The inexperience of many of his fellow soldiers became apparent to Mr Simpkin soon after landing at Kingstown. The troops were ordered to fall into their ranks on the main road as if they were on the parade ground but then.
The order was to load. While loading we must have had so many that was rookies you know and hadn’t been with us long besides loading they fired ’em off.
Mr Simpkin was interviewed for the television series 'Ireland A Television History', on 27 June 1979.