Micheal Collins and 'The Squad'.

[capel street man]

Morning Gary, as I posted before, you or a relative will have to register at the N.Archives, then you will be able to order a copy, they are most helpfull.
I live in the U.K. so it would make sense and be a lot cheaper for you or someone on your behalf to register, also ,when you have the time, just think of the research you could carry out at the Archives, it really is straight forward after the first visit,you can contact them on-4072-300 and explain the situation  about your father, I am sure they will be sympathetic.
Good luck

[Gary Deering]

Thanks again Capel Street Man I am going to try & get down to the Archives even for an hour on Tuesday. Gary

[capel street man]

Good afternoon Corisande, thought you might be interested in the following names taken from W.S.No.727 by Michael Joseph Lawless, member of E.Co.2nd Battalion, Dublin Brigade.
QUOTE-
As regards the operations of Bloody Sunday 21st.Nov.1920,I was ordered to report at the Painters Hall, Gloucester Street, ( as it was then ) on the Saturday night 20-11-20 by my Company Officer, B.Byrne. There I met a few other men and we received orders from somebody of G.H.Q( I cannot remember whom ).The orders were to be at Dunlop House, afterwards Oriel House ( corner of Westland Row and Merrion Row ) on the following Sunday morning at 9 o,clock. Myself and Johnny McDonnell ( brother of Paddy McDonnell, very well known G.A.A.footballer of the period- St.Laurence O,Toole Club ) and Willie Maher, as we lived near one another, arrived there together and met there Herbert Conroy and Sean Daly ( London Irish-Kimmage pre 16- later E.Company 2nd Battalion brother of Liam Daly of Old Dublin Brigade Association ).Tom Ennis then arrived. We were all Ecompany members.Ennis was in charge. He told us what the job was........-UN-QUOTE, it then goes into further detail and very interesting it is. My comment, Corisande you did not answer an earlier question of mine, did you have a relative involved in this particular operation or are you just interested.
As far as I am aware only 3 people who were at 38 Upper Mount Street, made W.S.-Vinny Byrne, Thomas Duffy and Michael .J.Lawless, the other information would come from the pension applications made by the Volunteers who were there and eye witness accounts
Good Luck
Capel Street man.










 
 
 

[corisande]

Corisande you did not answer an earlier question of mine, did you have a relative involved in this particular operation or are you just interested

Sorry, I was not avoiding your question. I have answered the same question many times on the forum, just missed your specific one there!

The answer is yes, but not in the way that you might think.

J J Fitzgerald (link for my page on him) was shot on Bloody Sunday. The squad probably killed the wrong man - very unusually nobody has ever claimed to have been on this raid, nor indeed was Fitzgerald an undercover man). So who were they after. I have no idea, but my grandfather lived in a flat two doors away. My grandfather was in Royal Dublin Fusiliers, had been involved in the Easter Rising with them, and later was a civil servant in Custom House when it was set on fire. His roles have been covered on this forum in threads covering those events.

Anyway my grandfather was sufficiently spooked to decide to leave Dublin. He moved to Belfast, which is where i was brought up. We were never taught any Irish history. I suppose akin to southern schools not teaching your civil war. So I became self taught. I started of with my grandfather's life , then went on to research the Royal Dublin Fusiliers , the Irish Brigade and the Cairo Gang - I probably know more about the last two than anyone on the planet, if anyone on the planet could possibly want to know about them.

I have a personal interest, and I am wanting to write it down, I hope in a non partisan way, before it all gets lost. So there you have it!

[corisande]

Thanks for that Lawless WS, that was very useful to me with names

I believe that Frank Saurin was the Intelligence man at Upper Mount St and has a WS 715. As you know I have not read the WSs yet, but that is from the index

Frank Saurin claimed he did the talking at the front door, not Byrne, at Upper Mount St. He was a Dubliner, known as the best-dressed Volunteer

With your interest in Upper Mount St it may be worth your while looking at that WS

[capel street man]

Thank you Corisande for answering my question, the subject obviously means a lot to you and the information you have on your grandfather, (I looked at the links), are fascinating and well researched and documented.You are coming from a totally different viewpoint and it is very refreshing and as you rightly say, from an un-bias outlook.I wish you well with your book and if I can be of any help at all, please feel free to ask.
I will check out Frank Saurins W.S.
Good luck
Capel Street man

[capel street man]

Good afternoon Gary, came across the following -W.S.NO.667 Patrick Lawson,2nd Lieut.1st Batt.Dublin Brigade, 1917- Member of the Squad, Dublin,1921.
Pages 10 & 11
QUOTE-Ambush at Crossguns Bridge
A short time after my release from Arbour Hill ( he was arrested 23rd November 1920, unknown when he was released ) an ambush was arranged by the company to take place in the vicinity of Crossguns Bridge.........
About 2o minutes after taking up our allotted positions, the first Crossley-load of Black and Tans approached us from Doyles Corner. As they came abreast of Connaught St. I stepped out on the road and let fly my bomb. The bomb struck one of the Tans in the Crossley but did not explode, it fell on to the roadway.I fired a second bomb which I had in my possession and it landed in front of the radiator of the car.The 2nd bomb also failed to explode.....In accordance with my instructions I withdrew from my position.Two Volunteers,Owen Donnelly and JOHNNY WILLIAMS.picked up the unexploded grenades and dumped them in the canal- UN-QUOTE.
Good luck
Capel Street man

c

[Gary Deering]

Hi Capel Street Man, I got in to the Archives today I was very tight on time, so I just Got Bill Stapletons & James Harpurs WS, I have a very quick read of Stapletons which I have to say was really good the few pages I read.I also got the Igoe Gang story & the Custom House Burning from Harpurs copied.Thank you again I will scan & email it later around the family.
Gary

[capel street man]

Good morning Gary, delighted you managed to go to the N.Archives and get Harpers W.S. copied, it makes fascinating reading, I am new to the site but I gather from your posts you have been searching for information on your relative, Johnnie Wilson for some time, if Jonnie and James hadn't stuck to their story, who knows what could have happened to them !!
Good luck and keep up the research
Capel Street man