DI Percival Lea-Wilson

Percival Lea Wilson was appointed a Cadet in the Royal Irish Constabulary in July 1910

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28403/page/5593/data.pdf

In the 1911 census, he has become a District Inspector 3rd Class and is stationed in Galway:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Galway/Woodford/Woodford_Town/466067/


District Inspector Percival (Perceval in many documents) Lea Wilson appears to have been commissioned as a Captain in the Royal Irish Regiment in January 1916 without having to go through the steps of 2nd Lieutenant and then Lieutenant :

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29459/supplement/1328/data.pdf

There are references to him having been in France and returning to Ireland as a result of wounds. I've not seen a Medal Index Card yet to confirm that he set foot in France before the Easter Rising.

Following the Easter Rising, Captain Percival Lea-Wilson, 3rd Battalion Royal Irish Regiment eventually went to France in 1917. Again, no Medal Index Card yet to confirm this.

His performance as a field officer appears to have been poor and he was sacked by this battalion Commanding Officer according to the records seen by Eithne Hand and discussed on the RTE History Show:

https://www.rte.ie/radio/radioplayer/html5/#/radio1/21770453

He returned to the RIC Depot in Dublin as a District Inspector on the 17th July 1917 and is assigned to Gorey District in County Wexford from the 1st August 1917.

While he does get involved in some work to interfere with Sinn Fein activities during the November 1918 election campaign, he seems to have been unmolested by Michael Collins and the IRA. Some stories suggest that Collins tracked Lea-Wilson but it is difficult to understand how he would have done so.

In February 1920, members of the Irish Volunteers at The Ballagh, County Wexford conducted a raid for arms. The raid went wrong and a 60 year old woman, Mrs Ellen Morris (nee Murphy), was shot and killed :

https://www.rte.ie/centuryireland/index.php/articles/local-men-arrested-after-shooting-of-woman-in-wexford-house-raid

As this falls in DI Lea-Wilson's district, he is active in the investigation and subsequent arrest of those involved.

Elaborate measures are taken to imprison the suspects and to transport them to and from the court. The British Army and Royal Navy were involved in the operations.

It appears that the Irish Volunteers in Enniscorthy decided that DI Lea-Wilson was to be shot. This is mentioned in the Witness Statement of Thomas Doyle, Weafer Street, Enniscorthy :

Thomas Doyle Witness Statement, page 62


I suspect the Enniscorthy Volunteers subsequently spoke to GHQ and someone made the connection between DI Lea-Wilson in Gorey and Captain Lea-Wilson from the Easter Rising and then made the decision to use men from The Squad to assassinate DI Lea-Wilson.

Of the Irish Volunteers in the raid on Mrs Morris's, all were originally charged with Murder. Later, 18year old John Lacey was charged with manslaughter while the others involved were charged with Unlawful Assembly.


The sentences appear to be quite light for a murder at the time (Kevin Barry was hung in November 1920 for an arms raid that went wrong)