Lieutenant Geoffrey Ibberson

British Army

Liet. Ibberson is the British Soldier that shot and killed Adjutant Michael O’Brien in the battle on Drimcoggy Mountain in the aftermath of the Ambush. Tom Maguire described how this happened “A few hours later … we were contacted by a party of British Troops … we withstood their attack with Lewis Guns and rifle fire all day … At one point I got hit. They were concentrating a terrible barrage on us just then. My Adjutant, Michael O’Brien, crept over and tied me up but I was bleeding profusely. A party of them, led by Liet. Ibberson, moved to outflank me. He was not in uniform, his frock-coat was off … Suddenly taking aim he fired at O’Brien, who had just finished attending to me. He hit and fatally wounded O’Brien, who was in the act of picking up his rifle again …”

Ibberson himself was shot by volunteer James O’Brien and was seriously injured. He managed to get down off the mountain and was bandaged in Costello’s house in Túr na Bhfód and brought to Srah by horse & cart. Ibberson recovered and was awarded an MBE for his part in the Tourmakeady Ambush.