#OnThisDay 1921 Frank Aiken’s Northern IRA Division mine & derail a troop train carrying 113 men of the 10th Hussars and 104 horses. They had been part of the Royal Escort in King George V’s trip to Belfast, and were returning to their barracks in Belfast. The incident happened at Adavoyle near Newry. Three troopers are killed & 20 injured. Over 80 horses are killed too.
“A mine was detonated under the train, it was slightly late in going off and went off under the last of the compartments containing soldiers. This carriage and all the following 14 or 15 coaches containing the horses were derailed. These were all horses coaches plus the guards van which had the guard and 2 soldiers (all 3 died). The derailed carriages rolled down a 30 foot embankment. Many of the horses died in the wreck, or had to be put down”
No follow up attack on the derailed train by the IRA was planned.
Video footage of the train wreck here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NJl9c4yuxQ
