An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir November 2016 www.dfmagazine.ie 30 | CPl liaM DouGan By HARRY HAVELIN E very november my thoughts go back to 1960 when Cpl Liam Dougan and seven of his colleagues were killed in the niemba Ambush in northern Katanga. Liam was a member of 33 Infantry Battalion, which had deployed to the Congo in Au- gust 1960 as part of a United nations peacekeeping force sent to the vast central African country, which was in turmoil following the departure of its former colonial master, Belgium. I was 13 years old and had come to know Liam Dougan over the previous couple of years through my aunt, Mrs Nora Creed, who lived on Quarry Road, Cabra, Dublin, and who was a close friend of Liam's mother, Susan. At that time, Mrs Dougan lived just across the road from my aunt beside the Grand Cinema in a top-floor flat over the surgery of local GP, Dr Samuel Davis, for whom she performed caretaker duties. Mrs Dougan hailed from Northern Ireland and had four sons, Noel, Michael, Patrick and Liam. At the time I first got to know her, she was already widowed for a few years and suffering from very painful arthritis. Despite her crippling disability she loved baking and produced excellent cakes and scones almost every day. Susan used lots of jam and marmalade in her baking, which resulted in an accumulation of glass jars, which I used to bring down to Heagney's grocery shop, where Mr Heagney would give a halfpenny for each one – an early example of re-cycling. Liam joined the Irish Army's Engineer Corps at Portobello Bar- racks in 1944 but after three years' service he left and joined the British Army, serving for a period in Malaya. He rejoined the Irish Army in 1952, serving with 5 Inf Bn, in Collins Bks, Dublin. Aged 34, Liam deployed to the Congo in August 1960 with 2 Platoon, A Coy, 33 Inf Bn. I remember going out by taxi to Baldon- nel with his mother and my aunt to see him off. Tables and chairs had been placed in one of the hangars and tea and sandwiches were provided for the relatives of the departing soldiers. Liam spent some time chatting with us before the time came to say goodbye. Understandably, his mother was very concerned but he put her mind at ease by telling her there was no real danger. "It's only policeman's work," he stressed. Before Liam left I asked him to send me postcards, as I collected stamps, and during the short time he was in the Congo he sent me three, the last dated 24th Octo- ber 1960 – just two weeks before Niemba. Two of the cards carried an address at Kamina, Katanga. I was delighted to get the postcards, but disappointed that they didn't have colourful Congo postage stamps on them – only the UN rubber stamp: 'Organi- sation des Nations Unies au Congo'. I still treasure these three postcards, which have survived in my possession for 56 years. If memory serves me right, the first report I heard of the deaths of the Irish soldiers was on the Radio Éireann news on Friday, November 10th. The early reports didn't give any names as the ambush had taken place in a remote area. The 11-man Irish patrol had been sent to carry out repair work on a damaged bridge over the Luweyeye River. Near the bridge they were ambushed by upwards of 100 Baluba tribesmen. The Irish soldiers, under Lt Kevin Gleeson, fought bravely against their attackers but were overwhelmed. Eight died in the ambush, one was killed later, one was wounded and one escaped. I was there with Mrs Dougan and the other heartbroken fami- lies on the freezing cold night of Saturday 19th November, when the remains of the eight soldiers were brought home to Baldon- nel on a US Air Force Globemaster plane. The funeral took place on the following Tuesday after Solemn Requiem Mass in the Pro-Cathedral, attended by President De Valera, the Taoiseach and members of the government. I was in one of the mourning coaches as the cortege made its way from Baldonnel to the city centre, which was at a standstill with crowds ten-deep on the pavements. Liam's death took a terrible toll on his poor mother and she died less than a year later. Two of the postcards Liam sent to the author from the Congo. No 2 Platoon A Coy, 33 Inf Bn (Niemba)

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