North King Street, 1916

On a thread on boards.ie, the following blog entry by an Easter Rising author was added as a link

http://www.theirishstory.com/2012/04/13/the-north-king-street-massacre-dublin-1916/

The chap who posted the link didn't react too well to my questioning the accuracy of the blog.....

While the blog has been updated slightly, it still has errors and odd links. The murders of 15 people (or should that be 16 - most of the 'mainstream' Easter Rising books don't mention William O'Neill) at North King Street were a travesty and needs to be remembered but there is little point in works with so many inaccuracies.

1. The Ballad
The ballad mentioned has nothing to do with the murders at North King St ; it relates to the execution of Pearse, Connolly etc at Kilmainham Gaol. Copies of the full ballad can be viewed at :

http://digitalcollections.tcd.ie/home/index.php?DRIS_ID=SamuelsBox5_0599

http://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000510589

2. Major Sheppard
Sheppard was promoted to Captain just before the Easter Rising. He was discharged from the army as a result of wounds received during the Rising and never reached the rank of Major. This error is in the Max Caulfield book and is repeating Caulfield's error.

3. Bowen-Colthurst murders
The blog originally stated

"the famous pacifist, Francis Sheehy Skeffington, who had been trying to organize “citizen police”, to stop the looting, was taken to a cellar and shot along with six others by an officer named Bowen Colthurst at Portobello barracks"

The cellar has now gone and the entry now reads

"Francis Sheehy Skeffington, who had been trying to organize “citizen police”, to stop the looting, was shot along with six others by an officer named Bowen Colthurst at Portobello barracks."

Not sure where the 6 others comes from. Dickson, MacIntyre and Coade were definite murders attributed to Bowen Colthurst, though he wasn't charged with the murder/manslaughter of Coade. Councillor Richard O'Carroll is another probable/possible murder by Bowen Colthurst. Would like to know who the other 2 are.

A copy of a report re the murder of Francis Sheehy Skeffington can be found online at :

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-35047428/view?partId=nla.obj-35047431#

4. Bachelors Walk
The blog states :

"In 1914, the Scottish Borderers’ Regiment fired on a riotous crowd at Bachelor’s Walk, in Dublin, killing three people and injuring 85. A Court Martial was duly held, but as in 1916, no punitive action was taken."

There was no court martial after the killings at Bachelors Walk. The authors own book states that the soldiers opened fire "killing 4 and wounding 37".

5. Use of Bayonets
A bit of a fixation with the use of bayonets. The blog lists the following and suggests that the presence of bayonet marks indicates that they were killed with the bayonet and references Crossfire by Paul O'Brien (p93-96 ) and The Easter Rising by Foy and Barton (p248-249)

1 Thomas Hickey (38) 170 North King Street

2 Christopher Hickey (16) 170 North King Street (Father and son)

3 Peter Connolly (39) 170 North King Street

(These three bodies had bayonet marks indicating they were killed with the bayonet)

In O'Brien's Crossfire, the text reads that they "were killed, their bodies showing bayonet marks". This tallies with what is written in the 1916 Rebellion Handbook. It does not state they were killed with the bayonet. In Foy and Barton's book, there is no mention of the Hickeys, Connolly or bayonets on the pages referenced ie 248-249, only general information about the North King St murders.

Desmond Ryan's book "The Rising" carries a description of the capture of the Hickeys and Connolly at approximately 6am on the Saturday through to their murder between 10am and 10:30am that morning from a Mrs Kate Kelly who was arrested with them. She wasn't in the room when they were killed but mentions that shots rang out. It also carries a description from Mrs Hickey on seeing the bodies for the first time at approximately 5pm on the Sunday. She makes no mention of bayonet wounds on any of the 3 (but neither does she mention gun shot wounds). Mrs Connolly was brought to see the 3 bodies later on Sunday. She mentions "my poor husband was greatly marked and had several great gashes around the neck and head which appeared to be bayonet wounds" (she mentions nothing about gun shot wounds).

