Cairo gang

[mhifle]

Hi,

These are from the Army List's for G G Warnes

5th Battalion Suffolk Regiment

2nd Lieutenant 1 Feb 1912

Lieutenant (1/5th) 5 Sept 1914

(Temporary Capt 16 June 1916)

Captain 1 June 1916

Regards Mark

[corisande]

Thanks Mark, I have got him up to date now, I will see if I can track down any descendents/family.

[Murrough]

Hi Corisande, Is there any indication in the Bureau of Military History as to who identified the men in the photo?

It there any date atttached? I would assume it was post June 1921 as Appleford is listed as dead.

Could you post up any other pics of the men you have (pre cairo gang pic)especially Moore

Do you have any pics of Tiny King pre 1922.

Regards,

Murrough.

[corisande]

I know why you want Moore, and I want to get him for that reason, he is the most obvious face and very distinctive

However if you look at my notes on Moore you can see the problem. RIC give him as born in England 1874, but IRA have him as Irish. On top of that there were 3 Fred Moore born in 1874 in Surrey, Frederick George, Frederick Henry and Frederick John.

Feel free to find him

Tiny King - W L King - taken in 1920 at his wedding

Is not in that photo of the "Special Gang"

[Murrough]

Feel free to find him

LoL,Thanks for that,I feel I would be only covering ground previously covered by yourself, but I will give it a shot.

Regarding King,I did not think he was in the pic of the Special Gang(Cairo Gang title shuold be now defunct)but I have been looking at another photo of ADRIC members and was trying to identify them,your photo rules out King as one of them.

Regards,

Murrough.

[mhifle]

Hi,

This is part of a letter to the Irish Times 13 May 1972

Regards Mark

[corisande]

It is an interesting book that he refers to (I am not sure what point the writer is trying to make - undoubtedly some of th men shot were undercover men, but not all)

You can get a free download of the book here

[mhifle]

Hi,

Thanks for the link.

The full letter is trying the disprove that they were part of a so called 'Barristers Battalion' in Dublin.

Mark

[gaelgoir]

Fantastic work in getting the names for the photo. I made no attempt to check at the Bureau of Military history in Rathmines (Cathal Brugha barracks) even though it is only a mile or two away. I have been there working on other material.

The photo seems to have emerged only quite recently and been misnamed Cairo Gang. Though in mitigation at least one seems to have had a middle eastern connection in his career.

That leaves us with 3 gangs

1. Cairo gang - MI6 - thought to have been assembled from men who had overseas service including the middle east and arrived as a group together and tended to meet at the Cairo Cafe in Grafton Street. I now need to check if the two Auxilliaries Appleford and comrade were shot in the Cairo cafe using as treet directory of the period. These were all serving or retired Army officers. Some had vendettas like Smyth killed at Fernside (Professor Carolan's) whose brother Lt General Gerald Smith had been sought out and shot in the county club in Cork in July 1920 - he had instructed the RIC in a speech to shoot on sight. He was on the raid specially to Kill dan Breen whom he believed wrongly to have shot his brother.

2. Special gang - in the photo also described as Murder gang clearly now all Auxilliaries of F company.

3 Igoe gang formed January 1921 under Head constable Igoe - watched railway stations, patrolled in mufti in large numbers Comprised of country RIC men driven out of the provinces because they had become too well known. Anderson names them Tudor's Tigers. These would all have been RIC.

All the above operated in Dublin but there was a similar force in Cork city sometimes referred to as the Anti Sinn Fein League. After foundation in spring 1920 they had a course of instruction At Hounslow. Wilson's diary mentions 100 Intelligence officers. They operated along with local loyalists and Ger Murphys recent book "the year of the Dissappeared" outlines the fate of people who were thought to have cooperated with the Cork Intelligence officers.

[corisande]

I now need to check if the two Auxiliaries Appleford and comrade were shot in the Cairo cafe using a street directory of the period.

I think they were shot in Cairo Cafe from reading the WSs. Though the IRA did not set out to shoot those two - it was a "big bang" operation to kill dozens of British officers within a cordon that the IRA were to throw round the Grafton St area.

