Cairo gang

[Murrough]

To get back to F Co for a moment,I recall you said you intend to visit Dublin in the near future,I have come across these catalog entries for the Beaslai Collection held by the NLI,if you or Gaelgoir could get a look at them it might answer some questions.

Section Leader Schofield, of 'F' Company, Auxiliaries : full lenght portrait in uniform, possibly taken in Dublin Castle]

by Piaras Béaslaí Collection Published ca. 1920

[Cadets Wenteith and Waddingham of the Auxiliaries 'F' Company : pictured in an army vehicle with five unidentified individuals ]

by Piaras Béaslaí Collection Published ca. 1921

[Captain Jones, a Dublin Castle secret service agent ; photographed seated, far right, alongside two unidentified men, one in uniform]

by Piaras Béaslaí Collection Published ca. 1920

[six members of the Auxiliaries 'F' Company, photographed in uniform]

by Piaras Béaslaí Collection Published ca. 1920

[Members of the Auxiliaries 'F' Company, photographed in uniform and positioned alongside an armoured car]

by Piaras Béaslaí Collection Published ca. 1920

[District Inspector Simpson, of 'F' Company, Auxiliaries : full lenght portrait, taken in an unspecified location, possibly Dublin Castle]

by Piaras Béaslaí Collection Published ca. 1920

[J. C. Maugham, of the Auxiliaries 'B' Company, photographed in uniform : full lenght portrait]

by Piaras Béaslaí Collection Published ca. 1921

[Head Constable Eugene Igoe, in R.I.C. uniform]

by Béaslaí, P. S. 1881-1965. Published ca. 1921.

[soldiers of the Auxiliaries 'F' Company, including a soldier nicknamed 'Tiny', possibly photographed within the Dublin Castle compound]

by Piaras Béaslaí Collection Published ca. 1921

Reagsrd,

Murrough.

[corisande]

To get back to F Co for a moment,

[soldiers of the Auxiliaries 'F' Company, including a soldier nicknamed 'Tiny', possibly photographed within the Dublin Castle compound]

Thanks for that list.

The above one will be William Lorraine King, and would enable one to see if he was one of the men in the "Cairo Gang" photo

[gaelgoir]

I have seen the photo of "Tiny" and he looks about six foot four and would never be an inconspicuous agent. I will get a copy next week. None of the people in the photo of the "special gang" are that tall. There is nothing to confirm the names applied by TonyBradley40 and it is not at all certain that the special gang was the same as the Cairo gang.

I have further information on Piaras Beaslai, there is no doubt but that he was at the centre of the Republican intelligence operation and Lily Mernin was his niece. (Wikipedia) . The photos including six copies of the special gang photo were deposited in the National Library Photo archive from his collection. As has been pointed out by Corrisade the prints in the Beaslai collection are not identical to the print in the Getty collection which has been cropped to remove a window on the right side.

The Squad by T Ryle Dwyer P168 says The search for British undercover agents went on, Lily Mernin (Typist at British military GHQ and Michael Collins’ agent recalled being asked by Piaras Beaslai to meet Tom Cullen and go to Landsdowne road rugby grounds to identify British officers known to frequent Dublin castle and GHQ.

Another recollection sheds light on events. Captain R.D Jeune's papers are in the Imperial War Museum. He was searching the railway yards at Inchicore on Saturday 20th November 1920 and stayed there overnight. He may have been a target but three agents were shot at his normal lodgings. The commentary in British Voices by William Sheenan says he was in intelligence work and worked alongside the Cairo gang. Interestingly this book published 2005 describes the controversial photo (p14) of "Price" firing a revolver in Talbot Street as a reenactment so it is no great revelation that there were film stills which some people confused with real event photos.

[gaelgoir]

The most comprehensive material that i have found is a book Michael Collins and the Intelligence war 1919-1921 by Michael T Foy published by Sutton 2006. In reading this work it is clear that he has used the Beaslai papers and he also uses the Beaslai photos. He has the numbered photo from the Beaslai collection on teh cover and a photo of some 40 Auxilliaries posed on a Lancia and a rolls royce armoured car in Dublin castle. His primary sources include the witness statements of survivors of the period held at the bureau of military history in Cathal Brugha barracks.