Writing in "Inglorious Soldier", Monk Gibbon devotes a chapter to "Murder at Portobello Barracks" outlining his time there during the Easter Rising, the murders of Sheehy Skeffington etc, his work with Major Vane and mentions "There was certainly nothing kid-glove about the shooting of sixteen year old Christy Hickey".

The death certificate of Christopher Hickey is the only one that mentions a bayonet as the cause of death.

"A Fragment of 1916 History" is a small booklet with some statements from wives etc plus a map of where the murders took place. William O'Neill appears in this booklet but Edward Dunne does not :

http://digital.ucd.ie/get/ivrla:30958/content

Bachelors Walk - Mary Duffy

Examination of Frank M. Byrne, House Surgeon  of Jervis Street Hospital, City of Dublin, taken before me, Louis A. Byrne, Coroner for the County of the City of Dublin, this 28th day of July, 1914, who, being duly sworn upon Oath, said deceased, Mary Duffy, was  brought to Jervis Street Hospital on Sunday evening, Julv 26th.


On examining her I found life extinct. By order of the City Coroner I made a post-mortem examination. Externally I found a small punctured wound in the abdomen on the left side, slightly to inner side of the  anterior superior spine; I also found a large laoitated(?) wound about 2 inches square in left sacral region behind. On external examination I found the external iliac artery had been severed and also that there was a  fracture of the sacrum. All other organs were healthy. In my opinion death was due to shock following  haemorrhage. The wounds I have described could have been caused by a bullet; I could not form any opinion as to the distance of deceased from rifles.

Frank M. Byrne,
House Surgeon,
Jervis Street Hospital.

Bachelors Walk - Patrick Quinn

Examination of Frank M. Byrne, House Surgeon of Jervis Street Hospital, City of Dublin, taken before me, Louis A. Byrne, Coroner for the County of theCity of Dublin, this 28th day of July, 1914, who, being duly sworn upon Oath, said :—

Deceased, Patrick Quinn, 1 Gardiner's Lane, was brought to Jervis Street Hospital about 7 o'clock on Sunday evening, the 26th inst. On examining him I found life extinct. By order of the City Coroner, I made a post-mortem examination. Externally I found a small inverted punctured wound at the back of and slightly above the middle of the right thigh, which wound communicated with another punctured wound of larger size in front of thigh. Internally I found  the femoral artery had been severed. The other organs were healthy. The wounds could have been caused by a bullet. In my opinion only one bullet entered the leg.

Frank M. Byrne,
House Surgeon,
Jervis Street Hospital.

Bachelors Walk - James Brennan

Evidence of James Lanigan, House Surgeon, of Jervis Street Hospital, City of Dublin following Bachelors Walk :

The deceased, James Brennan, 7 Lower Buckingham Street, was brought to Jervis Street Hospital about 7.30 p.m., 26th July, 1914. He was suffering from a clean cut punctured wound in front and to inner side of right thigh, about 5 inches above knee, also a superficial wound one inch long below right gluteal region, and an incised wound six inches long on back of right thigh. He was in a state of collapse, and died in hospital about 8.30 p.m. on same evening.

By order of the City Coroner I made a post-mortem examination.

Externally I found wounds above described, and the wound in front of thigh communicated with the centre of 6-inch incised wound on back of thigh. On internal examination I found femoral artery was severed. All the other organs were healthy.

In my opinion death was due to shock following haemorrhage from the above injuries. The communicating wounds could be caused by a bullet, the incised wounds by a bayonet. In my opinion bullet wound was caused whilst man was standing up. It would be possible to stand up after receiving incised wounds, but not after receiving bullet wound. He could not run very far after receiving those wounds.

KOSB Soldiers from Bachelors Walk

Some of the soldiers from the 2nd Battalion King's Own Scottish Borderers involved in Bachelors Walk.


