Letter from the Irish Prisoners, Frongoch, to Timothy Healy, KC, MP, 4 October, 1916 Letters 1916-1923 Irish Prisoners, Frongoch

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Frongoch Internment Camp in Wales was a makeshift prison used for the internment of approximately 1,800 Irishmen in the wake of the Easter Rising, 1916. It was to become known as the 'University of Revolution' because of the revolutionary nature of the inmates. Timothy Michael 'Tim' Healy (1855 – 1931) was an Irish nationalist politician, journalist, author, barrister, and an Irish Parliamentary Party MP in the House of Commons. He was one of the few King's Counsel who represented Irish prisoners detained at Frongoch Internment Camp after the Easter Rising, 1916. Healy has already visited the prison camp and he is now advised that there has been no change since his visit. The letter sets out to illustrate, through a number of examples, the 'vindictive injustice' administered by the military authorities in charge of the camp. Prisoners have been refusing to remove waste from anywhere other than their own quarters and this has resulted in punishments including withdrawal of basic rights. For each refusal the authorities' response is an escalation of the punishment. Within a month 107 men were affected. There was also a refusal by prisoners to work in local quarries for a wage, most of which would have to be given to the prison authorities for board and lodging! The writer goes on to describe a number of incidents involving individual detainees and the punishment imposed, including one case where the authorities decided to punish the whole camp in this case for insubordination – all privileges removed for one week. The writer ends by quoting a letter he has written to the Camp Commandant and copied to the Home Office regarding the ongoing refusal to do waste removal for anybody other than the prisoners and advising that the continuing situation is having an adverse effect on Camp discipline which could cause the resignation of the Camp Leaders.

 Military Archives of Ireland Bureau of Military History Contemporary Documents, George Gavan Duffy Collection; BMH CD45/4/6/1 https://letters1916.ie/item/2134 English Irish Prisoners, Frongoch 1916-10-04 Frongoch Prison Camp, Bala, Wales Timothy Healy Male Easter Rising Ireland 1916 Easter Rising Ireland 1916

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 Irish Prisoners, Internment Camp, Frongoch. 4th Oct. 1916. To Timothy Healy, K.C., M.P., Esq. Sir, Some time ago you were good enough to visit the above Camp, and to hold converse with some of the Irish Prisoners. We, the under— signed, being the duly elected Camp Leaders, are aware that the prison— ers whom you saw on that occasion laid before you a number of very serious complaints concerning the insanitary, and other most unsatisfactory conditions under which we are interned here. We much regret to say that not only has there been no improvement in our conditions of internment, but that they have steadily gone from bad to worse. As a punishment, no doubt, for making these complaints Mr Doris has been removed to Reading Prison. Recently the Military authorities in charge of this Camp have adopted such an attitude of consistently vindictive injustices towards us that we are reluctantly compelled to believe that there must be some ulterior motive behind it. We fear that recent events may incline the prisoners to a course of action which may have disastrous results. We can do very little to help ourselves cut off as we are from all the world, and strictly prohibited — officially — from sending out a single complaint. After mature deliberation we have decided to lay in detail before you two or three typical cases of vindictive injustice; and to ask you to let in the healthy light of publicity upon them by questions in Parliament. We know that if you take up the matter you will not allow yourself to be put off with evasive and stereotyped answers, but will probe the matter to the bottom; therefore, we want you to feel assured that these complaints are not made by irresponsible individuals. but are made on the authority of the Camp Leaders, who are prepared to substantiate all our statements. And we on our part will have the assurance that the matter is being attended to by an Irishman, who, though he may differ from us on many points of national polity is nevertheless both impartial and honest. Towards the end of last August the military Staff Sergeant Major informed the prisoners Camp Leaders that the local contract for the removal of Camp refuse would expire on the last day of that month, and that from the 1st September a party of eight prisoners was to be detailed daily to perform the work of clearing the Campash pit. It is to be clearly understood that in this instruction there was no mention of the clearance of anyashtpits other than the prisoners own. 