Mallow Shootings - 31 Jan 1921

On the night of 31st January, 1921 at about 10.20 p.m. the RIC County Inspector, Captain William H. King was shot at near Mallow railway station. Captain King, was wounded, but his wife Alice Mary King (born 1880 in Ireland) was shot dead.  In the hours that followed 3 civilians died. The pattern of events is difficult to follow, each side has its own spin. A news item says an ADRIC cadet was arrested and brought back for trial, but I cannot find any trial. My feeling is that men were indiscriminately shot at Mallow, probably by RIC rather than ADRIC

The Irish view is that a group of ADRIC and/or Black and Tans came out of the barracks in Mallow on hearing the news. They were billeted at 'Broadview', close to the station, and it served as a barracks for the local Black and Tans during the War of Independence. At the time of the shooting of the Kings about 100 rail workers were on duty at the station and arrested many of the workers. A little later a party of Black and Tans, under a head constable, opened fire on the engine driver and fireman of a goods train which had just arrived from Thurles. In the waiting-room attached to the locomotive department a number of railway men were preparing for work when the place was raided by the police. All the men were ordered out on to the road outside the station, with their hands over their heads. They were then told to run for their lives. They were then fired upon and most were wounded while three were shot dead. They were

• Bennett. a seventeen year old
• Patrick Devitt, a father of eight children named
• Daniel Mullane, a twenty-three year old fireman who, having escaped himself went back to assist a wounded driver, Harry Martin. Mullane received three bullet wounds through the hips and died early on the following morning.
  

A witness statement from one of the IRA group who carried out the attack on Capt and Mrs King, indicates that they were not targeting King. Other evidence shows that the weather was very bad and that the IRA probably mistook Mrs King in a raincoat for an Auxiliary

WS 1015 . The Column was armed with rifles, about 50 rounds of ammunition for each. Some members had revolvers. Those members of the Column who were not in their home area were billeted in the Lombardstown district particularly at Paddy Murphy's, Dan Healy's and Riordan's. About the end of January the Column moved into the Mourney Abbey area where they lay in ambush a few times but the expected enemy did not turn up. In the meantime a report was received by the Column 0/C. that a party of three or four Black & Tans were in the habit of visiting Mallow Railway Station about the time the night mail train was due to leave Mallow each night at 9.30 p.m. They were, apparently, taking some letters to the railway for dispatch by the "Mail". The C.0. decided to ambush this party so on 31st January, 1921 he took five other members of the Column to Hallow Railway Station where they were placed as follows :- (a) Four - Jack Moloney ("Congo"), Denis Mulcahy, Jeremiah Daly (witness) and the Column O/C. (Jack Cunningham) took up a position behind a wall facing the road to the station entrance. They were armed with revolvers. (b) No - Leo O'Callaghan and Ned Murphy - were on duty on the road at the opposite side of the railway in order to cover off any approach from the rear. They also carried revolvers. When a party of three was seen to approach, the ambush party as at (a)opened fire. There was no reply from the Tans. The R.I.C. and Black & Tans who were In the barracks less than 250 yards away immediately rushed' to the railway station. They began to fire shots indiscriminately. Three railway employees were shot dead while a number were also wounded. The ambush party at (a) then withdrew across the railway and retired with the Column O.C.

A book was published - An account of the Mallow shootings (January 31st, 1921) by L. Barbara Hammond, prepared specially for the NUR at the request of the Rt. Hon. J. H. Thomas, M.P.

1921 Feb 28. Question in Parliament. Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHY (by Private Notice) asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland why the court enquiring into the recent occurrences at Mallow have refused to allow Captain King to be called as a witness? Sir H. GREENWOOD The suggestion contained in the hon. and gallant Gentleman's question is wholly without foundation. County Inspector King is at present on sick leave in Scotland where he is now undergoing specialist's treatment. It will not be possible for him to return to Ireland for some weeks. The House will remember that this gallant officer was himself wounded on the night of the 31st January last when his wife was brutally murdered in his arms. The facts are that special steps have been taken to obtain Captain King's evidence by affidavit in the form of a series of questions set down by Mr. Healy, K.C., and by the court. The court will consider the answers to these questions before they arrive at a decision in this matter.

