An item showing the funeral cortege of British officers murdered in Ireland.
This video has no sound
-
Short Summary
-
Description
-
Data
- Film ID:
- 224.02
- Media URN:
- 22009
- Group:
- Unissued / unused
- Archive:
- British Pathé
- Issue Date:
- 29/11/1920
- Sound:
- Silent
- HD Format:
- Available on request
- Stock:
- Black & White
- Duration:
- 00:03:43:00
- Time in/Out:
- 01:00:44:00 / 01:04:27:00
- Canister:
- G 724
heavitree says
This old film has a special poignancy for this viewer. One of the victims was my father's first
cousin. They were extraordinary, terrible days when no man knew if death was around the corner.
keven1 says
I agree, a sad event for families, however the officers were engaged in suppressing of Irish freedom.
I blame Lloyd George & Churchill for that policy.
seaplanedreams says
Mrs Woodcock, wife of Lt Col Woodcock , who herself witnessed the shootings, writes
"It was not until I went back to the military hospital on the afternoon of 21st November that I realised that our house had not been the only one visited by the murderers. The matron there told me that the dead bodies of fourteen British officers lay in the hospital mortuary. Nine of these were in pyjamas. That little sentence shows in what circumstances the majority of them lost their lives. Two officers who had dined at our house on the Saturday night were among the killed. These officers were Roman Catholics, and, I was told, had taken up special service work from a sense of duty. Tale after tale of horror was unfolded to me until my brain reeled,and I felt I could bear no more.
One officer had been butchered in front of his wife. They took some time to kill him.(This refers to Newberry ) Shortly afterwards she had a little baby. It was born dead, and a few days after she also died. ..."
seaplanedreams says
The men murdered were:
Ames on "special duty" and an intelligence agent
Angliss an intelligence agent
Baggallay courts martial officer
Bennett an intelligence agent
Price intelligence agent
Dowling certainly the IRA were looking for him and appear to have had his identity. Intelligence
MacLean on "special duties" and undoubtedly an intelligence agent
Fitzgerald RIC sergeant probably shot only for that reason. Nobody has ever claimed to have been involved in his killing.
Montgomery probably a staff officer who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Newberry probably shot as courts martial officer.
McCormack almost certainly a civilian buying horses for Alexandria Turf Club
Smith Civilian landlord, certainly not an intelligence agent
Wilde almost certainly a civilian oddball with nationalist leanings
Garniss Auxiliary shot as collateral damage
Morris Auxiliary shot as collateral damage
seaplanedreams says
Within the context of British Army deaths in Ireland, 261 British Army dead between Jan 1919 and July 1920, the casualties of 21 Nov were not that great (9 of the 15 deaths were actual British Army serving officers). The hit that British Intelligence operations took was probably not that great, only 6 of the men shot that day were Intelligence officers, out of around 60 believed to have been in the field at that time.
Captain Newberry was not an intelligence officer. He was a courts martial officer.
heavitree says
The comment about Capt. Newberry's military position as a courts martial officer
is borne out by corroborative evidence. Judging from the number of IRA gunmen
employed for the purpose at the address occupied by the murdered man and his
wife, he must have been singularly successful in prosecuting at the courts martial
where trials were held at that time. Otherwise, why put him on their list of targets
and employ such a large "team" to do the deed - and take such a lengthy time
searching the officer's accommodation in the aftermath? That address still
exists - now a small hotel.