The Diggers and the IRA: A story of Australian and New Zealand Great-War soldiers involved in Ireland’s War of Independence. Kerry Casey A thesis in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts by Research University of New South Wales Canberra School of Humanities and Social Sciences April 2014 1 2 3 The Diggers and the IRA: A story of Australian and New Zealand Great-War soldiers involved in Ireland’s War of Independence. Deleted: Cover photo Caption: Australian servicemen on leave in Ireland. The men are near the Gap of Dunloe, a popular tourist destination outside of Killarney, County Kerry.1 Description: evocative photograph of four Diggers wearing slouch Hats and trench coats against the Irish rain. Evocative of many things including the Kelly Gang. Kerry Casey Copyright: Kerry Casey 2014. 1 AWM P07408.001 4 Cornelius Patrick “Con” Casey, AKA No 20 Corporal Patrick Cornelius Casey, Military Medal, 13th Battalion, head of Battalion Stretcher Bearers - Military Adviser & Brigade Training Officer to 3rd (North) Cork Brigade, Irish Volunteers.2 2 Photo from Casey family papers. 5 Table of Contents List of tables & originality statement 5 Publications and presentations 6 Acknowledgements 8 Abbreviations and acronyms 11 Introduction 13 Prologue: Riding the Tale of a Ghost 39 1. Distinction’s Worthless Badge 46 2. Diggers in Ireland 92 3. Jim Gorman 150 4. Mike McGrath 185 5. Bringing the Boys Back Home 202 6. Saving the World for Democracy 247 Epilogue 262 Appendix: Denominational breakdown of 266 Irish-born enlistments in the AIF. Bibliography 270 6 List of Tables3 Chapter 1: Table 1: Dates of the awards of the VC to Catholics in the AIF 68 Chapter 3: Table 2: Timetable of Irish Born Catholic Desertions from the AIF 136 Chapter 6: Table 3: Discharges Abroad 215 Table 4: Irish Born Diggers Discharged Abroad 227 Appendix: Table 5: B2455 POB Ireland – Denominations 267 Table 6: Religious Profile of 13th Bn. from Embarkation Roll 269 3 All tables except Table 4 (which is footnoted in the text) are original and based on an analysis of the almost 6000 service records of Irish-born Australian soldiera available at NAA. 7 Publications Kerry Casey and Amanda Slattery, “Australian Writer and Film Maker seeks descendants of Irish-Australian WWI soldiers,” The Avondhu (Ireland), 09/08/2012. Kerry Casey, “Digging up the truth of Australia’s ‘Starvation Order’”, IRISHecho, May 22–June 4 2013. Kerry Casey, “Irish Anzacs fought, not for King, but for freedom,” IRISHecho, April 24-May 7 2013. Online Irish Volunteers.org http://irishvolunteers.org/2012/02/the-diggers-and-the-ira- by-kerry-casey/ posted 7/2/2012. The IrishWar http://theirishwar.com/the-diggers-and-the-ira-by-kerry-casey/ posted 7/2/2012. Citations John Connell, “Unearthed: diggers who fought in Irish Civil War”, IRISHecho, 7-20 November 2013. Florence Decamp, “Retour à Glenanaar”, GeoVoyage – Irelande, July-August 2013 and http://www.grands-reporters.com/retour-a-Glenanaar.html Andrea McCullagh, “Diggers who fought for Irish freedom revealed”, IRISHecho, April 10-23, 2013. Donnelly, Marea, “War sacrifice complicated by politics of old country”, Daily Telegraph, 17/3/14, Dujardin, Claire, Documents et rapports de la Société Royale D’Archaéologie, 8 D’Histoire et de Paléontologie de Charleroi: We Shall Never Forget the Australian Soldiers, Tome LXV, Charleroi, 2012, p. 178. Thorne, Kathleen Hegarty, Echoes of their Footsteps, The Quest for Irish Freedom, Generation, Salem, 2014. Presentations 31/03/2013 – “Easter Rising Commemoration Address 2013”, The Irish Republican Monument at Waverley Cemetery, Sydney. 27/02/2013“A Hidden History: The Diggers and the ‘old’ IRA”, The Aisling Society of Sydney. “The Diggers and the IRA”, Postgraduate Research Day, ADFA, 2011 9 Acknowledgements Where to begin when there are so many to thank? Firstly, I thank my late father Jim Casey for keeping the story of his father alive and for his and his brother, Brian, and sister, Betty White’s, permission to go ahead with this. I thank them and all my extended family for sharing their stories and family papers: my sisters, Dianne, Mary and Anne, brothers Con and Michael and McFadyen cousins, Alan and Ted. Special thanks to the descendants of Patrick Casey, his daughter Tess (Sister Celine), grandson Terry Boyd, and daughter-in-law, Margaret (née O’Gorman), for sharing their stories of Con in Ireland without which this would not be possible. Thanks to UNSW Canberra at ADFA for taking me on as a research student when I had not studied at a university for over 30 years. Thanks there to my first supervisor, Jeff Doyle, for taking the risk with me. To Jeff Kildea, whose Anzac and Ireland is the masterwork of Australians and Ireland during WWI for generously sharing his time, expertise and resources. Extra special thanks to Nicole Moore my supervisor and editor for convincing me and the academic staff that it was possible to combine memoir