1st. Sept. On this date the first prisoners work party cleared their own ash—pit, removing the contents in an unyoked cart to an Incenderator some short distance from the Camp. When their work was completed the prisoners were surprised to receive an order from the military to proceed to the soldier quarters and to remove therefrom ashes and other refuse. This they strongly protested against. The men were subsequently brought on report before the Camp Commandant for refusing to remove the soldiers refuse. During the investigation, the Commandant (Colonel F.A. Heygate Lambert) stated that he had come to the conclusion that the prisoners method of removing the Camp refuse by local contract was a waste of public funds; and that in future he intended using the prisoners labour in every way he possibly could. Eventually it was decided on to refer the whole matter to the Home Office for instructions, and at this point the Adjutant (Lieut. J.I. Burns) appealed personally to the prisoners to perform the work until such time as the Home Office reply would be received. Now the prisoners were most anxious to make it quite clear that their refusal to remove the soldiers refuse was based on principle, and did not originate from insubordination, or resentment against the most unjust treatment under which they were even then smarting; and to this end they consented to perform the work until such time as the Military authorities should receive an instruction from the Home Office relieving them of this work. We are not aware of the terms of the letter which the military authorities forwarded to the Home Office; but we were subsequently informed that the Home Office instructions were that we were to undertake the work of removing the soldiers refuse. The matter being thus cleared up the men vindicated their principle by declining to remove any refuse other that that of their own Camp. 13th Sept. On this date 16 prisoners, composed of two fatigue parties, detailed to remove the contents of their own ash—pit, and who had refused an order from the military authorities to remove the contents of the soldiers refuse pit, were sentenced by the Camp Commandent, to seven days in isolation in the North Camp. They were deprived of all letters, visitors, parcels, papers and all private property. Indeed so vindictive was the sentence that they were even deprived of devotional books, and, in consequence some of the men found themselves in the deplorable position of being unable to perform necessary religious duties; and it was only upon the very strong protest of the resident chaplain that they were enabled to hear Holy Mass on the following Sunday. Regularly since this date (Saturdays and Sundays excepted) batches of eight prisoners have been daily sentenced to this punishment. These prisoners are kept permanently isolated in the North Camp; placed under lock and key in the huts from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, and from 2 P.m to 4 p.m. Their beds are removed from them each morning and whilst thus confined in the huts they have to sit or recline on the floors no other accommodation being available; they are deprived of all amusements; access to the recreation field; smokes and tobacco; all intercourse with the South Camp is strictly prohibited; no visitors are allowed under any circumstances; the Camp canteen is closed against them, and they are confined to the Gov. ration which is bad in quality and inadequate in quantity. They have been further informed by the Commandant that they will be kept in this deplorable state until such a time as they give a guarantee to obey all orders whatsoever. Moreover, some of the prisoners parcels of food had gone bad during the week they had been witheld; and others had been destroyed by rats which infest the whole place. 26th Sept. On this date the portion of the punishment depriving prisoners of all letters and parcels was increased from seven days to fourteen days, with the threat added that on the following Monday a bread and water diet would be added. 30th Sept. On this date the number of men undergoing this excessive punishment had reached a total of 107 men. During the trial of these prisoners by the Commandant various dire threats were made to them, including threats to try them be courts martial and sentence them to penal servitude; to break up the whole Camp and send the prisoners back in batches to Knutsford, Wandesworth,, and Woking Prisons to be treated as criminals. The Adjutant was informed that the whole body of prisoners objected en bloc on principle to the work of cleaning out the soldiers refuse pits. But the only reply was that they would be sent at the rate of eight men per day to the North Camp, or else to place the South on the same punishment as the North. It requires a daily detail of 190 men to efficiently perform the necessary sanitary and other work in connection with the Camp: and if to this we add an average daily sick attendance at the Hospital of 49men, and 20 men excused fatigue work from old age and other disabilities it will readily be seen that we are rapidly approaching a state in which the Leaders will find themselves in the unpleasant position of being unable to carry on even the absolutely essential sanitary work of the South Camp, which being an old distillery building lying many years in disuse is most difficult to be kept in anything like an approximately clean condition. 