9 November 1971: Ian Curtis, 23-years-old, single and a soldier with the Royal Anglian Regiment holding the rank of Lance-Corporal was on his last patrol before going on leave when he was shot by an IRA sniper. LCPL. Curtis was part of a foot patrol that was making its way across waste ground along the bank of the Foyle River. The attack occurred around 5:00PM and was killed by the 2nd of 2 bursts of fire near the junction of Foyle Road and Bishop Street. Soldiers returned fire but claimed no hits. Later on, 20 shots were fired at soldiers from a Thompson submachine gun as they were searching for the gunman. None of the other soldiers were injured. Lcpl. Curtis was from Fareham near Portsmouth, Hampshire. He was attached to his regiments 1st Battalion. The inquest was told that the fatal bullet passed through a 10-foot gap in a wall. The coroner said: this can only be described as another of the senseless murders that have become all too frequent in this part of Ireland. LEST WE FORGET!
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 20:30:20 +0000