On This Day / March 9, 1921
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19210309
Reference Date
19210309
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 9th March 1921, MPs challenged the transfer of an RIC inspector who arrested looting Specials in Newry, while Belfast officials warned of rising infant deaths. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Inspector and Newry Specials | On This Day – 9th March 1921
IN THE House of Commons yesterday, Mr Jeremiah MacVeagh [Nationalist, South Down] asked the Chief Secretary whether he was aware that District Inspector Barrington of the RIC, stationed at Newry, had arrested a man named Wharton who acted as guide to the Newry Special Constabulary on looting expeditions; that large quantities of loot were found at his premises and that DI Barrington charged him with theft and receiving stolen property; that on the same evening the District Inspector arrested three of the Specials when they were robbing and had almost murdered three employees of the British Petroleum Company, two of them being Unionists; that at the Dl’s request a search was made in the barracks of the Special Constables when a large quantity of stolen property was discovered.
Mr MacVeagh alleged that Special Constables then demanded the dismissal or removal of DI Barrington and that he had accordingly been transferred to another station of lower status despite an unblemished record of 35 years’ service.
Sir H Greenwood said nine Special Constables were arrested by D I Barrington and were now awaiting trial by courtmartial.
DI Barrington’s transfer was in no sense a degradation or a reflection on his conduct or efficiency.
Neither was it decided on at the instance of the Special Constabulary.
Mr Devlin – In view of the efficiency of this Protestant Unionist District Inspector in bringing to justice Special Constables looting the houses of civilians, why was he sent away from Newry to an inferior district [Wexford]?
Mr J R Clynes [Labour] – Why was he removed?
Sir H Greenwood – This inspector and dozens of others are constantly being transferred in the interests of the efficiency of the force.
Mr MacVeagh – It is a gross public scandal.
Workhouse Death Concerns
AT THE Belfast Board of Guardians in the Union Workhouse yesterday, Dr S R Armstrong referred to the number of deaths of infants in the city and desired to impress upon the Guardians the necessity of treatment of infants’ diseases being taken up carefully and minutely by the Guardians.
Mr Andrews said that, as a scheme for the Guardians, the Committee were opposed to [hospital accommodation] on financial grounds.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: THE sectarian exuberance and frequently illegal activities of ill- disciplined B Specials stationed in Newry and other Nationalist towns in the run-up to partition made constant headlines during 1921-22.
Nationalists suspected that the sudden transfer of the popular and conscientious DI Barrington was due to his action against the Specials for robbery.)
On This Day – 9th March 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19210309
Reference Date
19210309
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 9th March 1921, MPs challenged the transfer of an RIC inspector who arrested looting Specials in Newry, while Belfast officials warned of rising infant deaths. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Inspector and Newry Specials | On This Day – 9th March 1921
IN THE House of Commons yesterday, Mr Jeremiah MacVeagh [Nationalist, South Down] asked the Chief Secretary whether he was aware that District Inspector Barrington of the RIC, stationed at Newry, had arrested a man named Wharton who acted as guide to the Newry Special Constabulary on looting expeditions; that large quantities of loot were found at his premises and that DI Barrington charged him with theft and receiving stolen property; that on the same evening the District Inspector arrested three of the Specials when they were robbing and had almost murdered three employees of the British Petroleum Company, two of them being Unionists; that at the Dl’s request a search was made in the barracks of the Special Constables when a large quantity of stolen property was discovered.
Mr MacVeagh alleged that Special Constables then demanded the dismissal or removal of DI Barrington and that he had accordingly been transferred to another station of lower status despite an unblemished record of 35 years’ service.
Sir H Greenwood said nine Special Constables were arrested by D I Barrington and were now awaiting trial by courtmartial.
DI Barrington’s transfer was in no sense a degradation or a reflection on his conduct or efficiency.
Neither was it decided on at the instance of the Special Constabulary.
Mr Devlin – In view of the efficiency of this Protestant Unionist District Inspector in bringing to justice Special Constables looting the houses of civilians, why was he sent away from Newry to an inferior district [Wexford]?
Mr J R Clynes [Labour] – Why was he removed?
Sir H Greenwood – This inspector and dozens of others are constantly being transferred in the interests of the efficiency of the force.
Mr MacVeagh – It is a gross public scandal.
Workhouse Death Concerns
AT THE Belfast Board of Guardians in the Union Workhouse yesterday, Dr S R Armstrong referred to the number of deaths of infants in the city and desired to impress upon the Guardians the necessity of treatment of infants’ diseases being taken up carefully and minutely by the Guardians.
Mr Andrews said that, as a scheme for the Guardians, the Committee were opposed to [hospital accommodation] on financial grounds.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: THE sectarian exuberance and frequently illegal activities of ill- disciplined B Specials stationed in Newry and other Nationalist towns in the run-up to partition made constant headlines during 1921-22.
Nationalists suspected that the sudden transfer of the popular and conscientious DI Barrington was due to his action against the Specials for robbery.)
On This Day – 9th March 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19210309
Reference Date
March 9, 2021
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 9th March 1921, MPs challenged the transfer of an RIC inspector who arrested looting Specials in Newry, while Belfast officials warned of rising infant deaths. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Inspector and Newry Specials | On This Day – 9th March 1921
IN THE House of Commons yesterday, Mr Jeremiah MacVeagh [Nationalist, South Down] asked the Chief Secretary whether he was aware that District Inspector Barrington of the RIC, stationed at Newry, had arrested a man named Wharton who acted as guide to the Newry Special Constabulary on looting expeditions; that large quantities of loot were found at his premises and that DI Barrington charged him with theft and receiving stolen property; that on the same evening the District Inspector arrested three of the Specials when they were robbing and had almost murdered three employees of the British Petroleum Company, two of them being Unionists; that at the Dl’s request a search was made in the barracks of the Special Constables when a large quantity of stolen property was discovered.
Mr MacVeagh alleged that Special Constables then demanded the dismissal or removal of DI Barrington and that he had accordingly been transferred to another station of lower status despite an unblemished record of 35 years’ service.
Sir H Greenwood said nine Special Constables were arrested by D I Barrington and were now awaiting trial by courtmartial.
DI Barrington’s transfer was in no sense a degradation or a reflection on his conduct or efficiency.
Neither was it decided on at the instance of the Special Constabulary.
Mr Devlin – In view of the efficiency of this Protestant Unionist District Inspector in bringing to justice Special Constables looting the houses of civilians, why was he sent away from Newry to an inferior district [Wexford]?
Mr J R Clynes [Labour] – Why was he removed?
Sir H Greenwood – This inspector and dozens of others are constantly being transferred in the interests of the efficiency of the force.
Mr MacVeagh – It is a gross public scandal.
Workhouse Death Concerns
AT THE Belfast Board of Guardians in the Union Workhouse yesterday, Dr S R Armstrong referred to the number of deaths of infants in the city and desired to impress upon the Guardians the necessity of treatment of infants’ diseases being taken up carefully and minutely by the Guardians.
Mr Andrews said that, as a scheme for the Guardians, the Committee were opposed to [hospital accommodation] on financial grounds.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: THE sectarian exuberance and frequently illegal activities of ill- disciplined B Specials stationed in Newry and other Nationalist towns in the run-up to partition made constant headlines during 1921-22.
Nationalists suspected that the sudden transfer of the popular and conscientious DI Barrington was due to his action against the Specials for robbery.)
On This Day – 9th March 1921
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.