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View Full Version : IRA Practice range, Strabane.


eddiefrench
02-07-07, 15:28
Anybody remember the IRA firing range in Townsend (Head o'the Town) in Strabane?
Townsend was a smallish estate in a three sided (Dead end) valley just outside Strabane. On my first foot patrol I was down in the streets. Walking along the road I noticed white lines painted across the road with markings on them and yellow upright markings on the house walls in line with them. They came in 100 YD. intervals (Yards, Not Metres) If I remember correctly they started at 600yds counting down to 100 at the head of the valley. There was just one road in and out which curved around like a narrowed horseshoe. on the way out the count-up started again on the way out but (obviously) opposite, 100, 200, 300 etc.
Nobody felt like hanging around long enough to remove the lines from the road. (they would just come back next day anyway).
Talk about a feeling of being watched!
Pretty scary too, especially when our OC ordered us to do 'Baiting Patrols' along the route every night at the same time for a week. 303_no4

Bombardier
02-07-07, 17:49
Feckin scary **** mate. Im sure we had a multiple at strabane (the hump I think) during Operation loren in 93, ill check it out and get back to you.

eddiefrench
02-07-07, 18:05
Feckin scary **** mate. Im sure we had a multiple at strabane (the hump I think) during Operation loren in 93, ill check it out and get back to you.

I spent many many long hours at the Hump VCP. We got fired on from that hotel at 10 o'clock (Position) over the border. Lots of sanger bashes relieved only by foot patrols into Strabane.