1942 – “Don’t Panic Puckane!”

Nenagh Guardian, 1 August 1942

Fans of the BBC’s vintage comedy “Dad’s Army” will appreciate this report, as it summarises very well exactly the kind of capers Captain Mainwaring and his loyal platoon would have fallen into in one of their episodes. The shores of Lough Derg were under attack from foreign invasion but thanks to the stout defence offered by Section Leader Jack Loughnane (who wasn’t a “stupid boy” and didn’t panic) the hamlet of Puckane, when it had earlier appeared to be doomed, was saved. Special mention is given to the Lough Derg Yacht Club, which had loaned the L.D.F. its navy of battlecruisers, frigates, destroyers and mine-sweepers for the day.