Jadotville commander’s son to speak at event commemorating street that housed 13 veterans

Leo Quinlan, son of Cmdt Pat Quinlan, who led the Siege of Jadotville in The Congo, holds a photo of his father. Picture: Don MacMonagle

A community is to unveil a monument next month in remembrance of 13 soldiers who fought heroically in the Battle of Jadotville in The Congo and who all lived in the same street.

The soldiers lived in Assumption Road, Athlone, and the man invited to give the oration at the ceremony is the son of the officer who led their defence against a vastly overwhelming force and whose tactics have become textbook reading ever since for militaries around the world, including the prestigious US Military Academy at West Point.