John Scally

Died

30 December 1956

Age

Rank

Constable

Force

Royal Ulster Constabulary

Cause

Homicide - Shot

Duty Status

On Duty

Roll of Honour Citation

Fatally wounded, while on night duty, when terrorists launched a gun and bomb attack on Derrylin RUC Barracks, County Fermanagh.

Roll of Honour Citation

Fatally wounded, while on night duty, when terrorists launched a gun and bomb attack on Derrylin RUC Barracks, County Fermanagh.

Circumstances

Shot dead in a terrorist bomb and gun attack on his police station.

During the attack at 10:20pm, the second in three weeks, the door to the barracks was blown in by a bomb and shots were fired through the open doorway.

Constable Scally was struck by shrapnel from the bomb and sustained serious injuries to his back, near his spine.

Once the raiders had been repelled, John was taken to the County Fermanagh Hospital in Enniskillen but was declared dead on admission.

An RUC spokesman said “Constable Scally was a very promising young policeman who, last month, was awarded a favourable record for good police duty”.

John, a single man from Ballycastle, County Antrim, joined the RUC in August 1953. He came from a large family and was survived by his parents and siblings.