Saturday 4 May 2019

ON THIS DAY IN 1982, CORBYN'S MATES...

The Provisional IRA murdered a policeman in Londonderry.  Constable Alan Caskey was on foot patrol in the Diamond area of the city when a bread van pulled up alongside him and his female colleague.  The WPC approached the cab expecting that the driver was after directions.  As she did so the side door opened and she saw a hooded gunman crouched inside holding a rifle.  The policewoman turned to flee, but was struck in the leg and back knocking her to the ground.  As she played dead further shots were fired and Constable Caskey was fatally wounded.  The van had been hijacked earlier in the day.

Constable Caskey was 21 and had been a police officer for just eight months.  He lived in the village of Desertmartin, where a plaque was later erected in his local parish church (see below).