Councillors support campaign for Jadotville bravery medals

(Above) Cllr Ken Glynn.

Westmeath's county councillors have thrown their support behind a new campaign to get the Minister for Defence to award bravery medals to some of the service men involved in the Siege of Jadotville in 1961.

Speaking at last Monday's meeting of Westmeath County Council where he submitted a motion on the issue, Cathaoirleach Ken Glynn said that when the soldiers returned home from the Congo in 1961 they were “unjustly branded as cowards, which was certainly not the case”.

Fifty nine years ago this month, 158 members of A Company were attacked by an estimated 5,000 Katangese troops while on UN peace keeping duty in the Congolese town of Jadotville.

Despite their numerical inferiority, the Irish soldiers managed to defend their outpost for five days before they were forced to surrender due to a lack of ammunition and food and water.

During the five days they killed 300 of their attackers while only five of their soldiers were injured.

On their return to Ireland, the officer over A Company, Commandant Pat Quinlan, recommended that 27 of his men be awarded Distinguished Service Medals and five the Military Medal for Gallantry, the highest honour a member of the Defence Forces can receive.

Cllr Glynn said that while specially commissioned Jadotville medals were awarded to the members of A Company in 2017, “the gallantry and distinguished service medals continue to be denied”.

“There are only eight of the men recommended for medals still alive and time is not on their side. This recognition is so richly deserved for our brave veterans.

“Thirty seven of the soldiers in Jadotville were from Longford and Westmeath and many of their families still live here.”

Cllr Mick Dollard expressed his support for the campaign, which has been organised by a group of military veterans, including Noel O'Callaghan from Mullingar. He said that a large number of Jadotville veterans served in Columb Barracks when they returned from the Congo and it is right that their exploits in Jadotville be officially recognised.

Cllr Frankie Keena said that he fully supported the campaign and that he was aware of the “heroism” that the men of A Company displayed during the siege. With the 60th anniversay of the siege taking place next year, he said that the timing is right for the 32 soldiers to be recognised by the state.

Cllr Bill Collentine said that 15 of the men who served in the Congo were from the greater Mullingar area. He urged the state to award the 32 medals and honour the legacy of Commandant Quinlan and his men.

“If these medals were recommended by the officer who saw their bravery first hand, protocol should follow through and the medals should be awarded to those who fought so bravely,” he said.