It was called off when British patrols stopped the IRA getting through.

The two ADRIC men were killed against orders, as they had all been ordered not to proceed. The two men that shot Appleford and Warnes

If they were shot in the Cairo cafe, it does not mean that they were part of a "Cairo Gang", all one can conclude is they were drinking a cup of coffee in the cafe that afternoon

[gaelgoir]

I have looked at several older books on the 1919-1922 period and failed to find any mention of the Cairo Gang named as such. Consequently i am interested in finding the first mention of the name Cairo Gang. It is a great pity that contemporary interest is coming some 40 years late as I met several men in my Dads pub who were introduced as members of the Squad, one was a porter in the Central bank and a friend of his drank in the pub.

Michael Collins and the Brotherhood by Vincent McDowell says

They were not to go near the Castle but to report to Colonel Ormonde Winter daily at either the Cairo café or Kidds restaurant, they called themselves the Cairo group – the Squad called them the Cairo gang

Cairo café was 59 Grafton street five doors from the corner of South King st. This ties up with the description of near Chatham street - merely a further five doors away. I cannot locate Kidds but have some feelers out. I will post photos of the premises if i can manage to upload format onto the site.

It seems a coincidence that many of the group had connections with or service in the middle east though some accounts talk of the group being assembled in Egypt and transported over by destroyer - there seems to be no evidence to support this suggestion.

[gaelgoir]

The name Cairo gang is not universally used particularly in earlier accounts. I believe that it is used first in 1958

Dan Breen in My fight for Irish freedom refers to Murder Gang

Rex Taylor “Michael Collins” Four Square Books 1958

“In Cairo sixteen officers were chosen for a special task ….. The Cairo group travelled under assumed names and arrived in Dublin singly on different dates. They were in plain clothes and posing as commercial travellers….rented flats in Pembroke street and Mount Street.

T Ryle Dwyer “Michael Collins and the treaty” 1981 Mentions Cairo Gang having been responsible for killing Thomas McCurtain in Cork.

The Black & Tans by Richard Bennet, Four square 1959 talks of British Intelligence officers and “hush hush men“ but makes no mention of Cairo gang.

Nelligan in the Spy in the Castle makes no mention of the Cairo Gang.

Cairo Gang is referred to in Collins by James Gleeson 1962

Bloody Sunday by James Gleeson, London, Peter Davies, 1962 does not mention Cairo Gang by name

Cairo cafe was located at 59 Grafton Street in building now occupied by Sisley

Kidds Buffet was located at the premises now occupied by Porterhouse pub at 46 Nassau street and had a back entrance through Adam court leading to Grafton streeet

[gaelgoir]

Sisley premises at 59 Grafton Street which was Cairo cafe in 1920

Porterhouse pub Nassau street which was Kidds Buffet 1920

Back entrance to Kidds through Adam court from grafton street

[corisande]

Just catching up with posts here. On Gailgoir's first post above, the info I had on Kidds Back was that it was where the Berni Inn is today in Nassau St. I see you have found

Kidds Buffet was located at the premises now occupied by Porterhouse pub at 46 Nassau street and had a back entrance through Adam court leading to Grafton Street

As my knowledge of Dublin is not detailed, can you advise me if the two possible places for Kidds Back are mutually consistent?

I think that the "Egypt" connection is a red herring. I have researched a great many of these British agents, and there are no grounds for saying that a disproportionate number had Middle East service. As you say there is no evidence to support any suggestion that there was a mass transport of British Agents from Egypt

[corisande]

I have looked at several older books on the 1919-1922 period and failed to find any mention of the Cairo Gang named as such. Consequently I am interested in finding the first mention of the name Cairo Gang.

Gailgoir has a very interesting point here. Can we find the earliest mention of "Cairo Gang".

Gailgoir cites a 1958 reference, can anyone find an earlier reference to the designation "Cairo Gang". I have tried over time to find early primary references to that name, but failed.

