© F.Coakley , 2018
After the 1916 uprising of Easter 1916 the British Government wanted to intern 30 or so 'Ringleaders of the Irish Rebellion' - government Secretary B Sargeaunt adroitly avoided an awkward situation by pointing out certain inherent difficulties in the proposed scheme:
5612 1.R. 22nd June 1916.
SECRET
Sir
I have the honour, by direction of His Excellency the Governor, to advert to your telegram of the 21st instant asking whether separate accommodation could be found in the Isle of Man for the internment of some thirty of the ringleaders of the Irish Rebellion, and to state that so far as accommodation is concerned the old Naval Reserve Barracks at Peel, now a Holiday Camp, would be well adapted for the purpose in every respect, and could be ready in about fourteen days.I am however, to draw your attention to certain facts which might render the proposal dangerous :-
(1) The Island is only separated from Ireland by some forty miles of sea. On certain occasions the coast of Ireland is clearly visible.
(2) There is constant communication by fishing vessels between the Irish ports and the port of Peel.
(3) There is a fairly large resident Irish population in the Isle of Man
(4) The Guards at the Detention Camps are largely composed of Liverpool Irish.
(5) There is a steamer service between Dublin, Douglas and Silloth.
(6) A separate guard of well-trained English or Scottish troops :independent of the Knockaloe Guard would be necessary, but it would be difficult to isolate these troops from the Knockaloe Guards, both Camps being so near to the town of Peel.The question of the administration and control of the proposed Camp is a trivial matter which would cause no trouble, the main point is the effect which the internment of these Irish might have on sections of the population. The Isle of Man is a safe place of internment, for Germans because firstly, it is an island, and secondly the population is most hostile towards the interned.
Interned Irishmen might meet with sympathy from the sections of the community referred to .
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your obedient servant,
B M Sargeaunt
The Under Secretary of State,
Home Office,
London
No more seems to be heard of the proposition - the British Government decided to use the facilities at Frongoch Camp and Reading Prison to hold the interned Irish, who were released by Christmas 1916. [Some details may be found in the WO 35/94 files released in 2022].
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Editor © F.Coakley , 2018 |
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