British Voices (William Sheehan) looks at memoirs held in the Imperial war museum, Captain Jeune's memoirs are held there. Jeune makes no mention of Professor carolan being wounded mere being shot fatally by accident while being questioned. The commentary not Jeunes memoir describes him as operating alongside the Cairo Gang and his account describes his dismay at arriving to his lodgings at 28 uppr Pembroke street where Murray, and Price were killed and Dowling and Woodcock, Kenleyside and Montgomery were wounded. Ames and Bennet were killed in Lr Leeson street having moved from 28 Pembroke st the night before. This places Jeune in the intelligence group or Cairo Gang but he does not use that name.

In another part of the narrative he mentions the commencement of the Auxilliary force and discriminates between Black & Tans and teh Auxilliary Police force, he says"We often collaborated with them" This statement therefore places the cairo gang separate from the Auxilliaries.

The photos taken in Dublin Castle and numbered are photos of Auxilliaries of F company and the caption on the envelope of the photo of the civilians is marked "special gang F Company". There is no DEFINITE link of these men to the intelligence/MI5/cairo gang as popularly attributed. They Beaslai photo could of course be wrongly labelled but there exists the possibility that these were indeed plainclothes Auxilliaries used to shadow or assinate suspects and not the MI5 group or Cairo Gang.

The date on the Hutton photo is unimportant as if a photo is dated 1920 their system defaults to 1/1/1920. The photo is probably authentic as there are the other four or five similar photos are taken in Dublin Castle and i have located the photo near the Dame street gate. In terms of authentication of film stills i accept that the "Price" photo is a film still but i understood perhaps wrongly that there was Pathe footage of the incident which i found bizzarre until i realised how openly the Republican Outfitters operated as an IRA base. Does anyone know if indeed there was contemporary newsreel footage

To add to the story the original Bloody Sunday operation had targetted 60 or more agents and was reduced in scale because the 4th Dublin Batallion IRA did not carry out their operation in North Circular road addresses and elements of the 3rd Batallion did not want to participate in assassinations. The arrest of the some of the people involved the night before did not seem to affect teh operation.

[corisande]

I came across this in "The Squad" by Dwyer

Thornton said Major Reynolds "procured quite a lot of very valuable information in the form of photographs of the murder gang - F Company, Q Company and various other companies of the auxiliaries"

Major Reynolds being a ADRIC Temp Cadet who was a paid IRA informer, eventually transferred to Clare, where he continued to sell info to the IRA. I have not got round to seeing who he was in life, but he is certainly a well known informant

It would appear from Thornton's Witness Statement that Reynolds is probably the source of the photos that ended up in Beaslai's collection. Without having Thornton';s witness statement it is difficult to see from Dwyer's punctuation whether the "murder gang" could be the "Cairo Gang" photo or not.

[Murrough]

have a look at this thread on the RIC forum, it relates to the pic of the "Cairo Gang", at the the bottom it is claimed that Ernest McCall in his new book "Tudors Toughs" has identified all the men in the photo http://irishconstabulary.com/topic/754/t/F-Company.html

[Don]

MICHAEL Collins wrote to Dick McKee, Commander of the Dublin Brigade of the IRA, on November 17th, 1920 and finalised the plans for the attack on British intelligence officers on the following Sunday. Collins was brief and to the point: "Have established the addresses of the particular ones. Arrangements should now be made about the matter. Lt G. is aware of things. He suggests the 21st. A most suitable date and day I think."

The note is published in Rex Taylor's book on Collins (1958) and has since been used by almost all subsequent biographers of Collins. Some have changed the information slightly: for example Richard Bennett, The Black and Tans (1959), records that Collins forwarded the names, rather than the addresses; but all writers agree that the role of "Lt G." was of vital importance.

