Brougher: Memorial for five men working for BBC killed by IRA bomb
- Published
The victims were (clockwise from top left) George Beck, Harry Edgar, John Eakins, Bill Thomas and Malcolm Henson
Relatives of five men working for the BBC who were killed by an IRA landmine 50 years ago have gathered at the site for the dedication of a new memorial.
The men died on 9 February 1971 as they drove up to the transmitter on Brougher Mountain, on the border between County Fermanagh and County Tyrone.
They were carrying out repairs to the television relay station.
The station had been damaged in a separate bomb explosion several weeks before.
The stone was due to be unveiled in February 2021
It is believed the booby-trap device at the road was meant for an Army patrol and was triggered by a tripwire.
Two of the men killed were BBC engineers Bill Thomas, a 35-year-old father of two, and Malcolm Henson, who was 23 years old.
They had picked up three workmen, who travelled each day from Kilkeel, County Down, to drive the last few miles up the mountain in the BBC Land Rover.
John Eakins, 52, was married with seven young children; Harry Edgar was 26 and George Beck, 43, had two children.
A Land Rover owned by the BBC was destroyed in the attack
They worked for a local building firm McMullen and Sons, which had a contract to carry out maintenance and repairs on the BBC's rural transmitter stations.
The new memorial stone has been organised by the South East Fermanagh Foundation victims' group (SEFF).
Plans to unveil it on the 50th anniversary were postponed due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The scene at Brougher Mountain 50 years on
"Fifty years ago there was a huge loss of innocent lives at Brougher mountain, yet little is known of those events beyond the immediacy of those impacted," said Kenny Donaldson, SEFF's director of services.
"We feel it absolutely essential that this milestone anniversary be acknowledged and that the families be recognised for the horrific loss they sustained and for which little attention has ever been given".
The five men are also remembered on the BBC's Breathing sculpture which marks the invaluable contribution of those men and women who were murdered or lost their lives while working on behalf of the BBC and its audiences.
Rodney Eakins, a son of John Eakins, said the dedication of the memorial was a very important moment.
A new tapestry remembering the five men will be unveiled at a service on Sunday
"This is a once in a lifetime meet up," he said.
"I was getting messages from people from further afield, as far as America, telling me that my father would be looking down on me here today.
"Himself and the other people who died here on this mountain will be looking down on us. I have no doubt about it.
"The memory will go on. We won't forget them"
A new tapestry remembering the five men will be unveiled at a service of remembrance and thanksgiving at Fintona Presbyterian Church on Sunday.
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- Published9 February 2021