2nd Sept. Again in the end of August volunteers were asked for from among the general body of prisoners to work in the neighbouring quarries, at wages to be announced later. No volunteers were forthcoming. On the 2nd Sept. the Adjutant interviewed the Camp Leaders in the matter, and informed them that the men would received 51/2d. per hour from the quarry owners; that 3d. per hour would be deducted from this amount by the Govt. in respect of their board and lodgings in Frongoch Internment Camp, and that in addition the men would have to pay their own train fare to and from the quarries. He asked why there were no volunteers for the work and was informed that the main reason was that whereas they were held by the Govt. at Frongoch against their wills, and as there were quarries in Ireland undeveloped through want of men, none of the prisoners here would be willing to lend their aid to the working or development of British quarries. They were also of the opinion that if they made themselves useful to the Govt. in this way it would prejudice their early release. The Commandant is known to have said as a result of this refusal that his whole opinion of the men here has changed, and some of the vindictiveness complained of is certainly due to the men not undertaking the quarry work. The second typical case of vindictive and unjustifiable punishment to which the whole body of prisoners has been subjected may be said to have begun on Sunday Sept. 3rd when the Military staff sergeant and one of the military police took one of the prisoners, Hugh Thornton, to the Adjutant's office wherein he was informed by that officer that he was a deserter under the Military Service Act. This having been done Thornton, who is a mere youth, was sent back into the prisoners compound, and the matter appeared to have dropped. Sept.5th. On this date, about 10 o'clock a.m. one of the staff sergeants came into the prisoners compound looking for Hugh Thornton, stating that he was going to be sent home, a statement which all the prisoners knew to be false. At this hour the cleaning of the Camp was in full swing: and none of the military could find Thornton. As soon as this was made known to the Adjutant he ordered that all the prisoners within the compound, no matter on what work they were engaged were to be lined up in the outer yard — even the cooks had to cease their preparations for dinner and line up. All the available staff sgts. and military police were sent into the prisoners quarters to tern them out into the yard and were unnecessarily vicious and abusive in doing so — we say unnecessarily advisedly, because the prisoners, as is their invariable custom, promptly obeyed the Camp Leaders present, and lined up in the outer yard in two ranks. The Adjutant accompanied by a large armed quard, and sereral officers came into the compound. He placed the armed quard around the prisoners, this proceeding was absolutely unnecessary, and only calculated to disturb and excite the men, who, fortunately, kept the best of temper, The Adjutant accompanied by the staff sergeants, individually inspected the prisoners, and failing to identify any of them as Thornton, he passed on to the Recreation Field, where the majority of the prisoners were already drawn up for his inspection. The same process was here gone through but without success. All the prisoners were then marched back from the field to the distillery yard, and there ordered to re—form by dormitories— an order which the wholr body promptly obeyed. By this time every available soldier off duty was placed under arms, and marched into the prisoners compound, The Camp Commandant entered the compound shortly before the return of the prisoners from the field. This formidable array of military with loaded carbines, and fixed bayonets were drawn round the prisoners in a close cordon, a proceeding as unnecessary as it was uncalled for. When this precautionary(?) measure was completed the Adjutant again called loudly; " No. 1454, Hugh Thornton" to which there was no response. The Camp Register was next brought on the scene, The Adjutant then issued instructions that as each prisoners Camp number, and name were called out, he was to answer: "Here, Sir," step out of the ranks, and moving round in front of the Adjutant was to proceed to the bottom of the yard, where the whole body of prisoners was to be again re—formed in