Taylor states that the first contact between "Lt G." and Collins was on June 3rd, 1920. He derived his information from a private source in which "Lt G." is mentioned nine times, and "G" about 17 times. The last note is for July 11th, 1921. Taylor acknowledges that "Lt G." was a leading agent of Collins, and surmises that he was a member of British intelligence in Ireland. Bennett describes him as a "mysterious English intelligence officer", and other authors have. followed their line of identification. Evidence exists, however, to show that "Lt G." did not work for British intelligence. Indeed, he was not even a man. The "Lt G." who worked for Collins at the centre of the British military command, was a woman called Lily Mernin.

Piaras Beaslia provides the club - that reveals the identity of "Lt G.". In his "Memories," published in the Irish Independent in 1965, he wrote of a relation of his, Lily Mernin, who was born in Dungarvan. She came to Dublin where she found work as a typist, and soon secured a position with. the British army.

Tim Pat Coogan states that she was the secretary of Major 5.5. Hill Dillon, chief intelligence officer at Parkgate Street. On duty she wore khaki off duty she was a member of the militant Keating branch of the Gaelic League. Beaslai renewed contact with her towards the end of 1919 and informed Collins of his association. Collins interviewed her and immediately realised that she was a potential source of priceless information. So important was she that she was given a key to a small room in a house in Clonliffe Road where a typewriter was placed at her disposal. She went there regularly to type up reports and to pass on documents.

COLLINS wanted news particularly of officers living in civilian dress outside barracks, and Mernin provided this information. Beaslai maintained that "the list supplied by Miss Mernin was largely used in the operation of Bloody Sunday". He wrote that "Collins was continually sending me notes: `Have you seen the little gentleman. We want to hear from him'." Here we have the key that unlocks the door: "Lt G." did not signify military rank, but was the abbreviated form of "Little Gentleman," and that gentleman was Lily Mernin.

Mernin's assistance to Collins related especially to the challenge from British intelligence posed by the appointment of Brig Gen, Sir Ormonde Winter as chief of the combined intelligence services staff in May 1920. Winter was instrumental in setting up a school of instruction for suitable agents in England. Dressed in civilian clothes and living outside the confines of Dublin Castle, they set out to infiltrate the spy network of "Collins and to eliminate his agents. It was to identify these men that Collins turned to Mernin for help.

Mernin made a significant contribution in September, 1920. In the early hours of Wednesday, September 22nd, 1920, John Lynch was shot dead in the Royal Exchange Hotel in Dublin. He was the principal clerk of John Power the solicitor who was preparing the defence of the Knocklong prisoners. Both Lynch and Power were from Kilmallock, Co Limerick. Soon afterwards, Michael Collins received a report from "Lt G." giving details of the shooting. Collins was able to inform Arthur Griffith that: "at 1.35 a.m., on the morning of the murder, a phone message was received by Captain Baggally, General Staff, Ship Street, Barracks". Collins added that Baggally had then instructed a car to collect members of the RIC and the military who had carried out the shooting. Soon afterwards Mernin informed Collins that Lt Angliss, operating under the alias of McMahon or Mahon was directly involved in the murder.

Over the next two months Collins, with the help of Mernin and other sources, built up a list of "British agents. The list was scrutinised by Cathal Brugha, Minister of Defence, and the GHQ of the IRA. Some names were removed and those remaining were the targets for Collins's Squad and the IRA on Bloody Sunday.

The attacks on the British agents began at 9 a.m. on Sunday November 21st. Fourteen were to die, among them were. Baggally and Angliss. Collins informed John Power, the solicitor, that "we got those responsible for the death of Jack Lynch". The military records reveal that several of the men had engaged in intelligence work abroad: Angliss on the Russian front; Capt McLean in Holland; Capt Bennett in the region of the Black Sea; Capt McCormack in Cairo; and Lt Col Montgomery was a senior naval intelligence officer. Others who were killed or wounded were experienced intelligence agents. The importance of those killed was admitted in the official Record of the Rebellion in Ireland when it stated, that "the murders of 21 November temporarily paralysed the special branch. Several of its most efficient members were murdered and the majority of the others resident in the city were brought into the Castle and the Central hotel for safety."

