34
On Wednesday 3rd May 1922, one hundred
years ago, the sun was up over Ireland. It was a
glorious day and it was to be one of the hottest
days in one of the warmest weeks of that first
year of Irish Independence.
After 18 months of the Irish War of
Independence, a Truce had been signed on the
11th July 1921 by both the British Government
and IRA leadership seeking to bring the conflict
to an end. This allowed a breathing space
of sorts for the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations
to take place in London over the remaining
months of that year.
HISTORY OF THE AIR CORPS
By Comdt Peter Smyth
William 'Jack' McSweeney and Charles F Russell
were both former pilot officers of the Royal Air
Force and veterans of the Great War and they
were now IRA volunteers acting on the orders
of their commanders. Both were instrumental in
secretly purchasing the aircraft and developing
the plan. But then their plan altered slightly. The
Treaty talks were not going well and there was a
fear they might collapse altogether.
And so it was that on the 21st of October 1921 a
letter was sent to the Chief of Staff IRA in Dublin
that a Martinsyde Type A, Mk II aeroplane had
been purchased, with specific extras, the day
previous, to allow military operations as planned
and also to assist the escape of Michael
Collins and the plenipotentiaries from London
should the talks collapse. Collins still had a
massive bounty of £10,000 on his head. If the
war resumed the British would surely capture
him. The Treaty was eventually signed on 6th
December 1921 and the Martinsyde, which
had been kept on standby, arrived in Baldonnel
Aerodrome on the 16th June 1922. This was the
first aircraft owned by the Irish people and Air
Service.
Once the Treaty was signed McSweeney
and Russell had set themselves hard at work
in the ad hoc Military Aviation Department
in Emmet Dalton's Training Branch in General
Headquarters of the new National Army
in Beggars Bush Barracks near Ballsbridge.
Anson Formation
AC Pipe Band 1961
