ROINN COSANTA. BUREAU OF MILITARY HISTORY, 1913-21 ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

17.The members of the Bantry Company were practically oncontinuous service at this period. They were engaged nightlyinraids of one kind or another on enemy stores passing throughBantry to Bere Island military post. Amongst the militarygoods seized at this time was a large consignment of boots,shirts, underwear, socks. These were seized in a raid onBantry railway stores. They were carried around by the Strandto a dump in Newtown and were later removed to dumps wherethey could be used by the brigade column.During July 1920, a number of ambushes were laid for amilitary curfew patrol operating in the town of Bantry, butthe enemy never entered the ambush positions. At this periodguards were posted on the homes of I.R.A. men and theirsupporters, which were likely to be burned as reprisals bythe enemy. The provision of guards of this nature threwadditional work on the members of the local companies as wellas on the officers of the battalion staff who usually tookcharge. The normal training and organisation continued andall units were now, more or less, on a war footing men beingspecially trained in the use of the rifle and smallarmsas 3/4well as in the manufacture of bombs and mines. Several raidswere carried out during this period on the mails; both localand provincial, but no information of military value came tolight.At this stage the main Bantry-Glengarriff road had beenunder observation by me for some days to cheek on the routineof a British military convoy which travelled the road. Ieventually decided that I had sufficient information andselected an ambush position at Snave, about 5 miles from Bantry.The column of men on the run were billeted at Connally's, HollyHill, where we made a road mine by filling a 12" sewer pipewith concrete, shrapnel. We charged it with aboutcwt.of
18.guncotton suitably set for detonation. Two lorries of militarypassed by Holly Hill towards Glengarriff while we werepreparing the mine. If they followed their normal procedurethey would be returning through our position at Snave aboutnightfall. The men of the local company (Coomhola) weremobilised to co-operate with the column of men on the run.When the mine was ready it was transported to O'Driscoll's,Snave, whence Denis O'Driscoll took it in a horse and carttowards the ambush position at Snave Bridge. Just as O'Driscolwas approaching Snave Bridgewherewith Moss Donegan, I was placingthe men in position the enemy convoy of two lorries 'drovetowards us at a fast rate firing as they came. When the manwith the horse and cart (Dents O'Driscoll) heard' the firinghe drove up a side road beside Snave Bridge leading to CoomholaInstead of continuing on to Bantry, the military followed thehorse and cart up the Coomhola Road. The enemy had arrivedat the ambush site at least two hours ahead of normal time.Having regard to the manner in which they approached ourposition and followed the horse and cart, it was quite obviousthat they were in possession of information regarding ouractivities and we were taken completely by surprise. DenisO'Driscoll and Flor O'Sullivan, who accompanied him with themine, were taken prisoners and removed to Bantry, while allsections of the ambush party dispersed some to their homeareas and the men on the run to new billets. The majority...of the, men who took part were members of Glengariff andComho].a Companies, In addition to the members of thecolumn.The Brigade 0/C. (Torn Hales.) and Brigade(Pat Harte)Q.M.were captured by the enemy on their way to a brigade staff
Page 2: STATEMENT BY TED O'SULLIVAN,GlenHou
Page 5 and 6: :If.Before. i was appointed Battali
Page 7 and 8: 6.military minded. Special services
Page 9 and 10: 8.Dunmanway Battalion Sean MurphySk
Page 11 and 12: 10.Eventually, on the night of 17th
Page 13 and 14: 12.charge. I laid the charges again
Page 15 and 16: 14.not explode. A number of the sma
Page 17: 16.Bantry, of which I was in charge
Page 21 and 22: 20.The organisation of. this system
Page 23 and 24: 22.generallyagreed that before we c
Page 25 and 26: 24the first lorry passed through un
Page 27 and 28: 26.the feeding of the men would be
Page 29 and 30: 28Con Connolly (Skibbereen), Tom Wa
Page 31 and 32: 30.Tom Ward. He left me to arrange
Page 33 and 34: 32.(Q.M. Bantry Battalion), Jack Co
Page 35 and 36: 34•In the meantime, I had proceed
Page 37 and 38: 36.about 1 a.m. When the column 0/C
Page 39 and 40: 38.reply.Towards the end of April,
Page 41 and 42: 40.arrangements for the activities
Page 43 and 44: 41.February 1921. These men were be

ROINN COSANTA. BUREAU OF MILITARY HISTORY, 1913-21 ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?