CRIGINAL BUREAUOF MILTARYHISTORY1913-21 ...

17awaited developments. The convoy came along in due courseand stopped at the barricade. We shouted: "Put them up, ye areall covered". A Black and Tan (probably the man who hadgiven us the tip off) shouted: "Stop, boys, they are toomany for us". I remember these words quite well. All themen in the convoy dismounted and put up their hands. Theyput up no opposition.We seized the Crossley tenders with cases of ammunition,rifles, machine guns, revolvers and grenades. The Lanciaarmoured car was also taken and all the enemy cars were mannedby our own drivers and driven up to comeragh in the mountainswhere the captured stuff was carefully hidden. The Black andTans and R.I.C. were taken in a few tenders to portlaw wherethey were told to get out. A van was commandeered by themwhich they used to get to their destination.This raid I speak of was, of course, unofficial, but itwas considered that such a grand opportunity of getting fromthe British such a large quantity of weapons and ammunitionwith such little trouble was something which should not bemissed.When the British evacuated the infantry barracks inWaterford city early in 1922, I was one of the I.R.A. partywho took over the barracks where I remained as adjutant untilthe Free State troops attacked Waterford later in that year.I took part in the defence of Waterford and, after itsoccupation by the Free State army, I retreated west towardsDungarvan where I served with an active service unit underThomas Keating of Comeragh, who was killed in the subsequentfighting. in Co. Waterford.This a ctive service unit operated in the area betweenDungarvan and Waterford. city during which we attacked TramoreCoastguard station with myself in charge whilst the main bodyof the column attacked a Free State military post at Whitfield