§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the attack on the UDR depot in Magherafelt on the night of 15th June 1975; and what was the number of arms stolen.
§ Mr. JohnAt approximately 03.15 on the morning of 16th June a car containing four men dressed in combat clothing drew up at the base of F Company, 5 UDR at Magherafelt, Co. Londonderry. The sentry who went to investigate was immediately held up by the men, who were heavily armed. Two further cars then drew up, bringing the total number 523W of men involved to about 10. The guard, consisting of a corporal and six men, were overpowered and tied up. The raiders then broke into the armoury and stole 148 self-loading rifles, 35 sub-machine guns, one general purpose machine gun, three small bore—0.22—rifles, 35 pistols, and several thousand rounds of ammunition. The men then escaped with their haul in two landrovers, which were later found burnt out about four miles away. The only casualty during the incident was one of the guards who was knocked unconscious.
All the arms stolen have now been recovered, following the discovery by 5 UDR of weapons hidden in a slurry pit some five miles from Magherafelt. Four extra weapons, probably used by the raiders during the theft, were also recovered.
Investigations into the incident are, of course, continuing.