[gaelgoir]

Just catching up with posts here. On Gailgoir's first post above, the info I had on Kidds Back was that it was where the Berni Inn is today in Nassau St. I see you have found

Kidds Buffet was located at the premises now occupied by Porterhouse pub at 46 Nassau street and had a back entrance through Adam court leading to Grafton Street

As my knowledge of Dublin is not detailed, can you advise me if the two possible places for Kidds Back are mutually consistent?

I think that the "Egypt" connection is a red herring. I have researched a great many of these British agents, and there are no grounds for saying that a disproportionate number had Middle East service. As you say there is no evidence to support any suggestion that there was a mass transport of British Agents from Egypt

You are correct the Berni Inn became Porterhouse and before Berni Inn I think ity was Jammet's Restaurant

[corisande]

You are correct the Berni Inn became Porterhouse and before Berni Inn I think it was Jammet's Restaurant

Thanks. I can see how it hangs together, my understanding is that it was Jammets - makes it more difficult to research with names changing!

[corisande]

I don't know if anyone has come across other "fake" British propaganda photos like the" "Battle of Tralee". Basically the British staged scenes for the benefit of the press like the "Tralee" fight which was actually staged in the suburbs of Dublin.

The photo on the right above is a staged photo at "Tralee". I have come across other staged photos with "prisoners", but too grainy to try to compare with the "Cairo Gang" photo. However one's suspicions are usually aroused when the "uniform" of the prisoners looks too pristine.

If anyone come across photos that they think could be staged, and where one can get some sort of fix on the prisoners, I would be grateful if they could post them here.

I am trying to prove or disprove a theory that the men in the "Cairo Gang" photo were off to do a photo-shoot, perhaps even for the Battle of Tralee, and that is why they indeed look like extras from central casting. I have always felt that it would have been insane for a group of intelligence men to have their photos taken, but having established that they were F Company men who were not undercover men and had dressed themselves up to look like "Irish" I can see that they might have been happy to have a photo for the family album

[gaelgoir]

Genuine Photos, below is the catalogue data for the Pathe newsreel of the Shooting of Sean Treacy and the Agent Price as well as the wounding of Christian. The Republican oytfitters was so well known to be ahaunt that it was staked out by the Pathe newsreel camera. Theye were still photos taken by Horgan - there is mention in a recent article in History ireland. The film and photos may include some of the agents involved in the raid.

There is a lot of confusion between this genuine newsreel and a reenactment in a film called "hands up" i think A search of Republican outfitters Talbot Street finds a laot of material.

War between British forces and Irish Republicans

Description of film

This film opens with titles proclaiming ‘Terror In Ireland’. We then see a scene in which a British checkpoint blocks an Irish street. The scene then switches to show a crowd gathering around an IRA man shot dead by British troops. It is probably Sean Tracey, a prominent Republican.

Context

From 1915-1917 onwards, Irish Republicans were using political methods and armed force to try and drive the British out of Ireland. Both the IRA and the British forces used increasingly brutal tactics as the year went on. The British poured troops into Ireland, but could not defeat the IRA. By the end of 1919 there were 43,000 British troops in Ireland, costing Britain £860,000 per year.

Interesting or important points about the film

We get a very strong sense from this film of the impact of the IRA campaign on daily life. Checkpoints and roadblocks were very common, especially in the town, and there is some evidence that British tactics like these alienated Irish people and increased support for the rebels. The death of the IRA man also shows what an underground war looked like.

[corisande]

Gailgoir cites a 1958 reference, can anyone find an earlier reference to the designation "Cairo Gang". I have tried over time to find early primary references to that name, but failed.

I was looking at the Irish Newspaper Archives, and thought to try interrogating for "Cairo Gang" to see when I could get the earliest mention. Turns out to be in Irish Independent July 08, 1962. Nothing at all from the first Irish paper on the database until that date

In fact the 1958 reference to which gailgoir refers seems to be "Cairo Group" rather than "Cairo Gang". It is in the Irish Independent October 19, 1958, in a review of "Michael Collins" by Rex Taylor. The connection made to Cairo is fanciful (in as much as the men shot on Bloody Sunday did not collectively have a connection with Cairo - only one man did and interestingly he is the one man shot on Bloody Sunday whom Collins specifically said later was innocent)and goes not mention a "gang"

Given that there is no reference to the name "Cairo Gang " in the Irish papers at the time, and that no primary sources mention the name, it would seem that the name is in reality a "modern" invention from around the early 1960's and that the name has nothing to do with the men or the period in question.

