Parcell Rees Bowen - murdered Dublin 1920

[corisande]

I am finding it difficult to get any information on this murder. This is from a Welsh graveyard site (corrected for date - he died in 1920, there is a death registration then)

On 27 October, 1920, his lifeless body was found lying face-down in Herrion Street, Dublin. Parcell Bowen had been lodging with a fellow Officer at 28, Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin, and the two had spent the afternoon watching a football match at Donnybrook. After the match, Parcell Bowen could not be found, until he was discovered at Herrion Street. His body was brought back to Carmarthen, where Captain Parcell Rees Bowen was buried with full military honours in Abergwili Churchyard.

1.The London Times does not appear to report the death

2. I cannot find any other reference to the murder, except in Army records they supplied a coffin

3. Where is Herrion Street in Dublin - I suspect it is a misprint

4, I cannot find anything on Republican sites claiming responsibility. I am fairly sure Bowen was Intelligence

5. Here is what I have on him I can obviously get the pre-WW1 records from normal sources, it is his death or any other links with Ireland that I am looking for here.

[shanew147]

...
3. Where is Herrion Street in Dublin - I suspect it is a misprint
...

maybe a mis-reading of some handwriting stating Merrion Street ?


Shane

[corisande]

Thanks Shane

My Dublin geography was not good enough to give me that 

[Pastmagic]

If you check out Merrion Sq, Merrion Street on google maps, you will see that both the other locations are nearby. Have you tried the Irish Times Archive for 1920? Also there must have been a coroners report - maybe if you wrote to the Gardai Headquarters there archive would have something on file?.

PM

[corisande]

Unfortunately I don't have subscription to Irish Times, but there is nothing in London Times

A coroners report would be in Kew British National Archives, and I have not dug one out of that yet

[shanew147]

I checked the IT around the day's in question  - plently of activity and incidents in the area around Merrion Square, but no mention of him. I presume if he was undercover, the details may not have been publicised, or he could even have been using a different name at the time.



Shane

[corisande]

Shane

I doubt he was using a false name. Oddly none of them ever did (the only exception I have found is with Angliss, who was murdered on Bloody Sunday, using the name Mahon, but I don't think Angliss was born Angliss, and I suspect Mahon was his real name)

Bowen has a state death record under his real name. And was buried in Wales under his real name. The only if I would see, would be that the body was of a person unknown killed in Dublin that day. In other words the British did not own up to the body being n agent when it happened, but once the body got to the morgue, the details got sorted out behind the scenes

[shanew147]

As far as I remember there were a number of unknown bodies mentioned over those days... but none that I found mentioned Merrion Street or Square.

There was some sort of explosion nearby in somewhere called Oriel House ... think it might have been RIC or Army offices..

p.s. strange idea - going undercover but using your real name!


Shane

[corisande]

Thanks Shane

It has given me a bit more to dig with, I'll see if I can unearth anything in the "usual places"