The Military Inquiry into the shootings was later carried out by the British. Its president was Colonel Commandant H. R. Cumming, D.S.O., who was killed at the Clonbanin ambush before the enquiry had ended.  The findings of the enquiry came out after the death of Cummings

1. The events at Mallow Station on the night of 31st January, 1921, commenced with an attack about 10.20 p.m. on County Inspector Captain W. H. King, E.I.C., and his wife, Mrs. Alice Mary King, whereby both were wounded. Mrs. Alice Mary King subsequently died as the result thereof early in the morning of let February, 1921.

2. That the casualties were caused by shots fired from the Railway Station premises on the West side of the Hill leading up to the Station. That although there is no evidence to show who the individuals were who fired such shots, yet the persons who did so must either have had a thorough knowledge of the Railway Premises, or have been guided by some Person or Persons who had such knowledge.

 3. That an Ambush had been previously prepared, and that parties thereof were posted but that there is no evidence to show such Ambush was definitely planned against Captain W. H. King and his wife. That shots were fired by ebels from all above three Points {inter alia) during the evening in question.

4. That the R.I.C. did, in the execution of their duty, search certain Railway Employees and others, and made several arrests.

5. That the R.I.C. did remove Signalmen from their respective Cabins without having previously provided suitable or any reliefs.

6. That one Signalman, Joseph Greensmith, received injuries which at his age are serious, but the Court are satisfied that he is mistaken in stating same were caused by Military.

7. That the persons arrested (paragraph 4) were dispatched in two parties to the Military Barracks, Mallow. The first party reached there safely. The second party (which included the three Railway Employees since dead and those who were wounded) came under Rebel Fire from the vicinity of the South Signal Cabin

8. That the Rebel Fire referred to in paragraph 7 was immediately returned by R.I.C., and that such " Return Fire " unavoidably caused some of the casualties in the said second party.

9. That from the location and character of the wounds, one of such casualties at least was caused by Rebel Fire. That one R.I.C. was at the same time wounded by a Pellet from a Shot Gun, and that neither the Military nor R.I.C. were armed with such weapons on the night in question.

10. Consequent on the allegations made in the House of Commons, the Court are satisfied from the evidence :

• (a) That Mrs. King did not rush in front of her husband and thereby receive her wounds.
• (b) That it was an unnecessary custom for Railway Employees, when off duty, to remain at Mallow Station after Curfew Hours, because they could obtain Curfew Passes without any trouble if they applied for them, as they well knew.
• (c) That Thomas Moylan and the other Railwaymen taken to Military Barracks, Mallow, were only searched there twice, namely, once at entrance gate and once on admission to Cells, and not five times in the Cells.
• d) That such Railwaymen were not beaten or subjected to inhuman treatment, or in any wise abused at Military Barracks, Mallow.
• (e) That such Railwaymen were not, when released from the Cells at Military Barracks, Mallow, told to run, and were not shot at.
• (f) That a member of the E.I.C. did forcibly enter the Railway Refreshment Room and obtain stimulant for Mrs. King, and that his action, in the circumstances, is considered justifiable. That thereafter such Refreshment Room remained open and was entered by some members of the R.I.C. and Railway Staff, but that there is no evidence to show who is guilty of the alleged heavy depredations.
• (g) That the Party of Railwaymen,, of which Michael Mahoney was one, had not a volley fired into them on leaving the Railway Station for the Military Barracks, Mallow, by either Military or Police, neither were they, when wounded, fired at by such Forces.
• (h) That the remainder of the allegations made in the House of Commons are not borne out by the evidence adduced.

Questions asked by a Railway MP were detailed. The full speech is here, but the nub of it is

