“Killed in action” (on the mural) or “on active service” (on the plaque) often means killed by a bomb exploding prematurely, as was the case of Finbarr McKenna, who died in Crocus Street intending to attack the RUC station on the Springfield Road at Violet Street. Here is an account of McKenna’s death from a British soldier. Lost Lives estimates that as many as 163 volunteers (9% of the total killed by the IRA) died from premature explosions. Footage of McKenna’s funeral appears in the (Sınn Féın-produced) account of Larry Marley’s funeral.
The plaque dates back to at least 2004.
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