Serving King and Country

Serving King and Country Armagh Barracks, 1901. by Mary McVeigh When Cardinal Michael Logue, after a tied to stakes to defend themselves. ish side. Police intelligence reports from stay in Rome, received a welcome home The Armagh Guardian whilst giving full County Armagh in 1900 noted that the gift from the Armagh catholic laity in coverage to the Primate’s speech was not anti-recruitment campaign was bringing March 1901 he took the opportunity to reticent about criticising him. This paper together nationalist groups such as the air his disapproval of the Oath taken by was staunchly and vociferously Unionist Irish Republican Brotherhood and the the new king, EdwardVII, at the Coro- and its editor Delmage Trimble was to Ancient Order of Hibernians, although nation in January and his opposition the forefront in organising comforts for the county inspector did not think that to the enlistment of Irish Catholics in the troops abroad. In the editorial His the many leaflets in circulation would have ‘much effect’ on recruitment.2 It would seem that he was proven right and not all Catholics heeded either priests or politicians because an examination of the 1901 census returns taken just days after Cardinal Logue’s speech, on 31st March 1901, reveal that of the 200 or so NCOs and private soldiers in Armagh barracks over 60% of them gave their religion as Roman Catholic.3 The barracks was home to the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Irish Fusiliers and it was the recruiting depot for Counties Armagh, Monaghan, Cavan and Louth4 but, ac- cording to the census, there were men from as far away as Cork, Carlow, Wa- terford, Wexford, Galway, Limerick and Mayo. The greatest number, forty-four, the British army. In a lengthy address Eminence was castigated for his com- came from the home county, Armagh, to the Cathedral Committee who had ments. His ‘sneering’ was as ‘uncalled and Dublin came second with thirty-five presented him with a pair of carriage for’ as it ‘was unmerited’. giving it as their place of birth. There horses he expressed his admiration for “For many years the priests of Ireland were fifteen men from Antrim but only Queen Victoria and the new king but de- have been doing their utmost to prevent two from Monaghan, four from Cavan plored the Coronation Oath because of Roman Catholics joining the army and and three each from Louth and Tyrone. its anti-Catholic content. As long as this some in their addresses from the altar There were four from Longford but none ‘insulting declaration’ remained on the have even censured girls for walking with from Fermanagh or Donegal. Fourteen Statute Book of England young people soldiers. In neither cases have the efforts men gave their birthplace as England should desist from enrolling ‘under her prevailed – the army has its fascination but some of the names given would flag’. He blamed poor administration for for many young men and the red coat suggest that they were mostly from Irish forcing them to leave Ireland. He said captures the hearts of the girls”, it de- emigrant families. It should be noted that that so many of the young, strong and clared.1 whilst the majority were Catholics not all energetic had been driven ‘into exile’ The Catholic Church was not the only from the south or west of Ireland were and all that remained for the army to body to warn against enlistment. The so designated. Dublin in particular had a draw upon were ‘the cripples, lame and war in South Africa had been going on number of Protestant soldiers. blind’. Indeed he went on to add that since 1899 and Nationalist leaders who The second largest religious grouping in he feared that the recruits they raised saw the Boers as fellow victims of op- the barracks census returns was desig- at the present would need to be treated pression from the mighty British Empire nated Church of England. Presumably in the way that the wounded soldiers at formed an Irish-Transvaal Committee these people were Church of Ireland the Battle of Clontarf were by the Irish to support them and to dissuade young and it was the enumerator who decided Chieftan. These unfortunates had to be Irishmen from going to fight on the Brit- 10 11 to anglicise them. Interestingly it would of the 20th century there was a dynamic other parts of Ireland were far from appear that Presbyterians were less eager rise in the weaving section of the textile home – Cork, Mullingar, Westmeath, to take the king’s shilling because there industry due primarily to the importation Roscommon and Limerick were some were only 11 of them whereas there were of cheap yarn and improved marketing of the places noted. Thus it is likely that some 