20 March 1974: Michael Francis Herbert, 31-years-old, married with 1 child and a soldier with 14/20 Kings Hussars holding the rank of Corporal and from Prestwick, Scotland. Michael J. Cotton, 36-years-old, married with 1 child and a soldier with 14/20 Kings Hussars holding the rank of Corporal and from Nottingham. CPL. Herbert and CPL. Cotton were shot by the RUC at Mowhan near Glenann. Both soldiers were in plain clothes. The killings were reported by the RUC as a tragic accident in an area in which there is considerable terrorist activity. The army said that a civilianised vehicle carrying soldiers back from a mid-tour relief break in Germany had broken down. After a relief vehicle had been summoned, shooting incidents between the army and RUC mobile patrols broke out. The 1st vehicle broke down just before 1:00AM and as the soldiers were waiting for a relief vehicle shots were fired killing a soldier and injuring another. The RUC said they had challenged both plain clothes soldiers. Fifteen minutes after the 1st shooting the 2nd vehicle, a Land Rover, stopped outside a telephone kiosk when 2 plain clothes soldiers got out and went to use the telephone. When an RUC vehicle arrived on the scene, CPL. Cotton was shot and killed. LEST WE FORGET!
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 08:29:49 +0000
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