ULSTER DEVELOPMENTS

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 June 1922, Page 5

ULSTER DEVELOPMENTS

SIEGE OF LONDONDERRY. MANY TROOPS IN BELFAST (Australian and N:Z. Cable Associati in.)

LONDON, June 3. ; It is significant that British miliL tary preparations are now proceeding . in Belfast .which now has the biggest garrison in its history. Infantry forces • and also field artillery and siege i guns, and airmen. British troops have now replaced the Ulster “specials” on the Fermanagh border. Two i huge armies, are face to face on the Fermanagh border. Tlie military Commandant of Londonderry prohibits the export of motor spirit oil into County Donegal, by either road, rail, or sea. This is expected to paralyse the Republicans, who have a fleet of commandeered motor cars. The “Evening News” says: “A determined siege of Londonderry seems imminent. Two camps containing several hundred Republicans, who are [splendidly equipped, have been established north and south of the city. i|Thc position is most critical. ffl The “Evening News” states that has raised a picturesque little * motor boat navy, commanded by a woman. Her flagship is the yacht “Pandora,” which she owns. The Ulster Fleet in Lough Erne is patrolling the shores. Tho Ulster Navy is preventing any supplies from reaching some Sinn Feiners who are oncammed at Pettigo. A remarkable story is told of the saving of a police garrison at Ballynameena Castle by the help of the lady owner of the, yacht Pandora. She is a Mrs Laverton and is well acquainted with Lough Erne. She insisted on accompanying a relief expedition aboard the vessel, and at a critical moment she herself weighed anchor’ under fire. The gardison were finely evacuated. Mrs Laverton, describing, the delief of Ballynameena Castle, stated that the Pandora ran in and anchored. Special constables aboard engaged a large body of Republicans and drove them off with heavy losses. Then she noticed that the sluice gates had been opened, and there was a danger of the Pandora stranding. She jumped into a boat, weighed anchor of the Pandora and pulled into deep water. She was constantly sniped at, but had a rifle and naturally fired back. She thought she got several, too.

WEEK-END SKIRMISHES Recd. 2 p.m. LONDON, June 4. Throe Sinn Feiners caught Mr Woulfe Flanaghan, a well known Magistrate, as he was leaving Newry Church after morning Mass, and shot him dead. The murderers escaped in a waiting motor-car into the Free State. Flanaghan recently sentenced a number of rebels, and was a marked man. Week-end outrages in Belfast resulted in a man being shot dead and two special constables and six civilians wounded. Two soldiers of the Seaforth Highlanders were brutally assaulted on Sunday morning. The Liverpool Regiment and a battery have gone to Londonderry. Guns will be available to command the border. Following an order from the Londonderry Commandant, Ulster specials are manning small boats, which are armoured, and will patrol Lough Foyle to prevent the transport of petrol to Donegal. Republicans attacked Ulster specials at Post Culmore, but were driven off. They also blew up a bridge, and they are now digging trenches near Culmore. Sniping was continuous on Sunday on the Strabane-Lifford border. After heavy preliminary firing, British troops stormed Pettigo yesterday afternoon. The Republicans replied with heavy machine gun fire killing one police driver. The British tcok as prisoners the Ira Commandant, and his staff, and also a large number of Sinn Feiners.