During the early hours of Sunday 16 February 1958, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) raided Blandford Camp. Brandishing revolvers, masked raiders shot a soldier and overpowered seven others. During the attack, the men were heard to shout, ‘this is with the compliments of the IRA.’ Despite this, the raiders appeared concerned about the young soldier shot in the stomach. They intended to raid the armoury for arms but were unsuccessful.
The IRA assault on Blandford Camp was probably an inside job.
Frank Skuse was a young Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers (REME)
corporal. His home was in County Cork. A man answering Skuse’s description had
hired accommodation in a country house at Charlton Marshall. When the police
forced entry they found ammunition, weapons and three suits of battledress with
REME shoulder flashes. Two weeks after the attack, a tommy-gun, small arms and
ammunition were discovered in a converted bus parked in a Bournemouth caravan
park. Frank Skuse had hired the bus.
On February 19, 1958, the Belfast
Telegraph reported an IRA statement.
‘We have been asked to state that all volunteers who participated in the
raid on Blandford military camp on February 16 have been safely accounted for.
Six Irish freedom fighters entered the British military base at 1.30a.m. on
February 16 and seized the magazine guard. They held the camp, which contained
British soldiers, for half an hour and then withdrew after an alarm had been raised.’
In March 1961, the Irish Press
reported a claim by Skuse that he had led
the raid on Blandford Camp and was also involved in a raid on another REME army
camp at Arborfield. One of the Arborfield raiders was wearing a REME uniform. Skuse had to escape with the Blandford raiders as he was recognised when the scarf covering his face slipped.
Frank Skuse emigrated to the USA and ran an Irish pub in New York. National Archives at Kew hold a file entitled ‘Frank D Skuse’. Access is not permitted before January 2041. He had joined the British Army in 1952. However his service was twofold - he was also a member of the IRA and had supplied intelligence for the raid on Arborfield Barracks which had taken place in 1955.
In New York in 1973, he admitted the British had a suspicion of his involvement in the Arborfield attack and had transferred him to Blandford where he had kept in touch with the IRA. He said again that he had supplied intelligence for the Blandford raid and had taken part in it.
Secretary of State for War, Mr Christopher Soames was asked in the House of Commons how five Irishmen could overcome an army base of 2,000. No one was ever arrested for the Blandford Camp Raid.
Frank Skuse died in his adopted home of New York on the 20th November 2022. (Irish Central)
(Illustration: Blandford Camp in the 1950s)
what an epic lad that skuse was
ReplyDeleteThis raid took place end November / begining Dec 1957. I should have been on duty but was brought forward 24 hours, WY the cover up. I left that camp just before Christmas 1957. Skuse was my room corporal
DeleteThe Arborfield raid was in July 1955, not 1952. He joined up as an Army Apprentice at the Apprentice School at Beachley Camp near Chepstow. I was 6 months behind Frank at Beachley passing out in July 1955. I was posted to Arborfield and arrived a week after the IRA raid. Those in charge by then had increased those on guard, there wasn't room in the guardroom for those who weren't out 'on stag'. Coincidentally I was at Blandford for a six month regimental course late summer 1957. I got roped in to play hockey, Frank was in the opposing team, he managed to inflict a bump to my head with his stick
ReplyDelete