Narrow Escape For Cameron Highlanders at Whiterock

On Friday, August 26, 1920, volunteers from the 4th. Battalion, 1st. Brigade IRA, under Vice-Commandant Joseph Aherne, ambushed a party of Cameron Highlanders at Whiterock, two miles east of Midleton. 

One section of the ambushing party waited behind a five-foot wall, while another section were detailed to pull down a tree as the enemy approached. This second section had the protection of a covered bank on the roadside, three feet high, with a drop of five or six feet on the inside. The British were expected to come from the Midleton direction, where the Camerons were stationed at the time. 

One of the scouts, Volunteer Sean Kelleher, hearing a lorry coming from Castlemartyr in the oppsite direction, jumped on his motor-cycle and rushed to warn Joseph Aherne of its approach. It was around 2.00 pm when Kelleher and another scout, Volunteer Michael Kearney, signalled the approach of the enemy. As the lorry sped down the incline into the ambush position the IRA opened fire. The first volley killed the driver but did not stop the lorry. The wheel was immediately taken over by the auxiliary driver who accelerated away from the danger zone. As the vehicle came under heavy fire from the left-hand side of the road, frantic efforts were made by the young men on the opposite side to topple the tree that would bring it to a halt. Eventually the tree came down and actually struck the back of the lorry but did not cause it to stop or go out of control and the British managed to escape and return to their barracks.

Apart from the death of the driver, named as Private Hall, Lieutenant Beggs and Private Wintern were also badly wounded. The IRA suffered no casualties during the encounter. However, at least five of the attacking party were victims of the Clonmult massacre only six months later.