Collins had good reason to be grateful to Lily Mernin for the success of Bloody Sunday. She, for her part, went to confession in the Pro Cathedral, where she was told that she was acting properly in helping her country's soldiers against a ruthless enemy. She was dismissed from her post at the signing of the Truce on July 11th 1921, the date given by Rex Taylor as that of the final message sent by "Lt G" to Michael Collins. Lily Mernin, the "Little Gentleman," was not able to provide any more assistance.

[corisande]

it is claimed that Ernest McCall in his new book "Tudors Toughs" has identified all the men in the photo

Thanks murrough

I am waiting for someone to take up the debate on the identification that Ernest McCall has put on the men in photo

[Don]

Sorry can't add anything of fact. I

But My own thoughts are that the photo was taken in Dublin Castle.But I can't believe that the Castle authorities would say, now lads stand there and get your photo taken for prosperity.Most of them look like corner boys with the fags in the mouth.

But certainly they were identified by someone who knew them by name and by sight. It may have had to been a important person working as a mole.

Or they might have been touts and identified by some one like Liam Tobin or Tom Cullen who passed on the info to the squad.

Maybe if some one could get letters written by both then the lettering could be examined

[corisande]

Some names were removed and those remaining were the targets for Collins's Squad and the IRA on Bloody Sunday.

That is what is commonly believed. but in fact is not the whole truth

Collins wrote to Mulcahy on 7 April 1922

"You will remember that several of the 21st November cases were just regular officers. Some of the names were put on by the Dublin Brigade. As far as I remember Mr McCormack's (sic) name was one of these" Collins' papers NLI, you can get whole exchange in "Executed for Ireland - the Patrick Moran story"

It is clear that a number of the men murdered were not part of IRA HQ's list but were added by Dublin Brigade, there were also "collateral" deaths of officers who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

In my opinion both MacCormack (referred to by Collins above as a mistake) and Wilde at the Gresham Hotel were "mistakes". I do not think John Fitzgerald was in intelligence, and may well had been "added", note tht nobody ever claims to have taken part in this murder.

And Smith (the civilian landlord) and Montgomery were, in my opinion, just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

In addition there were an number of other houses targeted an nothing happened (target not there, not enough IRA for the operation, etc). Nobody on IRA side has listed the targets or who was involved. Eg story of attack on Shelbourne hotel.

[corisande]

Finally tracked it down. I spent a few days in the Bureau of Military History in Cathal Brugha Barracks in Dublin. The have the original IRA Intelligence Book that contains the photo, And underneath the photo are the names of the men, and they are all identified as F Coy ADRIC

The accompanying identification is

I have then gone on to track down other photos of the men and am satisfied that these are indeed the men in the photo. For example Appleford

So it is nothing at all to the "Cairo Gang". I have no idea how or when this expression "Cairo Gang" first came into existence - in other words what is the first published source of the use of the expression.

It would appear that the photo is one sold to the IRA by Reynolds the F Coy ADRIC man. Whether he was a traitor or a double agent, I have yet to establish. It would appear to me that the photo points to him being a double agent, and cobbling together this photo to "prove" his credentials to the IRA. The photo certainly appears to be "staged" - they are not undercover men but F Coy ADRIC, whom one would not have expected to be working undercover.

[mhifle]

Hi,

These details are from ‘The Auxiliaries Tudor’s Toughs’ by Ernest McCall

Includes ADRIC no., Date of Arrival, and Military Unit

F Company

Sergeants and Cadets

1: 1017 Lt R Dentinth (R Irish F)

2: 890 A F Fletcher (3 Leinsters) (Company not recorded)

3: 1393 F Moore 29 Dec 1920

4: 1234 Lt S D Swaffer 13 Dec 1920 (RAF)

5: 667 C B Dove (Company not recorded)

6: 589 F G Appleford

7: 625 Lt H F Gorman 24 Sept 1920 (RAF)

8: 888 Lt A Winch 27 Oct 1920 (Devons) (Company not recorded)

9: 588 D F McClean

Section Leader (Head Constable)

10: 33 Lt G A Stapley, MM 30 July 1920 (RWKNN)

Regards Mark

[corisande]

Thanks Mark

I have managed to get all of them through to MIC and census information. The trick is in getting a photo of each man independently to confirm that indeed that is he.

