Looking at the coronavirus statistics around the world is a daily addiction. Like most addictions, unhealthy and pointless – I expect I will get spots or worse. This Eastertide I want to look at the Easter Rising in Dublin 104 years ago. First the stats.
How many casualties? There were 116 British dead, 368 wounded and nine missing. Sixteen policemen died and twenty-nine were wounded. All the police who died and twenty-two of the soldiers killed were Irishmen. Rebel and civilian casualties were 318 dead and 2,217 wounded. Here is the sad story of one innocent civilian casualty.
“On the fifth day of the rising, 28 April, four deaths occurred in the Guinness brewery, with Company Quartermaster Serjeant Robert Flood of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers subsequently standing trial for murder.
The Irish Times reported the events in the trial of Serjeant Flood.
William John Rice, a night clerk in the Guinness brewery along with a Lieut Lucas of the 2nd King Edward’s Horse Regiment, was shot dead at his place of work, by members of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers on Friday, April 28th. It appears the two men, Lucas and Rice, were making their nightly round of the brewery buildings when they were challenged by very nervous and jumpy Royal Dubliners.
Above: Lt Algernon Lucas. Image courtesy of www.dublin-fusiliers.com
The report goes on:
The guard in the malthouse belonged to the Royal Dublin Fusiliers. Of course Lieut Lucas was unknown to the Company, Quartermaster-Sergeant [Flood] or any of the guard. At any rate, whatever it was, the guard got into a state of jumpiness, and the consequence was that when Lieutenant Lucas went round with Mr Rice, one of the brewery officials, the sentries on several occasions got the idea that he was a stranger who had no business there. The conversations he had with them were misinterpreted, and they came to a conclusion which was utterly false….. Lieutenant Lucas opened a window. The men knew that orders had been given that the windows were not to be opened. It looked very suspicious. The state of mind into which accused had got at that tune led him to arrest Lieutenant Lucas and Mr Rice, who were subsequently shot.
Twenty minutes later, another incident occurred in the brewery. The guard had gone to the floor below and heard footsteps. A challenge was shouted, but there was no reply. Sjt Flood switched on his torch and found two men, one a civilian, the other in an officers’ uniform. Both men were unarmed, and agreed to be searched. It seems that although Flood gave no orders, the men with him opened fire. The newspaper report continues:
Another officer and a civilian brewery employee, Lieut Worswick and Mr Dockeray also a Guinness worker were shot dead around the same time. These deaths caused considerable concern as the victims were known not to have any sympathy with the rebel cause. Sergeant Robert Flood was subsequently court-martialled for the first two deaths. In evidence for the defence it was argued that Lucas and Rice had shown signs of Sinn Fein sympathies. The judge was quick to point out that no such evidence had been produced in the case of Lucas. The Managing Director of Guinness issued a statement saying, on behalf of the company, that neither Rice nor Dockeray was in any way connected with the Sinn Fein rebellion.“ (westernfrontassociation.com)
I prefer to remember William Rice and the other innocent civilians than the rebels who fought for a cause that was already won but deferred because of the First World War. The latter became martyrs – commemorated on Irish stamps – the former forgotten. I only remembered William John Rice when I saw this headstone in Margravine cemetery yesterday.
Margravine Cemetery, April 2020.
Spring blossom veils Charing Cross Hospital. A neighbour and dog walker has volunteered to work there; brava.