I invite anyone to prove me wrong. I am sure someone would like to

[Murrough]

Its good to see that you concur with Gaelgoirs earlier findings.

I invite anyone to prove me wrong. I am sure someone would like to

I am probably mistaken but do I detect a hint of triumphalism here?

[corisande]

Actually quite the opposite,murroough, I was doing a foolhardy thing, that is making a definitive statement on the origin of "Cairo Gang" - I accept that there is a small possibility that I am wrong, and I would encourage anyone to explore that further.

I know that there are some around who would be triumphal if they could indeed find an earlier mention

I would really like to find the derivation of the expression "Cairo Gang".

[Murrough]

No problem Corisande, my comment was made tongue in cheek .While the newspaper archives are a great resource there are gaps within the database,not all newspapers are included.Any earlier real or supposed mention of the Cairo Gang/group would have to have emanated from the men directly involved ie. the Squad members or associates.Did the military archives in Dublin shed any light on this? that would be in my eyes the only definitive proof that the term is contemporary to the period 1920/1922. As you said the theory of the officers having an Egyptian connection should be discounted.

[corisande]

Did the military archives in Dublin shed any light on this?

When I was there last winter, their digitised records were, for various reasons, not digitally searchable, so I could not go to the Witness Statements collectively and interrogate for, say "Cairo Gang" (or indeed any thing else)

They hoped to get the records re-transcribed to allow for this sort of search, but with "La crisis" it may take some time!

[emer]

I have now had the opportunity to view the Beaslai collection of photographs. There are 130 about half of which are family photos. The photo of the Cairo Gang is accompanied by an envelope marked "special gang F company Auxillaries". The most plausable location for the photo from an examination of Dublin Castle is an alleyway just inside and to the right as you enter the Dame Street Gate. The buildings in the background have been rebuilt but the perspective is similar. This location is only 100 feet from the guardroom at Exchange Street beside the City Hall where Clancy, Clune and McKee were murdered by the Auxilliaries on the Saturday night before Bloody Sunday. Their killers claimed that they were "shot while trying to escape". There are three more photos of Auxillaries in the collection, one with men standing on and about an armoured car, the other two have the men on trucks. These three photos are without doubt taken in Dublin Castle. In all of the photos the men are numbered in a fashion and hand similar to the "Cairo" photograph. The envelopes are marked in the same hand. There are about twenty other photos of agents and police in the collection. Some of the portraits are accompanied by envelopes addressed to the person in the photo from a studio photographer. This indicates that they result from interception of mail. The subject in the photos did not pose for an IRA intelligence photographer deliberately. I have not been able to verify the names on the Cairo Photo as given by tonybradley40. Many Auxillaries were shot in Dublin in the 1920s and it is probable that they were "made" using this series of photos. It would be useful to have a roll call of F company and its casualties and perhaps pursue the other photos to see if they too were used to set up executions. I believe that F company and their armoured car were involved in the shooting into the crowd at Croke Park on the afternoon of Bloody Sunday and if this is indeed the case they would have been definite targets for execution. Fourteen people died in that reprisal including aplayer on the field. Details about Piaras Beaslai are on wikipedia. As an older Republican who fought in 1916 he might have been engaged in intelligence himself .

Hello, I have been doing some research on Piaras Beaslai myself. I have had communication with Marie Coleman (the researcher who worked on his collection in the NLI) and Paidraig O'Shaille who has also worked on his papers and written a biography of Piaras' life. The reason I have had this communication is that Sean Maguire in his collection is my Father. It has been discovered that Lily Mernin is my Grandmother and Piaras Beaslai, my grandfather. If there is anything in particular you were wanting to find out...I could ask them as I know they spent years going through his collection.