The following were killed during the Great War and have links to their Commonwealth War Grave Commision entry.

Lt Hammond

Cpl/Sgt Ludlow B Company

Pte Bendelowe B Company

Pte Douglas (I keep thinking it was Pte Douglas reported as dropping 2 rounds but it was Pte Baird)

Pte Burgon B Company

Pte McCallum B Company

Pte McWhirter

L/Cpl Peter Finney was one of two soldiers injured at Howth. Consequently, he didn't arrive in France until 5/12/1914 (the rest of the unit arrived in France on the 15/8/1914). Finney appears to have moved to the 6th Battalion when he was killed in 1917.


The following appear to have got through the Great War :

Pte Charles Lightfoot, number 11555, appears to have survived. He enlisted 14/8/1913 and was discharged as a result of sickness 9/9/1918 aged 23years and 6months old. Silver War Badge number 448276.

Pte William Victor Lamb, number 11547, enlisted 4/7/1913 and was discharged as a result of wounds 30/9/1915.

Pte Hugh Victor Corrigan, number 11296, enlisted 5/3/1912 and was discharged as a result of wounds 15/5/1915.

Pte Andrew Baird, number 11615, appears to have survived the Great War. at some point transferred to 4th Labour Battalion as number 213133.


Yet to track down :

Privates :
Johanson
Boswell?
Rosewell
Galloway
Lennox
Burns
Doel?
Lee
Hyde
Green
James Porter
Downes/Daunes? (wounded at Howth)

Corporals :
Scotland
L/Cpl Evans

Sergeants :
Todd
Sullivan

Officers :
Lt Harvey
Lt Miles or Myles
Major Leigh (remained in barracks and was not directly involved)

KOSB Officers at Bachelors Walk July 1914

The 2nd Battalion of the King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSB) were involved in the incident at Bachelors Walk, Dublin in July 1914. They left Dublin shortly afterwards and went to France as the Great War erupted.

2 of the officers involved at Bachelors Walk soon found themselves as Prisoners of War and remained so for the duration.

Captain (later Major) Hugh Cobden and Major (later Lt Colonel) Alfred Edward Haig were placed on the "Exonerated Officers List' after their repatriation at the end of the war. This meant that neither was officially blamed for getting themselves captured and that they could claim their WW1 campaign medals.

Newspaper reports after Bachelors Walk suggested that there were 4 witnesses to Irish born Hugh Cobden shooting Mrs Duffy dead. Cobden's mother Georgina (nee Gough) was a great niece of Field Marshal Hugh Gough.

Major Haig was Mentioned in Dispatches on the 20th October 1914. His son was later to follow him into the army but died in what is now Malawi in 1941 with the 1st Battalion, Rhodesia Regiment, attached to the King's African Rifles. Major Haig's father was born in Dublin.

A third officer involved at Bachelors Walk was Dublin born Major Edward Sacheverell d'Ewes Coke. He served through the Great War and was promoted to Brevet Colonel/temporary Brigadier General, 169th Brigade. His father, Major General John Talbot Coke, has been awarded the Canada General Service Medal and promotion for his part in the Fenian Raids of Canada in 1866. He was later a Colonel in the KOSB. Two sons of Edward Coke were to die in Holland in 1944 - one serving with the KOSB and another with the Sherwood Foresters. They are buried in the same cemetery.

All 3 officers were interviewed/questioned by Henry Hanna KC in the aftermath of Bachelor's Walk. Hanna was to then be involved as the defence lawyer in the court-martials that followed the Easter Rising and the murder trial of Sgt Flood, 5th Royal Dublin Fusiliers after the shooting of 2 British officers and 2 Guinness employees during the Rising. He also went on to write The Pals at Suvla, the story of D Company of the 7th Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission website lists 244 members of the 2nd Battalion KOSB who died in the first few months of WW1. A number are in Germany and I assume that they were wounded soldiers who had been captured.