozier (42), Private Sydney Hamilton (44), and Private Paul Blakely (30) were killed instantly as they slept or stood guard.
Injuries: Fourteen other people were wounded, including ten UDR soldiers and four civilians
The South Armagh Brigade operated as one of the IRA's most heavily armed and active units during the conflict, notorious for executing large-scale operations against British security forces along the border.
The attackers drove the truck to a steep hill overlooking the Glenanne UDR base.
The driver aligned the vehicle with the base, blocked the accelerator pedal to keep the engine revving, put it in gear, and jumped out.
The unmanned truck crashed through the perimeter fence, rolled down the slope, and came to a halt directly against the main administrative and accommodation buildings of the barracks.
A timed fuse or remote detonator triggered the bomb, creating a massive explosion heard up to 30 miles away.
The Crater: The detonation left a crater 20 feet deep and 30 feet wide.
The blast completely leveled the two-story main accommodation building and caused severe structural failure across the entire compound, rendering it permanently unusable.
The shockwave blew the roofs off nearby civilian homes, smashed windows for miles around, and damaged local livestock and farmland.
Fatalities: Three UDR soldiers—Lance Corporal Robert Crozier (42), Private Sydney Hamilton (44), and Private Paul Blakely (30) were killed instantly as they slept or stood guard.
Injuries: Fourteen other people were wounded, including ten UDR soldiers and four civilians
