S-Plan
Encyclopedia
The S-Plan or Sabotage Campaign or England Campaign was a campaign of bombing and sabotage
against the civil, economic, and military infrastructure of the United Kingdom
from 1939 to 1940, conducted by members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). It was conceived by Seamus O'Donovan
in 1938 at the request of then IRA Chief of Staff Seán Russell
. Russell and Joseph McGarrity
are thought to have devised such a strategy in 1936.
was reinstated to the IRA in April 1938 and elected to the IRA Army Council
in absentia
. At a subsequent IRA General Army Convention, Russell and his supporters secured enough support to get a controlling majority vote within the Army Council. It was at this time that Russell began the process of preparing for a campaign of attacks on British soil - a strategy he had decided upon from the mid-1930s onwards.
Seamus (Jim) O’Donovan had been asked by Seán Russell directly after his election to IRA Chief of Staff in 1938 to formulate his ideas on the possibilities of successful acts of sabotage on British soil. O’Donovan was the former Director of Chemicals of the "old IRA" and an acknowledged expert in the use of explosive material. He had not been active in politics since retiring from public life in 1923. Russell's request followed directly from him taking on the role of IRA Chief of Staff of the "new IRA" army council. The notes which O'Donovan created for Russell became the S-Plan or Sabotage Plan.
On 17 December 1938, the Wolfe Tone Weekly
newspaper published a statement issued by a group signing itself the "Executive Council of Dáil Éireann, Government of the Republic". This group perceived itself to be the legitimate government of the 32-County Irish Republic
and refused to recognise the legitimacy of partition
. In the statement, seven Second Dáil
TDs declared that they had delegated what they believed to be their governmental "authority" to the Army Council.
This announcement, coming immediately prior to the S-Plan attacks, sought to present the actions of the IRA as those of a legitimate, de jure government. Within this context, with the Army Council acting as government, with the right to use force and levy war against an occupying power, the IRA declared war on Britain in January 1939.
and the greatest possible destruction of British defence installations.
It divided the IRA campaign into two main lines: propaganda
and offensive (military) action. The document listed six different types of offensive action;
Operations were strictly concentrated on the island of Britain, in and around centres of population where IRA volunteers could operate freely without drawing attention. No attacks on targets in Northern Ireland
or other areas under British control were planned as part of the S-Plan.
Military preparations for the campaign included a series of attacks on British customs houses in Northern Ireland. On November 28 and 29, 1938, British customs posts along the border were demolished using explosives. The only fatalities were three IRA volunteers:
They were killed by the premature explosion of a mine at a house in Castlefin, County Donegal on 28 November 1938.
Russell is said to have distributed O'Donovan's notes virtually unedited to IRA battlegroups as an operational instruction from the Army Council. O'Donovan appears, at the time of writing the S-Plan, to have been oblivious to the decision to begin a campaign of attacks on British soil in 1939. However, because of his level of expertise, he was later involved in a new round of explosives training for IRA volunteers in Dublin from 1938 to 1939.
Sources of funding for the campaign are not known, but once the campaign was operating, the weekly expenses for operations in the field amounted to approximately £700 per week. Operational units were expected to raise any money needed themselves and the men who acted within IRA teams were unpaid and expected to support themselves while on missions.
The make up of these teams is thought to have been different from the cell structure employed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army
in their campaign against Britain in the 1970s. It is known from arrests made during the campaign that the IRA utilised material dumps in Britain built up in 1938, as well as devices improvised while on active duty in Britain. IRA volunteers arriving from Ireland
were also intercepted by British authorities transporting war material for use in the campaign.
The strength of the IRA and Cumann Na mBan
at this time was said to be estimated between 5,000 and 30,000 men and women at varying stages of training and ability. Training of volunteers was organized prior to the beginning of the campaign but the volunteers sent to Britain also contained new raw recruits such as Brendan Behan
. However, IRA officials who went to Britain to assess the movement's strength there in spring 1938 reported that:
Seán Russell left to pursue the propaganda phase of the S-plan in the United States
in March 1939, after the S-Plan military phase began in January 1939. On leaving he appointed Stephen Hayes as Acting Chief of Staff of the IRA. Russell was not to return to Ireland and died from an untreated gastric ulcer in 1940.
, signed by Patrick Fleming, to British Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax
. The communiqué duly informed the British government of "The Government of the Irish Republic's" intention to go to "war". Excerpt from the ultimatum:
On Sunday, 15 January, with no reply from the British Government, a proclamation was posted in public places throughout Ireland announcing the IRA's declaration of war on Britain. This proclamation was written by Joseph McGarrity
, leader of Clan na Gael
in the United States
, and was signed by six members of the Army Council: Stephen Hayes, Patrick Fleming
, Peadar O'Flaherty, George Oliver Plunkett
, Larry Grogan
and Seán Russell
. The seventh Army Council member, Máirtín Ó Cadhain
, refused to sign as he believed the IRA was not ready to begin the campaign.
This proclamation also called upon Irishmen both at home and, "in Exile," to give their utmost support to compel the withdrawal of the British from the island of Ireland so that a free Irish Republic could be established. As the campaign began in Britain the same proclamation appeared posted around Irish communities in British cities. The proclamation referenced back to the 17 December 1938 statement by the group naming itself the "Executive Council of Dáil Éireann, Government of the Republic" and read:
I & II had any input into the formation of the S-plan. However, interest in the S-Plan did become a feature of subsequent IRA/Abwehr contact following the British declaration of war on Germany in 1939. According to a 1939 discussion between Jim O’Donovan and Abwehr Director, "Dr. Pfalzgraf", (Captain Friedrich Carl Marwede Director of Office I West in Abwehr II, Berlin), the point of the S-plan was, "a final fight with England, whereby it was hoped to force the British to negotiations on the question of re-unification."
