Collen Brothers, Clanwilliam Place, Dublin

A well know photograph that many in Ireland and those that study the Easter Rising would recognise instantly. The burnt out remains of Clanwilliam House, held by Irish Volunteers against Sherwood Foresters.

At the far end, generally ignored, sits a small building housing the offices of Collen Brothers, a building company operating in Dublin and Portadown. They would submit a claim to the 1916 Property Losses Committee for damage to the houses sitting between their office and Clanwilliam House, as well as damage to their depot in the East Wall area of Dublin.

The Property Losses Committee records have been digitized by the National Archives of Ireland but the site is currently down for maintenance.

The Collen Brothers lost a son/employee during the first day of the landing at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli a few months before the Rising :

William Stewart Collen, killed August 1915

The landings at Suvla Bay would be followed by intense fighting around Hill 60 and Scimitar Hill as attempts were made to join up the position at Suvla Bay with that of Anzac Cove.

In the early 1950s the company constructed a terrace at the Canal End of Croke Park - looking across to what had been dubbed "Hill 60", a terrace that had acquired the name of the Gallipoli hill. The Hill 60 "terrace" was a simple mound and in wet weather it took on the look of a WW1 battlefield - the name wasn't meant as a compliment or as a remembrance of events in Gallipoli. Today much of what was Hill 60 forms part of Dineen Hill 16 and the Cusack Stand.

GAA photograph of the mound after Bloody Sunday, 1920

UCC stylised map of Croke Park, Bloody Sunday 1920

The Collen Brother archives were acquired by Trinity College, Dublin who have made some photographs and information available online. Amongst the snippets - if a location in Ireland has a Bailey bridge installed post WW2 nearby, it was probably put there as a result of Collen Brothers.

Collen Brothers archive on Google Culture

At least two cousins of William Stewart Collen from Portadown were also killed during the war :

John Collen was killed in 1916 while serving with the Royal Flying Corps

https://menbehindtheglass.co.uk/the-men/john-collen

Thomas Graham Shillington was killed in 1917

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/140473/thomas-graham-shillington/

Thomas Shillington's Victoria Cross winning cousin Geoffrey Cather was killed in 1916

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1542737/geoffrey-st-george-shillington-cather/

In the newspaper clipping mentioning the death of Wiliam Collen, the wounding of Captain Robert Stevenson of Dungannon is mentioned. The following blog entry mentions that Stevenson was saved by the Machine Gun Sections Rangetaker, Private David Barras Smith. Smith appears to have been killed on the 27th August 1916 :

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/685569/david-barrass-smith/

A video on YouTube gives a background to the life of Captain Stevenson, including distribution of guns from the Ulster Volunteer Force Larne gun running operation. Sadly Collen doesn't get a mention in the small piece touching on Suvla Bay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55vw0tGVC7o

Sherwood Foresters Killed and Wounded

Lots of numbers get thrown around re the number of Sherwood Foresters killed and wounded around Northumberland Road and Mount Street Bridge, often forgetting that some died at the South Dublin Union and that 1 soldier from the 2/5th Battalion was killed in the City on the cordon closing in on the GPO.

The 2/5th and 2/6th Battalions landed in Kingstown first and made their way to The Royal Hospital in Kilmainham on the 26th April with no problems encountered and no casualties.

The 2/7th and 2/8th Battalions landed slightly later in Kingstown and took the route that led to the action at Mount Street Bridge. There is often talk of the Sherwoods being ambushed which is sort of half right. They believed that the School House was occupied and that this was where they were about to go into action. The DMP knew that 25 Northumberland Road was occupied by Irish Volunteers but this information doesn't seem to have filtered down to the 2/7th as they proceeded to the School House past number 25.

Although several civilian members of the Irish Association of Volunteer Training Corps (The Gorgeous Wrecks) had been killed on the Easter Monday (24th April) and the survivors had become part of the garrison at Beggars Bush Barracks, there doesn't appear to have been any attempt to use this local intelligence. The IAVTC men had been fired on from no 25 and wounded had taken shelter in numbers 29, 31 and 33.

A platoon of the Sherwood Foresters was "grabbed" by Colonel Shaw, the Commanding Officer at Beggars Bush Barracks to assist with the defence of the barracks.

Mr Robert Andrew Anderson, a Platoon Commander with the IAVTC, was wounded by buckshot on Wednesday the 26th April at the "detention post" at the corner of Northumberland Road and Haddington Road. No further information about what this "detention post" was. Mr Joseph Hosford of the IAVTC was shot and killed in Beggars Bush Barracks on the 26th April 1916.

The Bombing School at nearby Elm Park was likewise not approached by the Sherwood Foresters until several hours after the shooting started at 25 Northumberland Road.

Captain Dietrichsen was one of the first shot and he appears to have either died in number 26 Northumberland Road or that his body was moved to this house. Number 26 appears to have been used as a First Aid/Dressing Station, presumably set up by Captain Satchell, RAMC, who was with the lead company, C Company, of 2/7th when they were fired on from number 25. Number 33 is mentioned in the 1916 Rebellion Handbook as also being used as a dressing station.

After the action at Mount Street Bridge finished and the various outposts had been captured (25 Northumberland Road, the Parochial Hall, the School House and Clanwilliam House), number 23 Northumberland Road was used as the Headquarters of the 178th Brigade, having moved up from the RDS.

The Sherwood Foresters in the Easter Rising Dublin 1916

Just got a copy of this book via ebay.

Some good info re the Sherwoods before, during and after the Rising. Good info re the those Killed in Action and Died of Wounds, the wounded and those with awards.

A few errors, lots of typos; some photos too small. No references. 

A bit poor in relation to things Irish.

Worth a read but worth trying to get as cheaply as possible.

Private George Wyld

With 93 days service Private George Wyld was killed in action during the Easter Rising with the 2/7th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment) and is buried in Grangegorman Cemetery.

Attested 7th December 1915 aged 19years and 10 months originally as T33621 in the 7th Battalion and then transferred as 5430 to the 2/7th Battalion. A number of records transpose the first 2 digits of his number and show him as 4530 rather than 5430.

His mother was deceased at the time of his service. He left behind his father Joseph, 4 brothers and 4 sisters.

Private Alfred Sibley

Alfred Nathan Sibley was 20years and 8months old when he enlisted as 3308, Private in the Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment) on the 30th October 1914. He was killed in Dublin on the 26th April 1916 at the Battle of Mount Street Bridge.

His address at the time of enlistment was 10 Wilkinson Avenue, Beeston, Notts.

Private Ernest Farnsworth

Private Ernest Farnsworth, number 2961, 2/7th Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment) was one of the soldiers killed at the Battle of Mount Street during the Easter Rising.

Born in Sheffield in 1891, he was living at 16 Ashover Terrace, Manning Street, Nottingham when he enlisted on the 5th October 1914.

His brother William Farnsworth was to die in France and Flanders the following year.

Nottingham Roll of Honour

William Farnsworth

Ernest is not commemorated on the Nottingham Roll of Honour.

UPDATE 27th APRIL 1916
Having been omitted from the Nottingham Roll of Honour, Ernest Farnsworth's name now appears on the list.