Appleford was killed in Grafton St just before the truce, on a big IRA operation that was aborted and he and another F Coy man were the only 2 men shot.

[mhifle]

Hi,

Think that was Cadet, Capt George G Warnes no.1214,(Suffolk) 13 Dec 1920

Regards Mark

[corisande]

Yes that is the man

This is as far as I get with him George G Warnes

And Grafton Street Shooting

[mhifle]

Hi,

His RIC no. was 80208

Looking at his Medal Card he applied for his medals on 10 June 1920.

Regards Mark

[corisande]

Thanks for RIC number, certainly difficult to follow these ADRIC men

[mhifle]

Hi,

This is from the Irish Times 25 June 1921

Mark

[Murrough]

Mystery solved,great to see the pic correctly identified,I'm surprised that more publicity was not generated when E.McCall first identified the men in the photo,the "Cairo Gang" title has been wrongly used for a long time so it is great to see it cleared up.While I have yet to obtain "Tudors toughs" all reports suggest E.McCall has written a comprehensive account of these units, maybe he can enlighten us as to the practice of wearing mufti while engaged in counter insurgency operations, this may explain the civvie attire in the photo.

Regards,

Murrough.

[mhifle]

Hi,

I see he also served with 2/13th (County of London) Battalion (Kensington) with the rank of Captain.

A possible timeline could be.

1/5th Battalion Suffolk Regiment

Aug 1914 Located at Bury St Edmunds. Norfolk & Suffolk Brigade, East Anglian Division.

18 May 1915 Formation renamed 153rd Brigade, 54th (East Anglian) Division.

30 July 1915 Embarked at Liverpool and moved to Gallipoli via Mudros.

10 Aug 1915 Landed at Suvla Bay

19 Dec 1915 evacuated from Gallipoli and arrived at Alexandria.

Served in Egypt and Palestine.

2/13th (County of London) Battalion (Kensington)

2 July 1917 moved from Salonika to Egypt

5 July 1917 arrived Alexandria .

Regrads Mark

[corisande]

The mufti really hinges on whether or not the photo was a put up job to enable Reynolds to have credence with IRA, or whether it was the "real thing"

As far as I am aware F Coy would not have operated in mufti in this way. That would have been done by either the special undercover men attached to Dublin District or by Thompson's deep undercover men

[corisande]

Mark

It looks as if he joined 2/13th (County of London) Battalion (Kensington)after they arrived in Egypt (the clip from Irish Times does not mention him serving in Salonica

[Murrough]

From an earlier post

I came across this in "The Squad" by Dwyer

Thornton said Major Reynolds "procured quite a lot of very valuable information in the form of photographs of the murder gang - F Company, Q Company and various other companies of the auxiliaries"

Major Reynolds being a ADRIC Temp Cadet who was a paid IRA informer, eventually transferred to Clare, where he continued to sell info to the IRA. I have not got round to seeing who he was in life, but he is certainly a well known informant

It would appear from Thornton's Witness Statement that Reynolds is probably the source of the photos that ended up in Beaslai's collection. Without having Thornton';s witness statement it is difficult to see from Dwyer's punctuation whether the "murder gang" could be the "Cairo Gang" photo or not.

The mufti really hinges on whether or not the photo was a put up job to enable Reynolds to have credence with IRA, or whether it was the "real thing"

Either way Reynolds appears to have been very helpful to the IRA.

[corisande]

I am posing the question as to whether the "Cairo Gang" photo was actually useful to the IRA, or whether it just appeared to be useful.

The only man to be killed in that photo was Appleford. From what I have read in WS's the photo was not the thing used to identify them in Grafton Street the day he and the other ADRIC man were killed.

[Murrough]

I am posing the question as to whether the "Cairo Gang" photo was actually useful to the IRA, or whether it just appeared to be useful.

The only man to be killed in that photo was Appleford. From what I have read in WS's the photo was not the thing used to identify them in Grafton Street the day he and the other ADRIC man were killed.

I would imagine that the photo could have been useful to the IRA in many ways and not only in the identification of those who were marked for assassination.