John Maddocks, 32-years-old, married with 3 children and a soldier with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps holding the rank of Warrant Officer (WO) was from Stockport, Cheshire. WO Maddocks was killed instantly when an IRA bomb that was planted in a milk churn exploded. He was examining the bomb at Gortmullen, Derrylin.

The milk churn had been spotted 4 days earlier by a civilian but it was sometime before the bomb disposal team moved in. The bomb was close to an elderly woman’s home and her son attached a wire and hook and pulled it away from her home. The bomb squad arrived the same day.

WO2 Maddocks was the 13th bomb disposal man to be killed.