A well-documented Northern Ireland M.I.D. campaign group of four awarded to Colour Sergeant...

A well-documented Northern Ireland M.I.D. campaign group of four awarded to Colour Sergeant I. Missenden, Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment and the Force Research Unit (FRU), who carried out 6 tours of Northern Ireland - suffering a gunshot wound as an 18 year old infantryman during his first, and going on to distinguish himself in an intelligence capacity as an ‘agent handler’ whilst serving with West Det (FRU), St. Angelo, Fermanagh. His tours spanned 20 years, and during that time Missenden was involved in multiple contacts with the IRA, becoming intimate with their methods, capturing gunmen and being on the receiving end of ambushes and mortar attack General Service 1962-2007, 1 clasp, Northern Ireland, with M.I.D. oak leaf (24312535 Pte I Missenden DERR); U.N. Medal, on UNFICYP ribbon; Accumulated Campaign Service Medal 1994, E.II.R., with Additional Award Bar (24312535 Sgt I Missenden DERR); Army L.S. & G.C., E.II.R., 2nd issue, Regular Army (24312535 SSgt I Missenden DERR) good very fine (4) £4,000-£6,000 --- M.I.D. London Gazette 11 October 1988. Ian Missenden was born in British Military Hospital at Iserlohn, Germany in November 1955. The following extracts are taken from an extensive autobiographical account provided by the recipient of his service career: ‘I... enlisted in the 1st Battalion the Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment in Bristol in November 1972 at the age of 17. On completion of training at the depot Exeter I joined my regiment in Berlin, who were then preparing for an 18 month tour of Northern Ireland. Not being old enough to deploy with the regiment, I was attached to The Devon and Dorset Regiment until my 18th birthday, I then rejoined the regiment in Ballykinler, Northern Ireland. The regiment’s role as province reserve was to re-enforce other units province-wide. First Tour of Northern Ireland: November 1973 - January 1975 On arriving in Northern Ireland I joined 10 Platoon, D Company as a rifleman. During the tour we (the platoon) deployed to Aughnacloy, Belfast, Bessbrook, Sion Mills, Newry and Crossmaglen. The duties of the platoon, included foot patrols, vehicle checkpoints, searches and boat patrols with the Royal Navy on Carlingford Lough conducting stop and search operations on boats crossing the border. In June 1974 my platoon (10 Platoon) deployed to Newry to assist a battery from 7 Royal Horse Artillery (7 RHA Para) with their workload. On Thursday 27th June I was a member of a mobile patrol who went to assist the RUC in crowd control at a factory dispute when the patrol came under fire in an IRA ambush where I received a gunshot wound to the back. The bullet entered my back, punctured my lung and exited my chest. After 6 weeks in the hospital I had made a full recovery and was discharged for 4 weeks sick leave before returning to my unit... Shooting Incident Newry 1974 On Thursday 27th June my section was the QRF, providing assistance for foot patrols and RUC. It was a busy day, we had been in and out on various tasks non-stop. At about 1900hrs, having just returned from a task, we were having a meal in the cookhouse when the tannoy came to life: “QRF commander to ops room.” The section loaded weapons and waited by the landrovers for Steve, the section commander, to return to brief us on the task. The RUC needed assistance with an angry crowd involved in a dispute at a factory on the Warrenpoint road, which was situated on the other side of Newry. I was with Gerry in the back of the lead vehicle. The vehicles stopped on the Warrenpoint road in a position overlooking the factory with the angry crowd, which stood 50 metres away. On the order ‘debus’ the section took up positions on the bank of the canal, while Steve assessed the situation. A few minutes later the shout to “Mount Up” came. The vehicle had barely moved when several things happened simultaneously; I felt a great slap on my back, putting me face down in the vehicle; the vehicle stopping abruptly; the sound of incoming fire; Gerry jumping over me and out of the vehicle in the direction of the firers. I could hear bullets zipping overhead as I picked myself up and grabbed my rifle, which I must have dropped when I received the ‘slap.’ That’s when I noticed the blood where I had been laying, which hadn’t been there before. Meanwhile the fire fight and shouting continued. I didn’t feel like I’d been shot as there was no pain but I thought the blood was mine, after checking my chest I confirmed it was! There was a hole with blood seeping from it, right where I thought my heart should be, and that’s when the pain kicked in. While I was still trying to believe what had happened, the shooting and noise ceased. Whilst carrying out a head check, it was discovered I was missing. Gerry found me and I was added to the contact report: one casualty, gunshot wound. Steve was told to take me directly to the helicopter landing zone (LZ) situated about 100 metres from our base, the other side of Newry.... On arriving at the LZ the battery medic took over and I was placed on a stretcher, and he applied field dressings to entry and exit wounds; I knew I had a punctured lung from the bubbles in the blood around the exit wound. Within a few minutes I was loaded into a helicopter, accompanied by the medic and on the way to Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast. By the time the helicopter landed at MPH it was dark and I was in a lot of pain, and having problems breathing due to a punctured lung. If it wasn’t for the medic I would have probably given up, I just wanted to close my eyes and sleep, even though I knew it could be the end for me... Before 7 RHA left the province, the OC, BSM and the medic who took me to MPH visited me and told me what happened after I left for the hospital. Over a dozen suspects were arrested, six were detained by the Special Branch. Empty cases found at the firing point were from a Garrand and M1 carbine. I’d been hit by a round from an M1 carbine. The round had gone through my flack jacket, body and through the flack jacket on its way out, before losing power and dropping into the outer lining of the flack jacket... the exit wound was three inches long... Before leaving the province I was involved in and witnessed several other terrorist incidents.’ The other ‘incidents’ alluded to above included the Long Kesh Riot in October 1974, the Sandes Cafe bomb at Ballykinler, 28 October 1974, and an ambush at a farm in Ballsmill in November of the same year: Ballsmill Incident 1974 Information was received via the confidential tip line, that there was a weapons hide in an unused farm complex on the border at Ballsmill. A search was planned for early the following morning. The Royal Engineer Search Team (REST) would conduct the search and the platoon would provide the cordon. I was chosen to be the radio operator and part of a four man team led by the platoon commander, and tasked to insert that night and watch over the complex. The rest of the platoon were flying in at daybreak to set up the cordon and the REST (9 Sqn RE) shortly afterwards. A chopper dropped the team a few miles out from the target, and we walked the rest of the way. High ground to the north of the farm complex was ideal for the job. We set up in a hedgerow 50 metres from the target and we settled into our position for the night. The border, a hedgerow, lay 70 metres to our left, ran parallel past the farm complex and continued uphill for approximately 175 metres, then turned sharp right and out of view. Two sides of the complex faced the border. Before first light the team moved cautiously down the hill to the complex; which was a series of stone buildings surround a courtyard. T...