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Remembered Today:

McCarthy -took over as IRA informant from Reynolds


corisande

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Thanks to the input here, I was able to crack who J C Reynolds, the IRA informant in F Coy ADRIC actually was.

On to looking at his successor as paid informant, one McCarthy in the ADRIC (link to what I have on McCarthy)

Always difficult when there are no initials.

1. There are no McCarthy on RIC list on Ancestry

2. There is only one McCarthy listed in ADRIC - Lieut. C.J. McCarthy, Aux. No. 1565, he was not apparently attached to "F" Company.

3. The only substantial piece of evidence I have found is

McCarthy gave documents to Tobin and Dan McDonnell for payment. McDonnell's Witness Statement covers McCarthy in some detail. "On a few occasions he brought out files which we were able to copy and hand back.....All went well until for some time until about May 1921 (does not tie with Reynolds' transfer to Clare in mid-June) when an incident occurred which shook our confidence in McCarthy, and a a matter of a fact convinced us that he had started to double-cross us."

The incident revolved around McDonnell , Tobin and Cullen regularly lunching at the Scala Restaurant. One Friday they saw McCarthy there with 2 other men, and both the IRA men and McCarthy showed no signs of knowing each other. McDonnell was wearing a new brown suit. The following week the Scala restaurant was raided by Auxiliaries, who went straight to the table the IRA men had been on the week before, gave an accurate description of the man in the "brown suit". They searched he building from top to bottom, convinced that they were there, but found nothing. The IRA could not be certain that McCarthy had betrayed them, but they apparently never used him again.

4. As far as I can see then only possible for C J McCarthy is

1917 Jun 6. Temp Sub Lt - for Special Service at Dover

1918 Jul 1. Temp Lt on HMS Hermione - an Astraea-class protected cruiser launched at Devonport in 1893. At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, she became guard ship at Southampton, later becoming HQ Ship for motor launches and coastal motor boats from December 1916 until December 1919.

1919 Jul 31. Demobilized. Services no longer required

5. This of course may not be the right man, and his initials may not be "C J". Only by unearthing another lead somewhere that one is going to be able to pin down who he was.

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  • 2 months later...

I will try to resurrect this again as I have uncovered another possible "M J MacCarthy"

The ADRIC record appears to be a "C J" but there could have been a mistranscription, perhaps

I have my page on McCarthy on this link

The (mis)information is compounded my the fact that the ADRIC entry appears to be for "C J McCarthy in RFA"

I have put up the details of two possible me, neither of whom fits the bill entirely

1. C J McCarthy who was in RN

2 M J MacCarthy who was in RFA, came from Cork (his father was a brigadier). I cannot find the family in 1911 census. The MIC (on the link) indicates Montenotte House, Cork

I have started a thread on Rootschat to see if I can get any local knowledge from Cork

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If we consider the overlapping dates with "Mc Carthy" and Reynolds, it still makes sense if "Mc Carthy" was working for intelligence and Reynolds hadn't been discovered yet. For "Mc Carthy", you might want to check out No.1548 L.F. Macartney who was attached to "F" Company from 4/2/21 (sorry no rank or regt.) and see if you can get a fit.

Dez

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Dez

Thanks for the input

1.If we consider the overlapping dates with "Mc Carthy" and Reynolds, it still makes sense if "Mc Carthy" was working for intelligence and Reynolds hadn't been discovered yet.

I agree with that, overlapping dates are not, I don't think, important. And if the "new man" was in a different ADRIC company they would have been happy to have had two working for them

2.For "Mc Carthy", you might want to check out No.1548 L.F. Macartney who was attached to "F" Company from 4/2/21 (sorry no rank or regt.) and see if you can get a fit.

I have looked at him, but have not got anywhere. The IRA certainly used "McCarthy" whereever I have come across it

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corisande,

That should have read No.1548 L.F. Macarthy, I had been looking at Macartney earlier as a possibility, but he was never in "F" Coy., but Macarthy was. Sorry I didn"t catch that until I read your reply.

Dez

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  • 1 month later...

Mark

I realised that I missed this when I was on holiday.

The Charles Joseph McCarthy looks like a runner as he is RFA, but what is the 1892 on that clip.

He is not on 1919 Army list you have quoted.

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Thanks for replying

I assume it is date of birth or date of enlistment/commission.

There is a MIC for a Driver Charles Joseph McCarthy in RFA, but not one for an officer.

Your 1919 Army List does not seem to have him as an officer, and I cannot get anything on LG

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Hi,

There is a Medal Card which is actually a SWB card for a Captain Chas J McCarthy, RASC, Address Munster Hotel, Cork, Eligible 22.3.19.

I found him on the Army List. Temporary & Acting Captain, ASC, McCarthy C J, 1Aug15.

London Gazette 29 NOVEMBER, 1918.

Chevalier.

Temporary Captain Charles Joseph McCarthy,

Army .Service Corps.

1st

Regards Mark

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Hi,

I do not know if the brackets around the (J)mean anything?

There is no.61443 Sergeant Charles McCarthy 30th Brigade Royal Field Artillery, commisioned 24 May 1917 2Lt RFA.

Address on the Medal Card. (1) Purshell Barracks, Edinburgh, (2)HM Prison, Lagos, Nigeria, West Africa & (3) c/o Mrs C Mccarthy, No.1 F Lines, Bulford Camp, Salisbury Plan, Wilts.

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Yes, I thought that the "J" in brackets looked odd

Anyway 61443 Sergeant Charles McCarthy commissioned 1917 looks interesting, I'll have a punt at him and see if I can confirm or eliminate him

He is presumably the 3rd man down on your Army List

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Hi,

This looks like him.

ROYAL REGIMENT OF ARTILLERY.

2nd Lt. C. McCarthy to be Lt. 28th Aug. 1919.

LG

Regards Mark

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Thanks

I never know in these cases where records are scare, whether it is a coincidence or someone pulled some. I guess if they let all Reynolds info remain, no reason why McCarthy should have been deliberately trimmed

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I get a bit lost with the Army List. Is he the man that is number 3 on your post #6, or is he on a separate "Reserve of Officers List"

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I think he is the no.3 on the 1919 List and also the same man on the Reserve of Officers in Dec 1920.

Regards Mark

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Ok,

Thanks Mark

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  • 2 years later...

Interesting the difference a couple of years makes in my knowledge. I looked at this again, and sorted him out in a couple of hours. It all makes sense now :-)

Dez was right

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  • 9 months later...
  • 2 months later...
Guest Halesowenroots

I am interested in J C Reynolds who was my great uncle. When I click on the link I am transferred to a 404 page not found. Has the information about him been removed?

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Afraid I had to remove all my individual records on Auxiliaries, as the information was being "misused" and I was not getting much cooperation from many people as few wished to share information publically

I am considering at the moment as to how best to make it all publically available

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Afraid I had to remove all my individual records on Auxiliaries, as the information was being "misused" and I was not getting much cooperation from many people as few wished to share information publically

I am considering at the moment as to how best to make it all publically available

Very sorry to hear that it was being misused (misappropriated?).

You have built an excellent repository of information. You could consider monetizing your research via publishing a book? In that way you could at least try to wave the copyright stick at the copy-and-paste people.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I to am sorry at the loss of information. I think the McCarthy you have concentrated on may be my grandfather. I have been trying to find out more info on him.

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