This post is about the Irish War of Independence 1919-1921.
This story starts on 21 January 1919 at Soloheadbeg when the Third Tipperary Brigade of the IRA ambushed and murdered two policemen of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) who were escorting a consignment of explosives. The four men who carried out the ambush were Sean Hogan, Daniel Breen, Sean Tracy and Seamus Robinson, known as the ‘Big Four’.
Following the attack they went on the run and spent months moving around and often sleeping rough.
Sean Hogan was the ‘most wanted man in Ireland’ and in May 1919 he was finally captured and would almost certainly have faced the death penalty.
Hogan was to be transferred by train to Cork. A member of the RIC, who was also an IRA informant, hatched a plan to rescue him from the train.
The ambush took place at the Knocklong station in Limerick on 13 May 1919. It was the day of Hogan’s 18th birthday.
Hogan was escorted by four armed RIC officers (Michael Enright, Peter Wallace, John Thomas and Jeremiah Ring). The train was attacked by a group of armed men as it passed through the station. Sean Tracy and Ned O’Brien entered the car carrying Hogan and they opened fire on the police officers. Constable Michael Enright was killed immediately. A hand to hand fight then broke out on the train and more IRA volunteers joined in. Sgt Peter Wallace was shot and later died of his injuries.
Hogan was freed and he and the volunteers escaped, although some were injured. David O’Byrne, the local butcher, used his meat cleaver to break open Hogan’s handcuffs. The wounded were taken to Shanahan’s farm at Glenlora where they were treated. A huge manhunt began but Hogan and most of the attackers escaped.
Constable John Thomas was awarded the Constabulary Medal ‘for exceptional courage’. A year later he was abducted by the IRA to prevent him giving evidence at the trial of one of the Knocklong gang. Fortunately he escaped.
The IRA informant was Constable Jeremiah Ring.
Eventually three men were charged with the murders: Edward Foley, Paddy Maher and Michael Murphy. Edward Foley had taken part in the ambush but Maher and Murphy were innocent men.
There were two civilian trials where they were found not guilty. The authorities then decided on a third military trial and the men were court-martialled.
All three were found guilty. Foley and Maher were sentenced to death and Murphy imprisoned. Maher and Murphy were completely innocent of the crime.
Edward Foley and Paddy Maher were hanged at Mountjoy prison on 7 Jun 1921 and were buried within the prison grounds. They were part of the ‘Forgotten Ten’ who were buried there after being executed during the uprising. Their bodies were eventually moved and they were given a state funeral on 14 October 2001.
Michael Murphy was imprisoned and freed after the truce. He had been a private in the First Battalion Irish Guards and served in France. His army number was 10236. The lawyer for the defence described him as “a man of the most distinguished service with the Irish Guards in France.“
So why is this post of any interest to the Lanyon family?
Lieutenant Thomas Smythe Lanyon M.C. was the Intelligence Officer for the Fermoy Brigade in 1919. He was called to attend the court-martial but doesn’t appear to have actually given evidence.
Thomas was in the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry during the First World War and was awarded a Military Cross:-
“For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during a hostile raid on our trenches. Throughout an intense bombardment of all kinds of projectile he moved about the line, encouraging the men and setting a splendid example to all ranks. At one moment he was buried by a trench mortar on his way to visit one of his posts; and finding, on reaching it, that the whole garrison had become casualties, he promptly made a block with fresh men and repulsed the raiders with rifle and machine-gun fire. His fearlessness and energy were most marked.”
Shropshire Light Infantry Facebook Page
Where does Thomas fit on the tree?
Thomas married Vera Wrangle in 1922 and I don’t know what happened to him afterwards. It seems strange that I can discover so much and then hit a brick wall!
The military files relating to this were classified as Secret and sealed for 100 years and were only opened this year. (Source- NA WO/35/105)
The Lanyons 