17 November 1972: Joseph Calvin, 42-year-old Protestant, married with 1 child, a health inspector and a Reserve RUC police officer was from Enniskillen. Const. Calivn had just come off duty from the RUC station when he was killed by an IRA booby-trap bomb. Const. Calvin and a colleague left their vehicles in the Quay Lane car park and walked to the cars. Since it was a frosty night, Const. Calvin decided to let the engine of his car run for a few minutes in order to demist the windows. Both police officers sat in Const. Calvins car and chatted for a few minutes. The colleague got out of the car and was walking to his own car and about 30 yards away, he heard an explosion. The explosion from the bomb that was placed in Const. Calvins car killed him instantly. There was a series of explosions and fires in other vehicles caused by the initial blast. The incident was described to the inquest by the colleague who said that as pieces of debris was falling around him he saw that Joes car was completely wrecked, and then the cars beside his started exploding as the petrol tanks ignited. I feared there was another bomb somewhere and I could find no trace of Joe. The inquest was told by a police sergeant who rushed to the scent that he found Const. Calvins body lying in the garden of a nearby house. The police believed that the bombers had used the cover of darkness to plant the bomb. The bomb was placed behind the front seats of Const. Calvins car while he was on duty. Cont. Calvin had a 17-year-old daughter. He was employed by the local council as a public health inspector. He was a member of Chosen Few Loyal Orange Lodge and had been buried with full police honours. LEST WE FORGET!
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 21:14:55 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015