and history, for her detailed and rigorous annotations and her refrain “stick to Ireland”. To the archivists at the National Archives of Australia (NAA), Australian War Memorial (AWM), Mitchell Library, Bellingen Historical Society, and Archives New Zealand (ANZ) for their patience and invaluable assistance; to Ross Howarth of Duntroon and Wilga Edwards of ADFA for directing me at key moments to key 10 documents. Thanks to Frank Haines, film producer for still believing in the project, for that special question “But what is the story?” and for that anecdote about a country that believes everyone deserves a Fair Go from his acting teacher, Hayes Gordon, a refugee from Macarthyism in the USA. Thanks to Jeff Burton, filmmaker and historian, who knows the Australian WWI film archive better than anyone yet wants to tell this more than any other WWI story. In Ireland, special thanks to Hugh Beckett at BMH Dublin for years of help and direction. To Amanda Slattery, Mary Fox and all the staff of Ballyhoura Fáilte and to Limerick County Council for hospitality, support and Artistic Residency in 2012. To the locals, Catherine Fitzgibbon of Coolfree for being my first mentor and local guide, Tom and Noreen Drake of Glenosheen for their stories and hospitality and for introducing me to JJ Lynch, grandson of Liam’s brother. JJ many thanks for the day sharing the sacred sights of Liam’s life and helping me map my grandfather’s time in Ireland – I will always “Remember Mitchelstown!” John Sheedy thanks for all those nights in bars and farmhouses talking to the sons of local IRA freedom fighters – especially Paddy Clancy and David Tobin. To the descendants of Jim Gorman: Paul Murphy, Con O’Gorman and Jim’s indomitable daughter, Anne Canty, for sharing family papers and stories; same to Paddy and Pat Hickey for your stories and resources on Mike McGrath and a great walk to the Liam Lynch Memorial in the Knockmealdown Mountains. Great thanks to Marg and Colleen, daughters of Kiwi Digger, Fred McKenna, and the son of Dick Hurley in Canada, for everything and for trusting me with your stories of your loved ones. All of interest is yours. All the errors, mine. 11 Micheál O’Sullivan, Liam O’Mahony, Denis O’Flynn, Noel Leggett, JJ Lynch, Jill and Billy Roach, John Duane and family, the Cunninghams once of Glenosheen – you all added to the story, as did so many more whose forgiveness I ask in advance. Very special thanks to my son Aydan, my research mentor and collaborator all the way through this. You have taught me more than you know. To Anastasia and Alexander for always challenging and encouraging, putting up with my obsessions and for your special touches here and there. To their Greek-born mother, Marika, for teaching me about the links of the migrant generations to their homelands and for shaming me for forgetting mine. To all those people in Australia, Ireland and France who have listened to me tell this story and then encouraged me to go on with it. To Florence Décamp for nursing me through the long years and never doubting this story or me. 12 Abbreviations and Acronyms ACAB – Anzac Centenary Advisory Board ADB – Australian Dictionary of Biography AIF – Australian Imperial Force AIFHQ – Australian Army Headquarters AKA – Also Known As ANZ – Archives New Zealand ANZAC – Australian and New Zealand Army Corps APC – Australian Provost Corps (Military Police) APM – Assistant Provost Marshal ASU – Active Service Unit AWL – Absent Without Leave AWM – Australian War Memorial BEF – British Expeditionary Force BMH – Bureau of Military History, Dublin Bde – Brigade Bn – Battalion Coy – Company Div – Division DORA – Defence of the Realm Act DOW – Died of Xounds DVA – Department of Veterans’ Affairs GHQ – General Headquarters GOC – General Officer Commanding HQ – Headquarters IA – Illegally Absent IDF – Irish Defence Force INA – Irish National Association IPP – Irish Parliamentary Party IRA – Irish Republican Army IRB – Irish Republican Brotherhood IV – Irish Volunteers (forerunner of the IRA) 13 KIA – Killed in Action Lt – Lieutenant MEF – Mediterranean Expeditionary Force MSP – Military Service Pension (Ireland) MU – Medically Unfit NAA – National Archives of Australia NOK – Next of Kin NZ – New Zealand NZ&A – New Zealand and Australian Division (sometimes A&NZ) NZEF – New Zealand Expeditionary Force NZPC – New Zealand Provost Corps NV – National Volunteers O/C – Officer Commanding (Commanding Officer) OP – Original Private; a private in the first formation of a battalion. POB – Place of Birth Pte – Private PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder RIC – Royal Irish Constabulary TD – Member of (the Irish) Parliament UK – United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (until 1937 then UK of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) UV – Ulster Volunteers UVF – Ulster Volunteer Force 14 Introduction I wanted to write an imagined biography of my grandfather.