An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir May 2016 www.dfmagazine.ie 10 | VEtERAn'S nEWS VEtERAn'S nEWS VEtERAn'S nEWS dOnnYCARnEY dOES tOnY PROUd: Tpr Thomas Fennell Remembered by DESSY KEEGAN, PRO, IUNVA POST 25 (FERMOY) T pr thomas Fennell (known to his family as tony) was a member of A Coy, 33 Inf bn, onUC. on 8th november 1960, tony and ten comrades were on a routine patrol 'showing the flag' at niemba, Katanga, Republic of Congo. they were am- bushed on a dirt road near the River Luweyeye by a large force of baluba tribesmen. they were approx 14 miles from their base. In the ensuing battle eight were killed. tpr Anthony browne MMG survived the immediate battle but sometime later was captured and killed. tpr thomas Kenny and Pte Joseph Fitzpatrick escaped the ambush site and were later rescued by one of their patrols. "I was stationed with B Coy, 33 Inf Bn maybe about 150 miles away. We sent out a rescue patrol of about platoon strength and retrieved the two vehicles involved in the battle. Un- fortunately we had no luck locating survivors." On Saturday 5th March 2016 a Remembrance Plaque to Tpr Fennell was unveiled during a wonderful ceremony at Donnycarney Community Centre, north Dublin. The unveiling service was very poignant for me as I completed my recruit training with Tony in the 2 Mtr Sqn. One of our train- ing NCOs, Sgt Hugh Gaynor (then a Cpl), was also killed in that ambush. The Don- nycarney service was totally driven by the local community in honour of a local lad. The Defence Forces and Veterans Associa- tions were simply invited guests who were treated exceptionally well. The service was excellent but there was stand out moments: the speeches of Críona Ní Dhálaigh, Lord Mayor of Dublin, whose son served in the Defence Forces, Eddie Robinson, National Chair- man of IUNVA and Tony's brother Liam. Other moments were: the minute silence followed by the pipers lament, "no trumpeter can play the 'Last Post' like a military trumpeter - he was superb". A wonderful service was rounded off by the young choir from the local schools with a stirring rendition of Amhrán na bhFiann. It is two generations since the Congo and for the sake of ac- curacy and to the memory of those who served in that mission I'd like to paint a picture. The ONUC mission lasted four years 1960/64, during which time 245 UN military personnel and five civilian staff lost their lives. 26 members of the Defence Forces died during the mission, seven of which were cavalrymen. On 13th September 1961 ONUC went on the offensive to reintegrate Katanga with the rest of the Congo. The Irish unit was 35 Inf Bn. In an early action Tpr Gaffney lost his life in an ambush while driving a Bedford truck. On the night of the 14th a patrol including two Ford AFVs were ambushed and the lead armoured car was struck by anti-tank fire. Two crew members, Cpl M. Nolan and Tpr Pat Mul- lins died in a subsequent firefight. Tpr Mullins to this day remains 1 of 2 Defence Forces soldiers not repatri- ated home for burial, and is officially listed as Missing presumed Killed In Action (KIA). Meanwhile A Coy was com- pletely cut off and heroically fighting in Jadotville about 75 miles from Bn HQ. They held out for five days with their water, food and ammunition depleted. They agreed a cease-fire after which they were taken as POWs. While suffering no fatalities they inflicted huge losses on the attackers. The survivors of the armoured car patrol and a detachment of Irish at The Radio College were captured and joined the Jadotville personnel. They spent almost two months as POWs, before an exchange of prisoners was agreed. In December 36 Inf Bn resumed hostilities, they had five KIA. Finally in 1963, 38 Inf Bn joined in another push, which this time proved to be successful. ONUC wound up in June 1964. The Defence Forces saw very quickly the inadequacy of its equipment and tactics, and swiftly made changes. Probably they were the quickest changes it had made in its short life, but with- out doubt those changes saved many lives in the many missions in which the Defence Forces have so proudly served. "It is gratifying now to see the high standing the Defence Forces have within the United Nations and its contributing countries" Unseen photo of Tpr Thomas Fennell courtesy of Col George Kerton (Retd)

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