On This Day / November 19, 1920
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19201119
Reference Date
19201119
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 19th November 1920, Hamar Greenwood defended the shooting of prisoners “while attempting to escape”. Greenwood also claimed the discovery of an IRA plot to spread typhoid and infect army horses, denounced by Joe Devlin and others as a Dublin Castle fabrication. Edited by Dr Éamon Phoenix.
‘Shot while Attempting to Escape’| On This Day – 19th November 1920
IN THE House of Commons yesterday, Jeremiah MacVeagh [Nat.] asked the Chief Secretary how many prisoners had been shot dead in Ireland on the allegation that they were attempting to escape.
Sir H Greenwood: In the last twelve months seven persons in custody have been shot while attempting to escape.
Mr MacVeagh – Has the right hon. gentleman’s attention been called to this growing practice of shooting unarmed prisoners, and is he aware that this is a great deal worse than was charged against the Germans in Belgium?
Sir H Greenwood – I must protest against the monstrous suggestion that these people were shot in other than an attempt to escape.
Poison Gas – Greenwood’s Preposterous Yarn
IN THE House of Commons yesterday, [the PM] Mr Lloyd George said his attention had been called to the inquiry into reprisals in Ireland in the United States.
Mr Joe Devlin – Is [the PM] aware that these reprisals have shocked the whole world?
Mr Pennyfeather asked the Chief Secretary whether his attention had been drawn to press reports that evidence had been obtained of a Sinn Fein plot to infect the milk of the military with typhoid and convey glanders to the cavalry horses.
Sir H Greenwood: A document was found in papers belonging to the Chief of the Irish Republican Army, captured during a recent raid. It contains a series of remarkable and I think horrifying statements with reference to the spread of typhoid fever among the troops and glanders among the horses. I think the House would prefer me not to read it…
Mr MacVeagh [Nat.] – It is a forgery, so it doesn’t matter.
Mr Devlin – A ‘German Plot’!
Sir H Greenwood then read the document which was from ‘The Commander in Chief of the IRA’ to his ‘Chief of Staff’ and which stated that the writer knew of no other ordinary disease which could, with safety to the population, be spread among the troops than typhoid. The best medium of conveying it was through milk. It should be possible to give horses glanders. The document ended: ‘God bless you all.’ (Laughter.)
Mr Billing – You were telling them how to do it.
Mr MacVeagh – Has one policeman or one soldier been poisoned or one army horse been infected in Ireland?
Mr Devlin – Has not the whole thing been concocted in Dublin Castle?
(Eamon Phoenix editor’s note: In face of Sinn Féin’s mandate in the 1918 election, Joe Devlin had considered abstaining from Westminster.
His decision to lead his tiny band of nationalists in the Commons meant that no aspect of the Tory-dominated coalition’s Irish policy from partition to reprisals escaped his withering critique.)
On This Day – 19th November 1920
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19201119
Reference Date
19201119
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 19th November 1920, Hamar Greenwood defended the shooting of prisoners “while attempting to escape”. Greenwood also claimed the discovery of an IRA plot to spread typhoid and infect army horses, denounced by Joe Devlin and others as a Dublin Castle fabrication. Edited by Dr Éamon Phoenix.
‘Shot while Attempting to Escape’| On This Day – 19th November 1920
IN THE House of Commons yesterday, Jeremiah MacVeagh [Nat.] asked the Chief Secretary how many prisoners had been shot dead in Ireland on the allegation that they were attempting to escape.
Sir H Greenwood: In the last twelve months seven persons in custody have been shot while attempting to escape.
Mr MacVeagh – Has the right hon. gentleman’s attention been called to this growing practice of shooting unarmed prisoners, and is he aware that this is a great deal worse than was charged against the Germans in Belgium?
Sir H Greenwood – I must protest against the monstrous suggestion that these people were shot in other than an attempt to escape.
Poison Gas – Greenwood’s Preposterous Yarn
IN THE House of Commons yesterday, [the PM] Mr Lloyd George said his attention had been called to the inquiry into reprisals in Ireland in the United States.
Mr Joe Devlin – Is [the PM] aware that these reprisals have shocked the whole world?
Mr Pennyfeather asked the Chief Secretary whether his attention had been drawn to press reports that evidence had been obtained of a Sinn Fein plot to infect the milk of the military with typhoid and convey glanders to the cavalry horses.
