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The missing personnel records of the R.I.C.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2016

Gerard O’Brien
Gerard O’Brien*
Affiliation:
School of History, Philosophy and Politics, University of Ulster, Magee College
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Extract

Few commentators would dispute that, as regards historical records, 1922 was a year of destruction and displacement. Months before the conflagration in the Four Courts annihilated a broad cross-section of official records the departing representatives of the crown régime had turned their attention to those most recently in use. Nobody really knows how much of this material was deliberately burnt in Dublin Castle in the days preceding the takeover by Free State troops on 16 January 1922. It is all but certain that at least some intelligence files were destroyed: these would no doubt have identified informants, double agents, serving intelligence officers (whether English or Irish), and the more discreet crown servants. Certainly the new custodians were greeted by empty cupboards and bare shelves. Legends, which may or may not have been founded in reality, grew of the extent of the destruction and, by implication, of the scale of the guilty secrets thus concealed forever.

But the incoming officials were in no doubt, either, that much had been simply removed, whether to the Irish Office in London or to some other safe place. Assurances were offered to the Free State government by the departing Castle official A. W. Cope ‘that the only papers we are removing from the Castle to London are confidential papers relating to the political movement in this country. The removal of the papers will not hamper the future administration.’ Should any person apply for the return of papers seized in police raids during the conflict, their requests would be considered. Cope was being less than candid. During March an Irish Office official noted in an unmistakably complaining tone that the office was having to accommodate ‘a number of files belonging to the Crimes Special Department of the R.I.C. and an Irish Secret Service organisation. Some of the matter in these files is highly secret.’ The material occupied one hundred deed-boxes, half-a-dozen large packing cases, a couple of six-foot-high cupboards, along with thirty-eight card-index trays (‘twelve of them in cabinets’).

Type
Research Article
Information
Irish Historical Studies , Volume 31 , Issue 124 , November 1999 , pp. 505 - 512
Copyright
Copyright © Irish Historical Studies Publications Ltd 1999

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References

1 A. W. Cope, assistant under-secretary, Dublin Castle, to Commandant J. F. Dalton, 13 Jan. 1922 (P.R.O., HO 45/24943/597986). However, the Daily News, 16 Jan. 1922, refers to a ‘huge bonfire’ in the Castle and to ‘vast quantities’ of documents being sent to England. The Westminster Gazette of the same date tells of ‘stacks of documents’ being prepared for transfer to London; some of these, the report ran, were to be scrutinised and returned to the new Irish government. For one contemporary historian’s concern at the fate of the papers see J. Longford, King’s College, London, to Michael Collins, 16 June 1922 (N.A.I., Department of the Taoiseach (DT), S 53).

2 Memorandum by G. R. B[uckland], assistant principal, 25 Mar. 1922 (P.R.O., HO 45/24943/597986/lA); E[dward] S[hort], Home Secretary, to Lord Methuen, Constable of the Tower of London, 30 Mar. 1922 (ibid.).

3 G. G.Whiskard, principal, Irish Office, London, to Anderson, 6 Jan. 1923, pointing out also that since January 1922 only two private requests (both in vain) for the return of seized or captured papers had been received (ibid.); Anderson to Whiskard, 8 Jan. 1923 (ibid.). For confirmation that the material was destroyed see the memo from J. Crowley to C. M. Martin-Jones, principal, Home Office (‘additional for Irish business’), 28 May [1925] (P.R.O., HO 45/24943/597986/4).

4 Unsigned minute, 9 May 1924, recording the discovery of the material in Rooms 9 and 10 of the basement of 1 Queen Anne’s Gate; a note by J. Crowley refers to the cash books found in Room 5; an unsigned minute, 21 May 1924, relates to the transfer of the finance records; note, date-stamped 18 Nov. 1924, complains of the lack of warning (P.R.O., HO 45/24943/597986).

5 Unsigned minutes, 9 May, 7 July 1924, together with letters from A. Crapper, principal, Home Office, to W. E. Bentley, acting staff officer, London Headquarters Section, Directorate of Lands and Accommodation, Office of Works, 3 June 1924, and Bentley to Crapper, 4 July 1924, relate to proposals by the Office of Works (ibid.). An unsigned minute, 10 July [1924] (ibid.) recommends preservation of the documents. This minute suggests also that any papers of the Dublin Metropolitan Police found should be sent to the Colonial Office.