• A signalman named Thomas Moylan finished work at 8.30, half-an-hour after curfew. He was unable to go home and must remain in the signal-box. He was in the signal-box at 10.20 p.m., when he heard shots fired. A few minutes later some policemen came to the signal-box door and demanded it to be opened. Upon entering the box they ordered Moylan and the others to put up their hands and searched them. They were then ordered to go to the platform of the station and to stand with their backs to the wall and with their hands up while the police levelled their rifles at them. The police then said that a woman had been shot, that they had done it, and that if she died 15 railwaymen would be shot for it. At eleven o'clock the police marched the men to the barracks, with their hand above their heads. Let it be remembered that these were railwaymen on duty, railwaymen taken from their posts while discharging their duty. Amongst the six men were Moylan, Gyves, and Signalman Hayes. They were searched five times in two different cells. Between three and four o'clock in the morning the occupants of Moylan's cell were taken out to a military motor, and after being beaten by the police with fists, revolvers, and rifles, they were told to go and carry the dead body of a woman to a lower cell. On returning they were again, beaten by rifles and revolvers, and detained in the cells till 9.45. They were then told to run, and while running they were shot at. Three were shot dead when running.
• Michael Mahoney, one of our members, gave this statement. On the night in question he went on duty at 8 o'clock. Everything went on as usual until 10.30, when he heard rifle shots from the direction of the platform. He was in the locomotive yard attending to an engine, but on hearing a couple, of shots from the goods yard, immediately opposite the locomotive yard, he thought it was getting a bit dangerous, so he went into the driver' waiting room in the shed, where he found five or six other men. He had only been in the room about five minutes when the door was opened by a man in khaki, who shouted, "Hands up." This man was accompanied by another in police uniform. After asking the men where they had been that night he ordered them to walk to the platform with their hands above their heads. As they passed the north signal box the policeman, who was behind, fired several shots above their heads. On arrival at the platform they were confronted by two men in civilian clothes, one of whom Mahoney recognised as the head constable. These men asked how they could account for being out at that time of night, to which the reply was that they were railwaymen on duty. What is the state of a policeman or soldier who marches men out from a signal box or from an engine shed, where they are working, and then asks them what they are doing out at that time of night? I ask the House to draw their own conclusions. The men were then ordered to walk to the police barracks, with their hands above their heads. On going out of the station another man in khaki ordered them to "halt," then ordered them to "double" and afterwards to "run." Immediately they started to run, but before they had got 12 yards away a volley was fired into them. Three men fell in front of Mahoney. One was Dennis Bennett, a cleaner, another was Paddy Howe, a driver, but the third man was not recognised. Mahoney was shot in the hands and the right knee. The police did not follow them, but persisted in firing whilst they were injured and stumbling along as best they could. Mahoney eventually sought shelter in a garden, where he remained for over an hour. He then made an effort to get home, but his right leg was so painful that he had to move along on his back. His home was only a quarter of a mile away, and he crossed some gardens and a lawn. It took over six hours to get there. The bullet passed right through his knee. He is still in hospital. The others are dead. Here are these railwaymen taken from their place of duty and marched to the station with their hands up. In one case they were told, "Go and carry that dead body." They were told to run, and when they started to run away a volley was fired into them; three were killed and others injured. One died last night.
• The statement of another man, Morrissey. He states that he was in the north signal cabin with signalman Greenwood and a porter named Devitt. Here again the men had to remain because of the curfew. The police went to the box and demanded admission. Morrissey opened the door and the police then gave the order "Hands up." The men were next ordered out of the box and Greenwood, who is 70 years of age, was thrown down the steps. When he got up again he protested that he was on duty. That is to say, that he was the signalman responsible for the lives of the travelling public. After throwing him down the steps the police said: "How did he get here," and he said: "I am on duty." After he had protested, the police said: "Damn the signal box. Damn the railwaymen and damn you." Greenwood, however, was ordered back to the box, but Devitt and Morrissey were marched, with hands up, to the platform. A policeman kicked Devitt and told him to put his hands up higher. He then said to Morrissey: "I suppose you have a gun hidden." Morrissey said that he never had one and he would not know how to use it if he had. The policeman said: "I suppose you belong to the organisation. Anyway, you belong to the railway, and that is enough for us." One of the policemen had a bottle of whisky and he asked the soldier to have a drink, which he refused. The men were then ordered to run, but Morrisey got a bullet immediately he started. He was shot in the right elbow and in a finger. He hid in the ruins of an old creamery and remained there until 4 a.m. He states that he will refuse to resume duty even when discharged from hospital until he can get some guarantee for his personal safety. He knew nothing about the woman having been shot, until he got to Cork hospital at 7 o'clock next morning. The next case is that of Driver Maher. Here is a man who is now in Cork hospital, badly wounded, and who arrived in Mallow at 9.20 p.m. on the day following the murder, and who knew nothing of any murder having taken place at Mallow. He brought his train there from another place. It is like an engine driver starting from Paddington to run to Cardiff. Someone is killed at Cardiff prior to his arrival in Cardiff, but when he arrives he is immediately shot down because he is supposed to be connected with the murder that happens at Cardiff. That is the position of this particular man. In these cases the facts are from the sworn statement of live men. One poor fellow who died yesterday leaves a widow and seven children and another child is expected.

The Irish Railway Union threatened strike action

Incidents