numerical order. These instructions were promptly and even cheerfully obeyed by all the prisoners. Eventually the name and number of Hugh Thornton was reached and called, to which he responded. The Adjutant, obviously in a vicious temper, rushed with upraised stick, and yelled at the prisoner: " Why didn't you answer your name before, you bloody brat?" And received the quiet and respectful response : "I had private reasons for not doing so, Sir." The Camp Commandant who was standing silently by during all these proceedings, promptly ordered toe prisoner to be handcuffed. The prisoner Thornton having been removed to the quard—room, the remaining prisoners whose names had not been called over were ordered to join their comrades at the bottom of the yard — an order which they promptly obeyed. The armed quard was next concentrated in front of the prisoners. The Commandant accompanied by his entire staff came down, and taking up a position in front of this quard he addressed the prisoners as follows:— "You have," he said "hitherto conducted the camp in an excellent manner; bu t this incident this morning was the worst exhibition od insubordination which I have met with so far, and I cannot overlook it." He then inflicted the following punishment upon the whole body of prisoners on account of their "insubordination" 1: All letters withheld for one week from Tuesday, 5th inst. 2: All papers withheld for one week from Tuesday, 5th inst. 3: All visits stopped for one week from Friday 8th inst. Now, nothing even remotely approaching insubordination took place. All the prisoners, with the one single exception answered their names, and obeyed with promptitude and respect every order given them — even though many of the orders were given harshly and viciously. Obviously this harsh and unjust punishment was meted out to all the prisoners because none of them would identify and inform upon, one of their comrades. And the punishment is much exaggerated by the fact that the Camp Leader has told the Adjutant that he did not know Thornton. He could not identify him even if he was willing to do so — a fact which was equally true of at least 90% of the prisoners. If there was any cause for blame in the incident the fault clearly lay with the Adjutant, and staff sergts., before whom the prisoner Thornton was paraded only two days previously for identification purposes. All persons possessing a knowledge of Irishmen will readily understand the condition of mind of the prisoners after the infliction of this utterly unjust punishment. 6th Sept. On this date the situation had become so acute that the Camp Leaders deemed it necessary to address the following letter to the Home Secretary:- "Sir - we respectfully beg to bring under your notice that the following punishment was yesterday inflicted by the Commandant of this Camp on the general body of prisoners here. 1. All letters withheld for one week from Tuesday 5th inst. 2. All papers withheld for one week from Tuesday 5th inst. 3. All visits stopped for one week from Friday 8th inst. (7) The reason for the infliction of this punishment is alleged to be that when on yesterday it was desired for some purpose to identify one of the prisoners here none of the other prisoners assisted to identify him. Apart altogether from the facts that the great majority of the prisoners here could not have known the man in question, and the great majority of them were not asked to identify him, we beg to submit that the responsibility to identify any prisoner here rests with the military authorities and that it is quite illegal for these authorities to punish any prisoner for failing to identify another, or even for being unwilling to do so. We ask that the punishment inflicted be immediately withdrawn, and that the necessary steps be taken without delay to secure for the general body of the prisoners immunity from such illegal punishments and also to secure them against the danger of being driven to insubordination by the adoption towards them on the part of the Camp Commandant of an attitude similar to that adopted towards them in the present instance. We are Sir, on behalf of the general body of prisoners, Your obedient servants.( Sgd ) Head Leader. etc This letter was signed by the Head Leader and the 13 Mess Leaders, and a copy was given to the Camp Commandant. This letter has been entirely ignored. 6th Sept. On this date the punishment of all the prisoners was attempted to be increased by the Commandant, who ordered a party of prisoners to be daily detailed for agricultural work in kitchen garden plots adjacent to the Camp. This work was being done previously by the members of the large military quard of the Camp, for whose kitchen the produce was intended. But the prisoners en bloc sent a protest through the Head Leader against such punitive labour, with the result that the work has since been completed by the people most concerned in the produce. But the vindictiveness of our military guardians was not by any means appeased. They were determined on additional punishment. 