Percival Ambush - 9 Oct 1920
- Men from Cork No. 3 Brigade, IRA, commanded by Sean Hales, OC Bandon battalion; ambushed Major Percival along with two officers and twelve men from the 1st Battalion Essex Regiment
- The British, 3 officers and 20 men, were traveling in two Crossley tenders near Newcestown Cross, Co Cork at 22.55 on Oct 9. The 3 officers were Major Percival, Lt Robertson and Lt Richardson. Other men on the patrol were CSM Benton, Pte Wooton,
- The patrol had completed a search of the local public house, a suspected IRA ‘haunt’ and had just sent off for a second objective, Castletown, were other searches were planned.
- The lorries had traveled no more than 400 hundred yards when they came under attack. Percival was in charge of the first lorry, and Robertson in charge of the second
- They were fired on from the left side of the road. The lorries stopped about 200 yards apart and engaged the enemy. The action was fought in pitch darkness and lasted about half an hour
- Percival and Robertson met on the road half way between the lorries after the firing had being goin on around 30 minutes. Percival gave Robertson orders and they returned to their respective lorries
- Soon after this Percival heard that Robertson had been hit. Robertson was then taken back to Bandon, and from there to Cork Mil Hospital
- In the attack two officers were killed (Lt. R.D.F. Robertson and Lt. Richardson, Wireless Officer, RAF) and four others were wounded.
- For gallantry shown that night Major Percival was awarded the OBE and CSM Benton the MBE, Private Wooton was awarded the Medal of the British Empire. These were amongst the first gazetted awards for the Anglo-Irish War 1919-22; it was the Secretary of State, Winston Churchill who stated, “Why because they are shot down by Irish rebels and not by Mesopotamian rebels, should they be excluded from consideration”
British Soldiers killed in Ireland
