An article in Leitrim Guardian establishes that the British force was 2 officers and 25 men of 1st Bed Regt, and that RIC and ADRIC were not involved.
An IRA Flying Column was ambushed by members of the ADRIC at Selton Hill (or Seltan Hill), County Leitrim on the Mohill to Ballinamore road. Six IRA men of the Leitrim Brigade were killed.
A large force of British based in Mohill, surrounded and then attacked the IRA camp on 11 March 1921. The RIC suffered no losses. The IRA dead were Connolly, Seamus Wrynne, Joseph O'Beirne (or Beirne), John Reilly, Joseph Reilly, and Capt ME Baxter.
WS1265 After the Selton Hill ambush the Tans destroyed the house of Jack Hunt at Attirory, Carrick-on-Shannon. Hunt was wounded. and captured at Selton Hill and some time later James Glynn, who was a member of the Drumshambo or Arigna Volunteers, was shot dead by British forces at Drumshambo. I do not know the details of this shooting. Volunteer Patrick Gill, a rather old man, was shot by the R.I.C. while proceeding up the village of Drumsna. It was believed that he was shot in mistake for Michael Feely who was "on the run" and wanted by the R.I.C
WS1145 Regarding the ambush at Garvagh where Connolly and the other men were killed, a Protestant farmer named William Lattimer, who lived at Glassdrummond, had seen Connolly and the other men go into a house at Selton Hill, called Flynn's. He, Lattimer, went into Mohill and gave this information to a Dr. Pentland who, in turn, passed it on to the British military. The military went out to Selton Hill and surrounded Flynn's house with a large force, including armoured cars and Lewis guns, with the result that Connolly and the others were killed in trying to fight their way out. It was now decided that Lattimer and Dr. Pentland would have to pay the death penalty for their action: A few men of the Column were sent to Lattimer's house with instructions to shoot him. The house was locked and barricaded, so they threw a few hand grenades into it, thinking this would finish him off but, to their surprise, he came out after the explosions. They shot him then. Dr. Pentland succeeded in clearing out of the country but, shortly afterwards, he was killed by being crushed to death against a wall by a lorry in London. An Auxiliary policeman, stationed in Ballinamore, was keeping company with a girl at Drumshambo. Charles McGoohan, who was then O/C of the Column, met this Auxie. on the road and opened fire on him with an automatic pistol. After an exchange of shots, the Auxiliary was killed. [ Note I do not think that an ADRIC man died in this way - no record exists to confirm it]
WS496 . I reported the position existing in Leitrim to Connolly. He came to Leitrim in the meantime and at night he was brought to a house in that pert of the country which he did not know at Selton Hill. Information or this was given to the enemy and Connolly and those with him were surrounded there on the following evening. Connolly and his comrades put up a fight, but against impossible odds, and he and some others of his party were killed. Connolly was given away by Dr. Pintland who was the dispensary doctor. A Protestant farmer named Lettimoe had observed Connolly and his comrades during the night. He conveyed this information to Dr. Pintland who, in turn, brought it to the Tans in Mohill to Inspector Hickman. Hickman wired the military at Headquarters at Carrick-on-Shannon, and from there a mixed force proceeded and, without warning, they got on to the hill overlooking the house where Connolly was staying end opened fire on it with Vickers and Lewis guns, as well as rifles. Lettimoe was shot afterwards by the I.R.A. for his part in the affair. Dr Pintland was missing, having cleared out. We never knew where he had got to until 1924, when I read in the papers where Dr. Pintland had been killed in London by a five-ton lorry skidding on the road end crashing through railings outside his own house, crushing him to death. So both did. not survive Connolly and his men very long
WS1194 Bernard Sweeney was a survivor and gives an eye witness account
WS 1146 After the ambush at Garvagh where six of the Column, including Connolly, were killed, we lost some rifles six or seven. Sweeney was the only one who escaped on that occasion. I was not there and anything I know about it is only hearsay
An eyewitness account of a soldier in 1st Bedfordshire Reg gives that the British were 2 officers and 25 men from Bed Reg and they were the only British involved