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Auction: 9024 - The Property of a Gentleman Orders, Decorations and Campaign Medals
Lot: 697

An Extremely Rare and Early ´Anti-Terrorist´ George Medal to Head Constable W.R. Morrow, Royal Ulster Constabulary; Who With Sten Gun in Hand Repelled an Armed Attack by Saor Uladh "Free Ulster" on Rosslea Station, 26.11.1955; Protecting His Family Who Were Billeted with Him, He Followed the Men of the Irish Republican Army Splinter Group on to the Street, Continuing to Engage Them in a Gunfight and Mortally Wounding Their Lieutenant, Connie Green George Medal, E.II.R. (William Robert Morrow), very fine, mounted as originally worn, with a copy of recipient´s service record and a copy of an article on the attack on Rosslea Station which features an image of the recipient Estimate £ 8,000-12,000 G.M. London Gazette 31.1.1956 William Robert Morrow, Sergeant, Royal Ulster Constabulary. (Rosslea, County Fermanagh.), ´´An attack was made by armed criminals on the Royal Ulster Constabulary Station, Rosslea. Sergeant Morrow was asleep in a bedroom on the first floor. A Constable was resting in the guardroom on the ground floor and three others were asleep in cubicles on the first floor. The criminals placed a charge of gelignite in a gutter beneath and outside the guardroom window and detonated it electrically, blowing a hole in the wall measuring 4 feet 4 inches by 2 feet 6 inches, and causing much other damage. The Constable was blown from his camp bed and partially buried under the debris. The criminals entered the guardroom through the hole made by the explosion and fired seven bullets from automatic weapons into the Constable´´s body. Sergeant Morrow, awakened by the explosion, dashed out of his quarters into the main building and there obtained a Sten gun. Calling to one of the Constables to send out a radio message for help and to the others to take up defensive positions, he ran to a landing giving access to the staircase, up which the criminals were then firing and calling on the garrison to surrender. From his position on the landing the Sergeant opened fire on the criminals and after an exchange of shots the criminals fled, leaving behind them a sub-machine gun, an American automatic rifle, a gas pistol, hand grenades and other articles. Sergeant Morrow followed up his attack into the open, but the criminals had come in three cars, which they had left close to the Station during the attack, and they succeeded in making their escape in these and reaching the Irish Republic. One of the criminals was killed and one wounded. Sergeant Morrow´´s coolness in giving instructions to his party and in taking on himself the task of repelling those of the criminals who had entered the building and his complete disregard of his personal safety, showed courage of an extremely high order.´´ The attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary station at Rosslea (see citation above) was carried out by Saor Uladh, 26.11.1955. Saor Uladh ("Free Ulster") was formed in County Tyrone by Liam Kelly and Phil O´´Donnell in 1953. By 1955, splits were occurring in the Irish Republican Army, as several small groups, impatient for action, launched their own attacks in Northern Ireland. One such splinter group was "Free Ulster" and in November 1955 Kelly orchestrated an attack, to be led by Connie Green (his leading ´´Lieutenant´´), on the RUC barracks at Rosslea. Sergeant Morrow armed with his Sten gun was primarily responsible for repulsing the terrorist attack. During the armed exchange Constable Knowles was severely wounded and Sergeant Morrow shot and mortally wounded Connie Green. The latter, formerly a Commando in the British Army, was ferried away from Rosslea across the border to a farmhouse near Tydavnet in north County Monaghan. He died the following day and was buried in an unmarked grave in a local cemetery. In November the following year the Irish Republican Army finally began its ´´Border Campaign´´, and as a consequence "Free Ulster" and its members were absorbed into the IRA. Head Constable William Robert Morrow, G.M., born Belfast, 1929; joined the Royal Ulster Constabulary 9.12.1948; Sergeant 8.5.1955; postings included Tyrone, 1.8.1949; Fermanagh (on promotion), 1.5.1955 (G.M. and a gratuity of £25 with two special increments of pay), ´´Sergeant Morrow, who is 26, comes from Belmont Avenue, Belfast. He is one of the youngest Sergeants in the R.U.C. He is married with two children. His family were living in the station at the time of the raid [Rosslea]´´ (News Letter dated 1.2.1956, refers); Head Constable 19.7.1957; served at Glenravel Street, Belfast, 1959-66; Springfield Road 1.6.1967; resigned 8.11.1967.

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£15,000