Micheal Collins and 'The Squad'.

[corisande]

CPM

Thanks for the stuff on Hardy - I have added it to my page on Hardy - Hardy was a very complex man who died a natural death in 1958 as a rich man (I do not imply anything here other than he was rich).

As I said, what I am doing is adding little bits to try to get he whole. I am always grateful for any additions. 

[capel street man]

Information on John Ryan, taken from William James Stapeltons W.S. 822   QUOTE-
John Ryan and the murder of McKee, Clancy and Clune.
John Ryan was a British military policeman and was a brother of Mrs Becky Cooper of Corporation Street who ran a shebeen ( a place where alcoholic drink is sold illegally, my note.), which was a favourite haunt of many of the British- Tans, Auxiliaries and Army. It was known through G.H.Q.Intelligence that Ryan was responsible for the arrest and subsequent murder of Dick McKee, Peader Clancy and Clune who, by the way, were in hiding from the enemy in the vicinity of the Gloucester Diamond very near to Becky Coopers place. The squad were told off to have this man executed and as usual an Intelligence Officer was appointed to identify him. In this case it was Paddy Kennedy. Before the two men were detailed to carry out the execution, I asked to be allowed to take part in it as I felt very keenly about the murder of Dick McKee who was a great friend of mine with whom I fought in 1916 and served subsequently with him in the 2nd Battalion. My request was granted and the second man instructed to accompany me was Eddie Byrne, now deceased.About 10.30 o,clock on the morning of the 5th February, 1921, our Intelligence Officer located Ryan in Hynes public house at the corner of Old Gloucester Place and Corporation St. We entered the public house with the Intelligence Officer and I saw Ryan standing facing the counter reading a newspaper and he was identified by the I.O. Before doing the job we held him up and searched him but he had no guns or papers on him. I think we said , You are Ryan, and I think he rejoined, Yes, and what about it, or words to that effect. With that we shot him. I have an idea that the chap behind the counter was one of our I.O.,s contacts as he made himself very scarce when we entered. We left the place then and proceeded towards the Gloucester Diamond and as usual the remainder of the Squad were following up to cover our retreat. We went back to the Squad dump which was in a stable off North Great Charles St. near Mountjoy Square and that concluded the operation as far as we were concerned. UN-QUOTE.
C.S.M.

[corisande]

CPM

You are faster than I am

I will answer the Conroy question first. Certainly Michael Lawless WS refers to Herbert Conroy at 38 Upper Mount Street

My page on 38 Upper Mount Street I have just reloaded the web page from my own computer (sometimes forget  )

I will take your suggestion and try to see if the answer can be found in the census as to relationship if any between Jimmy and Herbie)

[corisande]

Shooting of Ryan

Thanks for that additional WS.

If you read all I have pulled together on this shooting here it is clear to me that Bernard Byrne's WS claiming the killing of Ryan was done by him and Tom Keogh is wrong.

The Stapleton & Kennedy WSs both agree as to what happened and mention the fact that in IRA Intelligence Officer made the identification (Kennedy). It was, as I understand it, mandatory that an IO was present and identified the target.

[capel street man]

Yes, hats a good observation but what I would say is that the men were there and involved in the operation, the Squad in 1921 had increased to over 20 men and all members of the Dublin Brigade would have volunteered to have been included in the operation if that was possible to avenge the death of their highly regarded and much loved C.O. Perhaps they didn't fire the first shots, but they could have fired into the body on the way out.
You are quite right regarding the I.O. being present
C.S.M.

[capel street man]