6 Minute, 21 May 1924, referring to the ‘difficulty’ of sorting the material (ibid.). Black and Tans and Auxiliaries who did not vanish into obscurity (and some regular R.I.С men also) joined the Palestine Police: see Horne, Edward, A job well done: a history of the Palestine Police, 1920–48 (London, 1982)Google Scholar, and Duff, Douglas V., Sword for hire (London, 1933)Google Scholar. The Royal Ulster Constabulary received 986 former members of the R.I.C.: see Herlihy, Jim, The Royal Irish Constabulary: a short history and genealogical guide (Dublin, 1997), p. 111Google Scholar. Less than 2 per cent of ex-R.I.C. men joined the Irish Free State’s Garda Síochána: see McNiffe, Liam, A history of the Garda Síochána (Dublin, 1997), p. 49Google Scholar. An indeterminate (though probably small) number joined police forces in mainland Britain and elsewhere in the Empire.

7 Crowley to Martin-Jones, 28 May [1925] (P.R.O., HO 45/24943/597986/4). The Crime Special files and registers appear to have escaped destruction at this time; however, it seems certain that some of them were destroyed in 1964: see Breandán Mac Giolla Choille, Keeper of Irish State Papers, to secretary, Department of the Taoiseach, 29 Apr. 1966 (N.A.I., Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), London Embassy file L 111/1), and the related correspondence (ibid., DT, 96/6/38). The bulk of the material saved in 1925 was eventually deposited in the Public Record Office, London, under the prefix CO 904.

8 W. J[agelman], clerk, higher grade, Home Office, to [C. G.] Markbreiter, principal and acting secretary, Home Office, 21 Oct. 1927, and appended note by Martin-Jones (same date) (P.R.O., HO 45/2493/597986/6); memo by Jagelman ordering preservation of some and destruction of others, 24 Oct. 1927 (ibid.); note [undated but probably 25–26 Oct. 1927] by S. J. Baker, assistant principal, Home Office (‘additional for Irish business’), asking for a reprieve for the Crime Special files (ibid.). The destruction of the Crime Special files is reported in lurid detail in P.R.O., HO 45/24943/597986/8. Martin-Jones had specified that Crime Special files dealing with civil cases were particularly worthy of destruction. The random sample of 150 files from the 3, 000 bundles in Room 57 all fell into this category: see memo by Martin-Jones, 28 Mar. 1928 (ibid., HO 45/24943/597986/6), and the random sample listed (ibid., HO 45/24943/597986/9). The material destroyed in 1964 (n. 7 above) included ten Irish Crime Special registers dating from 1884 to 1922. Brian Heddy, Commonwealth Relations Office, to P. J. Keatinge, Irish Embassy, 28 June 1966, describes the destroyed ledgers as mere records of receipt numbers and subject headings, with no actual correspondence; they were destroyed in accordance with section 6 of the Public Records Act, 1958 (N.A.I., DFA, London Embassy file L 111/1).

11 Memo by Martin-Jones, 28 Mar. 1928 (P.R.O., HO 45/24943/587986/6). He names W. Allison Phillips, with whom he doubtless had had contact during the latter’s visits to Dublin Castle. Martin-Jones had been a principal officer in the Chief Secretary’s Office until 1921.

10 Crapper to W. J. Eves, estate surveyor, grade 1, Directorate of Lands and Accommodation, Office of Works, 30 May 1930 (ibid., HO 45/24943/597986/10); note by C. M. K.[nowles], assistant legal adviser, Home Office, 3 Sept. 1931 (ibid.).

11 Unsigned memos, 1931 (ibid., HO 45/24943/597986/12).

12 Memo by W.S.K. [probably W. S. Kerr, auditor, Exchequer and Audit Department], 4 Apr. 1934 (ibid., HO 45/24943/597986/14).

13 Eves to Crapper (now an assistant secretary), 16 May 1934 (ibid.).

14 Unsigned memo, Aug. 1935, recording the Dominions Office transfer and revealing also that the Home Office had never been informed by the Office of Works of the dangerous conditions in which the documents were being stored (P.R.O., HO 45/24943/587986/16); note by J. M. R[oss], assistant principal, Home Office, 27 Feb. 1936, referring to the vetting of material for return to Dublin (ibid.). The circumstances surrounding the destruction of the damaged material are related in McColgan, John, British policy and the Irish administration, 1920–22 (London, 1983), pp 146-7Google Scholar. For the understandable bitterness of the Irish government at the destruction see N. A.I., DFA, London Embassy file L 111/1.

15 Unsigned minute, Sept. 1939 (P.R.O., HO 45/24943/597986/17).

16 Diarmuid Coffey, Keeper of Irish State Papers, to Nioclás Ó Nualláin, assistant secretary, Department of the Taoiseach, 19 Feb. 1951 (N.A.I., DT, S 5019C).

17 Both searches were assisted by Ms Valerie Trelan, historian to the Home Office, for whose efforts on his behalf the author is deeply grateful.

18 Information from Mr R. Eldrett, Paymaster General’s Office, 9, 14 May 1996.

19 Some 3, 172 ex-R.I.C. men or their dependants received pensions from the Paymaster General’s Office.