11th Sept On this date compulsory daily route marches for all the prisoners were ordered by the Commandant on the specious plea that the prisoners were lazy and indolent. An armed guard was sent into (8) the rooms after dinner to clear the prisoners out at the point of the bayonet. The manner and method of carrying out these marches — ordinarily a pleasure to us — made them extremely irksome, and their frequency seriously upset our hitherto excellent domestic arrangements. Moreover, old men and others not capable of these marches were also turned out. 14th Sept. The first delivery of inward letters after the infliction of the punishment of the 5th inst. was made on this date. After dinner about 1.30p.m. a number of men were engaged in one of the dormitories writing letters, when the Sergt. Major and a number of soldiers entered the room and ordered all present to "clear out" for a compulsory route march. The letter writers continued writing, and he approached the tables and roughly told them that if they did'nt move quickly he would "upset the — tables on top of them." One of the prisoners, Patrick Daly, was writing to his wife a reply to a letter of hers which had reached him that morning — having been delayed in consequence of the punishment mentioned; and he protested that it was bad enough to have his wife's letter witheld for a week without preventing him from answering it for another day. The Sergt. —Major persisted in his endeavour to overturn the tables on him, and then Daly definitely stated that he would not move from the table until he had completed his letter — if the small amount of matter that can be got on to one of the official slips can be call — ed a letter. He was immediately pounced on by the soldiers and brought to the cells. 15th Sept. On this date the prisoner Patrick Daly was charged with "insubordination", and sentenced by the commandant to 168 hours cells on bread and water diet. Such was this prisoners treatment that he was forced to undergo the torture of a hunger strike in the endeavour to better his condition; and he was allowed to starve for three days before the military authorities took any effective steps to deal reasonably with him. Subsequently the man had to be removed to Hospital; and this wasonly done at the very urgent request of the medical officer. It may also be remarked that this prisoner Daly was not allowed to attend Mass on Sunday Sept. 17th. (9) 7th Sept. On this date one of the North Camp prisoners, Maurice Fitzsimons, was admitted to the South Camp hospital suffering from appendicitis. He was deprived of his clothing, and not even allowed the use of his trousers when requiring to go to the lavatory for purposes of nature - thus compelling the unfortunate prisoner to risk the grave danger of contracting pneumonia during the intense cold weather. 3rd Oct. Herewith is a copy of a letter that the Camp Leader found it necessary to send to the Commandant at a later date:- "Sir - with reference to the continued insistence on the removal by the prisoners here of refuse created by other than themselves, and entirely outside of their Camp, we feel it necessary formally to bring to your notice that the prisoners as a body refuse to do this work. It has not been possible to get a party voluntarily to undertake it. The continued infliction of punishment for not doing this work is tending seriously to impair the discipline of the Camp, and if persisted it will, in our opinion, bring about such a state of discontent that it will be necessary for us to resign the position we hold here. A copy of this letter is being sent to the secretary of state, Home Office. This letter was signed by the Head Leader and the four Room Leaders. Having read these details you will agree with us that this attitude of the Home O ffice, and our military guardians, towards a large body of untried and unconvicted Irishmen is uttererly unjustifiable; and if persisted in will certainly result in disastrous consequences. We, therefore, repeat our appeal to you to bring these matters to public notice —- in the hope of having them remedied —- by any means you may think desirable and effective. We desire to remain, Sir, Your obedient servants, M. Staines Head Leader James Murphy No.1 Room Leader Edward A. Miskan No.2 Room Leader R.J. Mulcahy No.3 Room Leader Thos. D. Sinnot No.4 Room Leader Frongoch Oct. 4. 1916 (10) Frongoch Prison Camp, Bala, Wales Letter from Irish Prisoners, Frongoch to William O'Brien, Esq., MP, 11 October 1916Letter from the Irish Prisoners, Frongoch, to Timothy Healy, KC, MP, 4 October, 1916Christmas Card from Tom Kelly to Grace Kelly, December 1916 Irish Prisoners, Frongoch Letter from the Irish Prisoners, Frongoch, to Timothy Healy, KC, MP, 4 October, 1916