Colonel Frank Saurin W.S. 715, member of F.Co. 2ND Batt. Dublin Brigade, G.H.Q.Intelligence Section
Bloody Sunday- QUOTE
The major and most successful operation to the credit of G.H.Q. Intelligence was the execution of 16 B.I.Officers on the morning of the 21st November, 1920. We attended at the Typographical Societies Offices in Middle Gardiner St. on Saturday night, the 20th, for final briefing on the ( job ) to be carried out the following morning. I was detailed as I.O. to the Squad to execute Lieutenants Gerald Ame's and Bennett at  38 Upper Mount St. The only information I had as to their whereabouts at this address was a recently captured letter to Am es and in which Bennett was mentioned. At 10 o,clock on that night I went to Upper Mount St. to locate the house. Before leaving  I arranged with the Squad leader, Vincent Byrne, where to meet the following morning. The time arranged for the jobs throughout the city was to be 9 a.m. on the 21st. We gained access to number 38 without any difficulty. I asked a maid where was Mr. Bennett and Mr. Ame's. When she told me, we tried the door of Bennett's room which was locked.Herbert Conroy, a member of the Squad, had a sledge hammer under his coat and wanted to break in the door. I would not let him but instructed the maid to knock on the door which was opened by Bennett. We took him to a return room where Ame's was sleeping, and having asked the squad for as much time as possible, as I was interested principally in the papers these I.O. might have, they were then executed in Ame's room. In my anxiety to make a thorough search I was unaware that the squad had left and, hearing some shooting in the street, I walked to the door of Bennett's room. I heard a noise and looking down the hall I saw a British soldier outside the room where the two bodies were.I wheeled round to shoot but the soldier jumped into the room. At the same time, Tom Ennis, who was shooting across the street from the door step of 38, called on me to come on.
I went to the door to see across the road another British soldier shooting down the street at the backs of retreating Squad with what appeared to be a .22 automatic.We both fired and he jumped in through the doorway of his house. Afterwards we learned, much to our disappointment, that Major Carew, a much wanted Intelligence Officer, was living in the house opposite, and the soldier firing was obviously his bat-man.
Tom and I hurried after the squad, the line of our retreat being to Sir John Rogersons Quay and by ferry across the Liffey to the North side. I had to walk to the east side of Clontarf, armed, and with my pockets full of enemy documents. The prospects of getting there before the British were aroused and out on patrol were not very rosy. However, this was accomplished and I found I had captured some valuable documents when I sorted them out later that day at my home.
Amongst the papers I had Ame's note-book which showed that their system of Intelligence work was similar to ours insofar that they had agents or ( touts ) working on identity numbers for patrol purposes in various areas about O,Connell St, Parnell St. and Parnell Square, and other areas likely to bear fruit from the point of view of their touts spotting our people. UN-QUOTE.
See my folowing post regarding Herby Conroy and the squad.

[capel street man]

Herby Conroy and the squad, if you check through the w.s. Saurin refers to all present as the squad, it is a figure of speech, some were members of the squad, the others were member of E.Co. 2nd Batt. Dublin Brigade.
That is where the query regarding Herby Conroy has come from.
One of my own relatives was at Upper Mount St. he was not a paid member of the squad, but a member of E.Co.2nd Batt. D.B., he and his brothers were involved in most of the operations and as valued members of the Dublin Brigade were called to take part and back up the squad, as were many other volunteers.
I have a w.s.no 1762 made by Colonel J.V.Joice, Chief of Investigation Staff of the Bureau of Military History
It gives you a list of members of the following-
The Squad
G.H.Q.Intelligence Staff
Active Service units, NO.1 Section, no.2 Section, no.3 and no.4 Sections.
It is not a definitive list, some Volunteers who come up regularly are not mentioned by name in any of the lists, some for personall reasons did not want their names included, others were people used and only known to Michael Collins, this site of yours Corisande, may come up with those people who deserve to have their stories told
C.S.M.

[corisande]

Thanks CPM

I have updated my page on 38 Upper Mount st

Is there anything that you feel that I should be adding, feel free to let me know. It is one of the most documented Bloody Sunday venues.

Saurin WS refers to Major Carew firing at them from the house opposite - I don't know if you have read my bio on Carew, but a most interesting character

[capel street man]

Yes, I have read the piece on Carew, great research again Corisande.
Major Carew is another of the B.I. Officers who was ahead of the game, and one step ahead of the I.R.A.
Just imagine, he was in digs opposite 38 Upper Mount St., living with his batman under the noses of all the spies and informers, how long he was there I have no way of knowing. He must have had the perfect cover, or the landlady, maids and porters were loyal to the Crown, what one would call today -A SAFE HOUSE ! and there was wasn't many of them in Dublin at that time.
I find the whole subject fascinating, the more W,S, you read, the more information you find, either indirectly or directly, it gives you that bigger picture of what was quite a remarkable weekends events. As you know, I have a personal interest in 38 Upper Mount St.
I see on your site you have a photograph of the house, I followed the route they took and stood outside the house and tried to imagine what it must have been like, all the emotions, it  was a very uplifting experience, some of them were only in their late teens, early twenties.
I do have some further information on the operation and will post it later.