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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

The Fermoy Incident


Stanley_C_Jenkins

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I know that this forum is concerned primarily with the Great War, but I think it is also generally agreed that the tragic events in Ireland from 1916 onwards are also relevant. In this context, I wonder if anyone has any further information on an unfortunate incident which took place in the garrison town of Fermoy in November 1919, when IRA rebels attacked members of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry while they were marching to church, one man being killed while several others were injured. Following this cowardly attack, the KSLI went on a rampage and smashed-up much of the town – a staunchly loyalist stronghold with a large Protestant population. It was decided that the KSLI would be moved from Fermoy to Cork, but this served only to inflame public opinion and, with shootings taking place in the streets, the regiment was hastily sent from Cork to the Curragh.

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It looks as if it was something that the coroner's jury said or a verdict they returned that acted as a spark, is there any information as to what that was?

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Thank you to those who have responded. I did not find any of that information when I searched Times Online (apart from the bit about the attack on the men en route to church, which reflected badly on the IRA).

Reading "between the lines", the authorities were most displeased with the KSLI, and it looks to me as if they were moved pretty quickly, presumably in disgrace. My information is that Fermoy, and many other small towns and villages in that relatively prosperous part of Ireland had, hitherto, been ultra-loyal to the crown, although the actions of rioting the soldiers converted many of them into pro-rebels.

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Towns like Fermoy, Kildare and Newbridge and many others with military barracks relied on the British army for business so were not happy to see the British soldiers go in 1922. There's politics, but as we all know, putting bread on the table is always more important.

The IWM contains the papers of Lt Col Hughes-Hallett who served in Ireland with the KSLI from 1919-22. His account is reprinted in "British Voices From the Irish War of Independence" William Sheehan, 2005. It gives a different name for the soldier killed.

post-6633-1221663812.jpg

The account goes on to say that they were confined to barracks and there was further trouble the next night. In addition the IRA moved into the town waiting to attack them the next day. They were moved to Victoria Bks Cork alongside the Ox & Bucks LI where they were involved in more trouble and susequently transferred to the Curragh, Co. Kildare.

Mark

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What is the date of the Times articles

Chris

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I don't think it was simply a matter of Fermoy being a garrison town which depended upon the army. As I understand it, the fertile swathe of countryside along the railway from Mallow towards Lismore and Dungarvan was characterised by large (by Irish standards), prosperous farms on the English model, while landlords such as the Devonshires were considered to be fairly generous - they used to talk of "loyal Lismore" at one time. My reading of the situation is that, whatever may (or may not) have been said in the official press, the King's Shropshire Light Infantry was sent back to the Curragh in disgrace because they had taken out their anger on a loyalist community.

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Mark

thanks for that

this appears to be our lad

Name: JONES, WILLIAM

Initials: W

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Private

Regiment/Service: King's Shropshire Light Infantry

Unit Text: 2nd Bn.

Date of Death: 07/09/1919

N.B.: This casualty has been recently accepted for commemoration by the Commission. However, it will not be possible to add his name to this Memorial immediately. Please contact the Commission before planning a visit, for more information.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: Addenda Panel.

Memorial: BROOKWOOD (UNITED KINGDOM 1914-1918) MEMORIAL

Chris

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I have had another think about the chronology of this incident, and there appears to have been a gap of about two months between the rampage in Fermoy and the move to Cork, which took place in the following November. So it appears that the military authorities were not as angry with the rioters as I had initially thought. Having said that, the officers seem to have lost control of their men, albeit briefly, and I wonder who, if anybody, was punished as a result of this affair.

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Here's some more information on the incident - this time mentioning the Buffs and RAF, courtesy of "The Anglo-Irish War by Peter Cotrell, (Osprey 2006)

post-6633-1221675626.jpg

Mark

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Thank you Mark. That is an interesting extract, but not without errors - the Royal Flying Corps, for example, did not exist in 1919. Neither do I think that the riot was an official reprisal. As far as I can judge, the first official reprisal (or at least the first that I know about) seems to have been carried out by six officers and 60 other ranks of the 1st Battalion Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry at Dromkeen in February 1921. This was recorded in the Regimental Diary as "the burning of houses as an official reprisal for a very serious ambush of police". So how can anyone claim that "there is no evidence that the chain of command sanctioned reprisals?

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  • 3 years later...

Stanley.

With respect,when you say ''as I understand it'' before making a sweeping and definitive statement it is plain to me that you really don't understand it.

How could a town you describe as being ''ultra loyal to the crown' be on the cusp of a major insurrection which would lead within three years to the establishment of the Irish Free State.?? Read the extracts posted by Kildaremark re. refusal to assist the soldiers and the results of the inquest.

The countryside in the East Cork-West Waterford was not farmed on the English model but mainly by farmer proprietors who either owned their land or were paying annuities under the various Land Acts.There were large estates but many were being dismantled and sold to the tenants with the owners being compensated.There were also a lot of small and medium sized holdings. These Land Acts followed a prolonged period of countrywide agrarian unrest in the years up to the turn of the XXth Century.

The attack on the soldiers was a planned act of hostility and was largely concerned with seizing their weapons.It was not ''a cowardly act''

I would suggest when straying away from WWI you stick to the known facts and chronology and avoid making value judgements.Like a lot of Irish people on this forum I embrace my ancestors who served in the British Armed Forces .They were as I am.

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With all due respect to everyone this is an old thread ,should be left alone, new guidelines regarding the Ireland forum have been introduced.

Regards,

Murrough.

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