Roll of Honor
Incident
Died in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast the day after he and Temporary Cadet Ernest Baran Bolam, who died the previous day, were shot and fatally wounded, after finishing their escort duty when, at approximately 9:10pm, they were attacked by two men at the junction of Donegall Place and Fountain Lane, in Belfast. The two officers had earlier travelled to Belfast in a party of twelve officers from Sligo.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-GB-RIC-8748DAEB- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 8, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Temporary Cadet Bales served with the Royal Irish Constabulary.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Temporary Cadet Bales.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Temporary Cadet John Beets Bales is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In L, 592 of 749 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 79% of this state's fallen. That is 24.8 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Royal Irish Constabulary, 519 of 642 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 80.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Beets Bales's cause is highlighted.
How John Beets Bales Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Beets Bales is highlighted in Apr.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.
Others Who Wore This Badge
641 officers from Royal Irish Constabulary are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