70 Church of England and 122 of products abroad.7 It could have been loneliness and homesickness were not Catholics. Just a single ‘Wesleyan’ ap- the case that these young weavers were uncommon among them considering peared in the barracks census. It would lured away from the tedium of fac- that travel over a hundred years ago was seem that there were only two officers in tory life by the promise of adventure and not as accessible as it is today. One wom- the barracks then. Major Fitzgerald aged travel with the army. an certainly far from home was Sophia 35, unmarried, Church of England and There were six drummers listed in the Augustina, the French wife of Colour a young lieutenant of 17 whose name census, the youngest was only a boy of Sergeant Patrick Woods who was from looked to be either Greer or Green, a 14 years, Joseph Cullen from County Ar- County Tyrone. Presbyterian, who surprisingly, was, born magh. One man was born in India, Al- It would appear that some of the families in Australia. bert Edward McGuigan and four others had been on the move more than once Why did men, especially Catholics who came from England. Just one drummer over the years. For instance, Bridget Daly were seemingly ignoring the warnings of was a Catholic, Thomas Boyle, another who was from Boyle, County Roscom- both spiritual and political leaders, join Armaghian and the oldest at aged 39. mon, had two children born in India, the army at this time? Economic security Both he and Albert Edward McGuigan one at Peshawar and other a year later was probably the drawing factor in the were married. at Murcat. After a gap of seven years majority of cases. David Fitzpatrick has What was life like then for the wives she had another in Armagh followed pointed out that Irish recruits, like their and families of soldiers who lived within by a fourth two years later. Mary Burns British counterparts, were typically un- the confines of the barracks, in married had children born in Cork, Kilkenny, employed lads in their late teens and the quarters? If there has been any research England and Armagh. A number would Armagh census returns would support on the topic it is a well kept secret! Hope- seem to have returned home for their this as the vast majority listed their oc- fully it will engage someone with an first confinement, possibly for family sup- cupations prior to enlistment as labour- interest in women’s history because to port. One of these Ellen Wallace from ers.5 Economic security was certainly not date male historians who have devoted Westmeath had her first baby in her something on which a labourer could many tomes to general military histories hometown and others in Kilkenny, Cork have depended at the onset of the 20th and histories of specific regiments have and Armagh. The largest family was that century. Instead, if he had a job at all, largely ignored the wives of soldiers of Sergeant-Major Alfred and Sarah he could have expected long hours, hard who were often forced to leave behind Jane Schofield who had eight children, toil, poor and often hazardous working families, friends and sometimes their own all born in Armagh. conditions. The army offered regular pay homelands to be with their men. Most of the married men with families plus food and lodgings. There were 34 wives, 27 of them with in married quarters were Non-commis- Whilst most soldiers had been labour- children, and 1 mother-in-law in the sioned officers but the majority of wom- ers there were some who had held more Armagh barracks when the census was en either left the relevant space blank skilled jobs in civilian life – tailors, paint- taken. Only 10 of these women were or stated on the census forms that they ers, mechanics and an engine driver. from County Armagh. The rest were had no occupation. Several classified The more unusual include a florist from from other parts of Ireland and abroad themselves as housekeepers and one put Dublin, William Stevens, a Wexford cy- so presumably a considerable propor- down she was a ‘soldier’s wife’. Just three cle-maker, Walter O’Brien, and a ship’s tion met their husbands when they were gave occupations, independent of being steward from Scotland whose name was stationed in the women’s hometowns. An a wife. Lizzie Burke, a mother of three not given. 6 Most of the sergeants had obvious example was Louisa Connolly from Monaghan was a schoolteacher, been clerks pre-army and no doubt their from Aldershot, a town with a long mili- Mary Ann Lynch from Armagh was a previous work experience and education tary association. Henry Harris recorded weaver and Bridget Maginn described aided their advancement.

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