Strokestown Ambush - 1921 Mar 23.
Killed when involved in an ambush while transporting 3 RIC prisoners in a Crossley Car near Strokestown County Roscommon. I have not been able to find why the RIC men were under arrest
- Raids and Rallies by Ernie O'Malley provides a detailed account from the IRA point of view.The ambushers consisted of 39 volunteers in the column, but only 14 took part in the actual attack, the remainder kept the IRA's line of retreat open. The IRA party was armed with 13 rifles, 20 shotguns and 2 or 3 revolvers. O'Malley gets Peek's Christian names wrong, confusing him with another man.
- The ambush site was carefully prepared. It was located at a sharp bend on the Longford–Strokestown road. A farmhouse and barn at the bend had been taken over and loopholed, and a trench was dug behind a hedge alongside the road. Only a mile from the IRA's position, the Ninth Lancers regiment was garrisoned in Strokestown House
- The ambush took place at 7am. A shortage of transport meant that there was only 1 lorry available to the army, rather than the 2 specified
- A single Crossley lorry carrying a total of 9 men, 6 soldiers and 3 prisoners,was ambushed 2 miles from Strokestown. The prisoners were 3 RIC men who had been arrested.
- The RASC driver were killed in the initial fusillade. The commander of the patrol, Captain Roger Greenville Peeke, was hit in the lorry but tried to run to safety, only to be hit again 400 yards down the road and killed. The other officer with the party, Lieutenant Tennant, was also killed by a shotgun blast. The Hotchkiss gunner, Cpl J.Hogben of 9th Lancers, in the lorry only managed a few rounds before being badly wounded. After the death of the two officers, the surviving British, several of whom were wounded, surrendered. The wounded included one of the RIC man under arrest Constable Edward Leslie (the reports vary as to whether he was a prisoner or escort, but he appears to have ben a prisoner) - he died later in hospital
- The IRA moved in, destroyed the lorry and took away the 2 unwounded RIC (Constable Buchanan and Constable Evans). The two were taken to remote locations and shot over the next two days .Buchanan had been arrested for robbing a store at Ruskey and Evans arrested for breaking a stained glass window in Elphin Church.
- The WS account by the Vice Commandant of the area sayss the IRA had about 20 men with 8 or 9 rifles , the rest with shotguns. They were joined by 17 men from other cmpanies at the ambush site. He describes the execution of Buchanan and Evans - they knew too much
British Soldiers died in Ireland