 Just as a troop lorry finally appeared, two civilians came up the road in a pony and trap and had to be frantically waved out of the way.The lorry carried a nine-man British Army and Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) patrol travelling on the Strokestown–Longford road.The British inquiry into the incident was to question why the lorry was unescorted, as their practice was not to travel in lone vehicles.