Campaign for Jadotville bravery medals gets council support
Westmeath's county councillors have thrown their support behind a new campaign to get the Minister for Defence to the 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.
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 anniversary of the siege taking place next year, he said that the timing is right for the soldiers to be recognised by the state.