Patrick J. Power’s Witness Statement

Below is a witness statement about the events on the night of January 7th 1921 given by Patrick J. Power, of 2 Galtymore Park, Drimnagh, Dublin.
Patrick was a staff officer with the 

West Waterford Brigade in 1921.

Source - https://www.militaryarchives.ie

       It was on 7th January 1921; that I was informed that we were to proceed to Tramore, Co. Waterford, to help the East Waterford Brigade, under Paddy Paul, the 0.C., in an ambush planned to take place near that town.

Our column - about' eighteen in all - left the Ballylaneen, Stradbally, district in West Waterford in three cars about 8 p.m. and reached the vicinity of the Metal Bridge, about a mile east of Tramore and on the main Tramore-Waterford road, about an hour or so later. Andy Kirwan of Bonmahon drove one of the cars ; 'Nipper' McCarthy of Dungarvan, another. I forget who drove the third one. George Lennon was in charge of our lads; Mick Mansfield was second in charge. Pax Whelan, 0.C. West Waterford Brigade, was also there that night and probably he, and not George Lennon, took over command of our party.

When we arrived at Tramore, most of our lads were placed in position on a high road overlooking the Metal Bridge on its western (Tramore) side. The East Waterford men were in positions on high ground overlooking the eastern (Waterford city) side of the bridge.  I should state that this bridge carried the railway line over the main Waterford-Tramore road.

About 30 yards on the Tramore side of the Metal Bridge a road block was constructed and I, along with Jack Kirwan of Bonmahon, Michael Walsh of Durrow, Co. Waterford, and another man, whose name I forget, was inside a fence right beside the road block. We were facing the Metal Bridge and were about 30 yards from it. First of all, it was arranged to fire a few shots at the R.I.C. in Tramore Barracks. The R.I.C. would then send up Verey lights for help, as was usually done, and probably phone to the nearest military barracks, in this case Waterford City, for assistance. The telephone wires were not interfered with that night by our men. When the military came out from Waterford city, their lorries were to be allowed to run up to barricade at the Tramore side of the Metal Bridge without a shot being fired by Paddy Paul's men on the Waterford city side of the bridge. My instructions were to get the driver or drivers of the lorries nearest to the barricade. The rest of our column would also open up on the enemy and when that had happened, Paddy Paul's lads would lash into the British from the Waterford city side of the bridge. The main thing was that no shot was to be fired until the British lorries ran up to the barricade and were first engaged by the West Waterford column.

It would be about half past 10, or maybe later, when I could hear explosions coming from the direction of Tramore town where a few of our lads had gone in and thrown a couple of grenades at the R.I.C. barracks. Immediately, we could see the Verey lights going up from the barracks and heard a lot of rifle fire.

Having accomplished their job of scaring the garrison in the R.I.C. Barracks, our men returned to their positions near the Metal Bridge and we awaited the results. It was no time after our lads had returned from Tramore that we heard the noise of lorries approaching from Waterford city, We couldn't see these lorries from our position because the railway bridge obstructed our view and besides, there was a sharp bend on the road on the Waterford side of the bridge,

The next thing happened was that heavy firing broke out on the far side of the bridge. It was obvious that something had gone wrong. We should have started the shooting when the British lorries ran into the barricade. I was standing up with my rifle pointing towards the road as it came under the bridge on my side. The three men with me, who had shotguns, were lying down pointing their guns in the same direction. We expected to see a lorry load of British soldiers any minute, but nothing happened.

Firing was now going on pretty heavily on Paddy Paul's side, but we still could see nothing to fire at. I remember a Verey light being fired by our lads on the high road near me ( I believe Pax Whelan fired it) but, even then, I could see no lorry, or any enemy. There was nothing I could do but to await developments, as I had no orders to leave my position. I knew something had gone wrong with the plan for the ambush, but I held on in the hopes that the British might come along within gunshot of my position. I was a long time in this predicament. All the time occasional bursts of firing could be heard coming from the Waterford city side of the bridge, but still nothing happened on our side. No enemy appeared.

To the best of my recollection, I'm sure I was about an hour like this when Comdt. Pat Keating of our column came down to me and told me to get a way as our lads, the western column, were retiring. I asked Pat what it was all about and he said the plan had gone wrong, that it looked as if the East Waterford lads under Paul's command had engaged the British before the latter had come properly into the ambush position. Pat also said that it was reported that enemy troops were seen on our flank and in the darkness it was impossible to tell what really was happening. He said that the western column was retreating to avoid encirclement by the British forces reported as trying to outflank us, and that my party was to do likewise.

I pulled out of the position with my three men and went with Pat Keating in a westerly direction towards the village of Kill, three miles distant. There we secured a horse and car and eventually arrived at my house at Glen, Stradbally. We dumped our guns in a disused farmhouse in the vicinity, hiding them under a quantity of oats. The guns were left there for a week or so, and then, when things seemed to be safe, I brought them (10 rifles in all) by pony and trap to Comeragh where the column had reassembled.