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

6.military minded. Special services, such as intelligence,engineering, scouting and first aid were organised and, asBattalion Adjutant, the organisation of these services devolvedon me. The training was also becoming more intensive and thisnecessitated regular visits to all companies to ensure thatthey were being properly trained. Regular meetings of companyand battalion staffs were held.My duties as adjutant of Bantry Battalion involvedtravelling considerable distances each week as the companiesto be visited were distributed over a wide area, e.g.,Kilerohane (16 miles), Glengarriff (11), Coomhola. (12),Kealkil (10), DroumsuJaivan (8), Durrus (6), Caheragh (6) andBantry (5). I was continuously on the move at this time,travelling mainly by cycle. I was responsible for the trainingand organisation of the unit as well as the organisation ofdances, aeriochts and other functions in order to raise funds.In addition, Battalion Council meetings were held each monthat which the work of the battalion was discussed and arranged.Early in 1919 I carried out araid on NewtownHouse,,Bantry, to search for two rifles and a shotgun which werereported by our Intelligence section to be held there. Despitea thorough search of the building we failed to find the rifles.We later learned from our Battalion I.0. (Tom. Reidy) that therifles were to be sent to Cork by rail, as they had been handedover to the R.I.C. I sent a member of Cumann na mBan MissChristina Cotter) to Bantry railway station to travel onthe train by which the rifles were supposed to be sent so thatshe could signal to me at the next station Aughaville toindicate'tetherthe, box containing the rifles had been putoh the train by the R.I.C. I had a partyready at Aughavilleto raid the train if the box was on it. When the train arrivedMiss Cotter signalled to indicate that the arms were not on