Sir H Greenwood: A document was found in papers belonging to the Chief of the Irish Republican Army, captured during a recent raid. It contains a series of remarkable and I think horrifying statements with reference to the spread of typhoid fever among the troops and glanders among the horses. I think the House would prefer me not to read it…
Mr MacVeagh [Nat.] – It is a forgery, so it doesn’t matter.
Mr Devlin – A ‘German Plot’!
Sir H Greenwood then read the document which was from ‘The Commander in Chief of the IRA’ to his ‘Chief of Staff’ and which stated that the writer knew of no other ordinary disease which could, with safety to the population, be spread among the troops than typhoid. The best medium of conveying it was through milk. It should be possible to give horses glanders. The document ended: ‘God bless you all.’ (Laughter.)
Mr Billing – You were telling them how to do it.
Mr MacVeagh – Has one policeman or one soldier been poisoned or one army horse been infected in Ireland?
Mr Devlin – Has not the whole thing been concocted in Dublin Castle?
(Eamon Phoenix editor’s note: In face of Sinn Féin’s mandate in the 1918 election, Joe Devlin had considered abstaining from Westminster.
His decision to lead his tiny band of nationalists in the Commons meant that no aspect of the Tory-dominated coalition’s Irish policy from partition to reprisals escaped his withering critique.)
On This Day – 19th November 1920
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19201119
Reference Date
November 19, 2020
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 19th November 1920, Hamar Greenwood defended the shooting of prisoners “while attempting to escape”. Greenwood also claimed the discovery of an IRA plot to spread typhoid and infect army horses, denounced by Joe Devlin and others as a Dublin Castle fabrication. Edited by Dr Éamon Phoenix.
‘Shot while Attempting to Escape’| On This Day – 19th November 1920
IN THE House of Commons yesterday, Jeremiah MacVeagh [Nat.] asked the Chief Secretary how many prisoners had been shot dead in Ireland on the allegation that they were attempting to escape.
Sir H Greenwood: In the last twelve months seven persons in custody have been shot while attempting to escape.
Mr MacVeagh – Has the right hon. gentleman’s attention been called to this growing practice of shooting unarmed prisoners, and is he aware that this is a great deal worse than was charged against the Germans in Belgium?
Sir H Greenwood – I must protest against the monstrous suggestion that these people were shot in other than an attempt to escape.
Poison Gas – Greenwood’s Preposterous Yarn
IN THE House of Commons yesterday, [the PM] Mr Lloyd George said his attention had been called to the inquiry into reprisals in Ireland in the United States.
Mr Joe Devlin – Is [the PM] aware that these reprisals have shocked the whole world?
Mr Pennyfeather asked the Chief Secretary whether his attention had been drawn to press reports that evidence had been obtained of a Sinn Fein plot to infect the milk of the military with typhoid and convey glanders to the cavalry horses.
Sir H Greenwood: A document was found in papers belonging to the Chief of the Irish Republican Army, captured during a recent raid. It contains a series of remarkable and I think horrifying statements with reference to the spread of typhoid fever among the troops and glanders among the horses. I think the House would prefer me not to read it…
Mr MacVeagh [Nat.] – It is a forgery, so it doesn’t matter.
Mr Devlin – A ‘German Plot’!
Sir H Greenwood then read the document which was from ‘The Commander in Chief of the IRA’ to his ‘Chief of Staff’ and which stated that the writer knew of no other ordinary disease which could, with safety to the population, be spread among the troops than typhoid. The best medium of conveying it was through milk. It should be possible to give horses glanders. The document ended: ‘God bless you all.’ (Laughter.)
Mr Billing – You were telling them how to do it.
Mr MacVeagh – Has one policeman or one soldier been poisoned or one army horse been infected in Ireland?
Mr Devlin – Has not the whole thing been concocted in Dublin Castle?
(Eamon Phoenix editor’s note: In face of Sinn Féin’s mandate in the 1918 election, Joe Devlin had considered abstaining from Westminster.
His decision to lead his tiny band of nationalists in the Commons meant that no aspect of the Tory-dominated coalition’s Irish policy from partition to reprisals escaped his withering critique.)
On This Day – 19th November 1920
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
On This Day is a daily column in the Irish News looking back either 50 or 100 years. The column was compiled by Dr Éamon Phoenix from the mid 1980s until autumn, 2022. The Foundation is very grateful to the Irish News for giving permission to reproduce Eamon’s columns. Funding gratefully received from Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and the Magill Trust.
* The Foundation has worked hard to recreate Eamon’s distinctive voice through AI. Since this is an emerging technology, occasional imperfections may be audible.