An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir March 2014 www.dfmagazine.ie 22 | 1 6th January 2014 witnessed the first release from the Military Ser- vice (1916-1923) Pensions Collection (MSPC) through the website of the Mili- tary Archives – www.militaryarchives. ie. In this first online-only release files relating to 3,200 individuals, including 2,400 veterans of 1916, have been pro- cessed, databased, scanned, and made available online for searching and viewing. On top of that the files within the collection containing the member- ship rolls for the Irish Republican Army (IRA), Cumann na mBan, Na Fianna Éireann and the Irish Citizen Army (ICA) have also been made available in the same way, representing the primary organisations of the revolutionary period1. The MSPC is undoubtedly one of the most important Irish archival collec- tions and should prove a rewarding and invaluable source for the family-, local-, and academic historian. In total the collection contains c.300,000 files relating to up to 80,000 individuals. The material relates largely to the adminis- tration of claims for pensions, gratuities and allowances made under various military service pensions acts and army pensions acts. These claims were made in respect of service rendered and/or wounds or disease suffered arising from service rendered between 1916 and 1923, during the 1916 Easter Rising, War of Independence and Civil War. They also relate to claims from the depen- dants of those killed, or whose deaths could be attributed to their service, between 1916 and 1923. Additional material relates to ap- plications for medals in respect of service between 1916 and 1921. Please note that this material is due for public release through the Military Archives during 2015. The collection covers those involved at all levels of the Irish Volunteers, IRA, National Army, Óglaigh na hÉireann, ICA, Cumann na mBan, Na Fianna Éireann and the Hibernian Rifles, not just on the island of Ireland but also in England, Scotland and the United States of America. As well as the testimony and claims of the individual applicants, the files contain references and statements from their peers and/ or commanding officers. From the files we can see that ap- plicants faced intense scrutiny from those statutory bodies set up to adju- dicate on the claims of service pension applicants – the Board of Assessors, Military Service Pensions Act, 1924 and the Advisory Committee, Military Service Pensions Act, 1934. These bod- ies were largely comprised of veterans from the independence struggle. The Secretary to the Board of Assessors was Gearóid O'Sullivan, a 1916 veteran and former IRA and Defence Forces Adjutant General. Similarly Séamus Robinson and John McCoy, divisional and brigade commanders with the IRA, sat on the Advisory Committee. As a further aid to the verification of pension claims under the Military Service Pensions Act, 1934, the officers of the IRA, ICA, Cumann na mBan and Fianna Éireann provided detailed mem- bership lists for the War of Indepen- dence and Civil War periods. As men- tioned above all of these membership rolls have been made available online through www.militaryarchives.ie as part of the first release. These listings give the individuals names and addresses, where known at that time, and cover not just the entire island of Ireland but also Britain (the IRA, and in some cases Cumann na mBan units/members, centred in Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle-on- Tyne and London, as well as Scotland) and the USA (participants in the IRA gunrunning operation from New York to Ireland). Additionally, in the case of the IRA a comprehensive listing of activities un- dertaken, and of the personnel involved, was also provided. This too covered Britain and the USA as well as Ireland. (Please note that this material, at pres- ent undergoing treatment for conserva- tion, will be released at a later date). Thus a high level of evidence of 'active service' was required and only those who could show that they had ac- tually struggled, fought and sacrificed were rewarded. Unsurprisingly there- Historic Pensions Collection Launched By MICHAEL KEANE, MILITARY ARCHIVES A group of Irish prisoners deported from Arbour Hill Prison, Dublin, to Oxford, England, February 1917; fea- turing Liam Pedlar, Miceál Ó Foghludha, P McCartan, B Mellows, Seán T O'Kelly, D Figgis, [ ] McCabe, S Ó Ceallaigh, Joseph McBride and [ ] Healy. (Ref: IE/MA/ BMH/CD/95/3/14) Group photograph taken at Sinn Féin headquarters, 6 Har- court St, Dublin, October 1918. Back row: Seán Milroy and Rob- ert Brennan. Second row: Diarmuid Hegarty, Michael Nunan, Dan McCarthy, Michael Collins, Vera McDonnell, Desmond Fitzgerald, Anna Fitzsimmons Kelly, Brian Fagan and W Mur- ray. Front row: Joe Clarke, Barney Mellows, Jenny Mason and Séamus Kavanagh. This photograph, along with photocopies, is from a series held within the Collins Papers called 'Captured Photographs'. The photocopies are of a version published in Allegiance by Robert Brennan and are attributed to the Irish Press. (Ref: IE/MA/CP/A0863) Photograph of a group of prisoners, Stafford Jail, Eng- land, c.1916. Included in the picture are Seán O'Briain, Fergus Kelly, Eunan McGinley, Desmond Ryan, Denis Daly, Bryan Joyce, Eamon Dore, Joe Sweeney, J Kilgal- lan, Tom Clifford, Eamon Bulfin (circled), Colm Murphy, Frank Burke, Fergus Kelly, Michael Collins ( 'X' over his head) and Dr Joseph Ryan. (Ref: IE MA P41) Two Enniscorthy prisoners being brought to Kilmain- ham Prison, 1916. (Ref: NMI EW32)

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