Tank on the streets of Dublin (Irish War of Independence)

[gerardkenny]

I was researching some items this evening and came across this link here

http://www.adams.ie/BidCat/detail.asp?SaleRef=7025&LotRef=346

a set of 6 photo plates including one of a Tank deployed on the streets of Dublin during the Irish War of Independence and was wondering if anyone knew more on this ? Or, might know where there are more images like this one ? The only ones remotely like that I have seen are WWI victory parade pictures by College Green and this certainly does not appear to be one of those.

[PKeating]

I am sure I recall seeing similar images in the distant past. I'll try and remember where. This looks a bit like Lower Mount Street. OK, I know there are more than a few streets with buildings of this style and architecture but it just seems to suggest Lower Mount Street. There was fighting in and around Lower and Upper Mount Street and around the bridges over the Grand Canal.

PK

[gerardkenny]

Thanks for that. I am told a thread on The Great War Forum may shed further light on this too

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=87199&

There is also this link of footage of another (what appears to be MkI) in use as a kind of portable cabin/roadblock in Limerick also during the Irish War of Independence

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=77302

[PKeating]

The 17th Tank Battalion, Tank Corps, was formed in March 1918 and renamed 17th (Armoured Car) Tank Bn or 17th (AC) Tank Bn the following month as it was destined to convert to armoured cars. However, when the unit was posted to Dublin in January 1919 - having participated in the Battles of Amiens, Bapaume, 2nd Battle of Arras (2nd) and Cambrai - B Coy had Medium A Whippet tanks and C Coy had some Mk IVs, subsequently replaced by Mk Vs. So the tank pictured in Dublin and the one mentioned in connection with Limerick were from C Coy, 17th (AC) Tank Bn, Tank Corps. If you go to the Pathé website - http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=77302 - you can see newsreel of the Limerick tank, sent there to assist with the handling of labour unrest and the suppression of the Limerick Soviet in April 1919. I've grabbed you a still, attached below, of the Limerick tank. Otherwise, the tanks were generally used in support of Army and DMP raids in Dublin, along with armoured cars, usually as mobile road blocks although they were also used as mobile cover by advancing infantry and to break down enemy roadblocks and other obstacles.

Hope this helps.

P

Edited July 26, 2010 by PKeating

[PKeating]

According to the BBC website, from which I borrowed the following extract of the recollections of an IRA volunteer, and this colour or tinted photograph apparently showing a tank in Dublin, the 17th (AC) Tank Bn had a Mk IV or V in Dublin Castle.

In 1918 the British had emerged victorious from the most terrible war in all their history. They had tremendous forces here in Ireland and they weren’t prepared to give it over to a handful of Sinn Feiners who had no guns, whose armaments were derisory – a .45 revolver here and there, a few old, broken down rifles. ‘Twasn’t worth a farthing. I remember one time later on during the fight, the quartermaster of the Dublin Brigade took up the paper one morning and he saw where some spy or somebody was found riddled with bullets. He was a very serious individual and he said, ‘Christ God, have they gone mad? ‘Riddled with bullets,’ ‘Wouldn’t one bullet have been enough to finish him?’ And he didn’t mean that as a joke. We wouldn’t have lasted five minutes in any kind of open fight with the army the British brought against us. They had fleets of armoured cars, aeroplanes, machine guns and thousands of conscript troops. They had a tank inside the Castle, a 20 ton tank. I saw the tommies turning it around one day and they knocked down a wall which had been there for hundreds of years. I heard an old Dublin apple seller saying when she saw it clanking down the street one day, ‘Begod, Butt Bridge is going for a walk’ We hadn’t a chance against them.

Edited July 26, 2010 by PKeating

[gerardkenny]

I love that quote about Butt Bridge & can well believe that tank would look pretty unbelievable if you had never seen or heard of one before I saw the footage of the tank in Limerick - I actually posted a link to it in the previous post on the thread. The 'riddling' one I have heard in a few different versions at this stage.

I have been reading up quite a bit on this period lately, 'The Squad' by R .Ryle Dwyer, 'On Another Man's wound' by Ernie O Malley and a few others & am finding that whole period fascinating again.

I picked up a collection the other night composing of a period scrapbook, photograph/postcard and document collection that belonged to the youngest 'apostle' of Collins' Squad Vinny Byrne - (purchased from the family direct).

He was 16 in 1916 and fought in the Rising, War of Independence in Michael Collin's Squad (taking out 2 of the Cairo gang on bloody sunday) and also in the Civil war and left the army during the Mutiny of 1924 as a Vice Commandant. From then he headed the 1916-1921 club and the Old IRA 2nd Batallion group.

The earliest item in it is an unpublished photo of him in primary school and the latest I think is a 1983 colour photo at an Easter Rising comemoration with a lot in between including (as far as I can gather) unpublished photos of various rebels in Stafford Jail before heading to Frongoch, pictures of Sean Lemass with Vinny Byrne, L.Hogan chief of Staff etc.

Was surprised to find a copy of the 'Irish War News' pasted into the pages of the scrapbook too - from what I can see these have gone for for very silly money in recent years. There are also all sorts of original and carbon letters including one to Vinny Byrne refusing him permission for time off to marry a few days before Collins was killed. Also a letter congratulating Tom Keogh for his 'Wexford Expeditionary Force' action of the Civil War - also days before he was killed. As well as a wealth of an t-Oglach and other publications etc.

I will have to post up some pictures from the collection when I have researched it a bit more, photographed it and put it online in order (which will take a couple of months).