There is solid evidence from the Abwehr war diaries that methods employed by IRA units carrying out the S-Plan generated only annoyance and frustration in Germany. Attacks against mostly civilian targets while causing panic and loss of confidence in the authorities, were not perceived as helpful to damaging British capability for waging war.
Evidence of German Intelligence's frustration can also be seen in the message from Abwehr II’s Director which was hand delivered to Seamus O'Donovan on 9 February 1940 by Abwehr agent Ernst Weber-Drohl.:
By the time of Russell's journey back to Ireland in August 1940, German Intelligence chief Wilhelm Canaris
appears to have lost faith in attempts to infiltrate into England via Ireland.
There is no evidence that IRA teams during the period were involved in co-ordinating or guiding Luftwaffe
planes to, or within, the airspace of Britain, Northern Ireland, or Éire. This was not a feature of IRA/Abwehr contact, during the period.
alone.
In June 1940 Time Magazine
reported that:
Increases in the security surrounding rich infrastructure targets in Britain also had a major effect on IRA team's ability to conduct operations. The seizure of war material and inability to get newly-acquired war material into Britain under wartime restrictions meant increased improvisation which in turn lead to increased exposure to discovery. It is also clear that the campaign generated a good deal of anti-Irish sentiment which increased the British public's suspicion of Irishmen/women in general. All these factors led to attacks tapering off around early to mid-1940. The death of Seán Russell on August 14 1940, (he had already been effectively incommunicado since April 1939), and the succession of Stephen Hayes as IRA Chief of Staff also contributed to the petering out of the attacks.
At the time, the author of the S-Plan, Seamus O'Donovan noted his views on the S-Plan campaign in his diary entry for 23 August 1939 as:
Reflecting in the 1960s, O’Donovan, assessed the results of the campaign even more critically:
M.L.R Smith writing in "Fighting for Ireland? The military strategy of the Irish Republican movement", has argued that the S-Plan campaign:
The main outcome of the campaign was the Prevention of Violence Act in Britain which remained in force until 1954. Allowed to expire in 1953 and repealed in 1973, it was reintroduced in 1974 as the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act to combat the successor to the S-Plan- Provisional IRA attacks on British soil.
The final figures resulting from the S-Plan are cited as 300 explosions, seven deaths and 96 injuries.
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
against the civil, economic, and military infrastructure of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
from 1939 to 1940, conducted by members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). It was conceived by Seamus O'Donovan
Seamus O'Donovan
Seamus O'Donovan was a leading volunteer in the Irish Republican Army.A native of County Roscommon, he was an explosives expert and reputedly invented the "Irish Wallflower" and "Irish Cheddar" devices. He subsequently became IRA Director of Chemicals in 1921...
in 1938 at the request of then IRA Chief of Staff Seán Russell
Seán Russell
Seán Russell was an Irish republican who held senior positions in the IRA until the end of the Irish War of Independence...
. Russell and Joseph McGarrity
Joseph McGarrity
Joseph McGarrity was born in Carrickmore, County Tyrone, Ireland. He emigrated to the USA in 1892 at the age of 18 and settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. From 1893 until his death he was a leading member of the Clan na Gael organisation. He also was a successful businessman; however, his...
are thought to have devised such a strategy in 1936.
Immediate context
Following a power struggle within the IRA during the mid-1930s, Seán RussellSeán Russell
Seán Russell was an Irish republican who held senior positions in the IRA until the end of the Irish War of Independence...
was reinstated to the IRA in April 1938 and elected to the IRA Army Council
IRA Army Council
The IRA Army Council was the decision-making body of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, more commonly known as the IRA, a paramilitary group dedicated to bringing about the end of the Union between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom. The council had seven members, said by the...
in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
. At a subsequent IRA General Army Convention, Russell and his supporters secured enough support to get a controlling majority vote within the Army Council. It was at this time that Russell began the process of preparing for a campaign of attacks on British soil - a strategy he had decided upon from the mid-1930s onwards.
Seamus (Jim) O’Donovan had been asked by Seán Russell directly after his election to IRA Chief of Staff in 1938 to formulate his ideas on the possibilities of successful acts of sabotage on British soil. O’Donovan was the former Director of Chemicals of the "old IRA" and an acknowledged expert in the use of explosive material. He had not been active in politics since retiring from public life in 1923. Russell's request followed directly from him taking on the role of IRA Chief of Staff of the "new IRA" army council. The notes which O'Donovan created for Russell became the S-Plan or Sabotage Plan.
On 17 December 1938, the Wolfe Tone Weekly
Wolfe Tone Weekly
The Wolfe Tone Weekly was an Irish republican newspaper, edited by Brian O'Higgins.It first appeared in September 1937. Unlike its republican predecessor, An Phoblacht , the Wolfe Tone Weekly was devoid of any radical social content...
newspaper published a statement issued by a group signing itself the "Executive Council of Dáil Éireann, Government of the Republic". This group perceived itself to be the legitimate government of the 32-County Irish Republic
Irish Republic
The Irish Republic was a revolutionary state that declared its independence from Great Britain in January 1919. It established a legislature , a government , a court system and a police force...
and refused to recognise the legitimacy of partition
Partition of Ireland
The partition of Ireland was the division of the island of Ireland into two distinct territories, now Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland . Partition occurred when the British Parliament passed the Government of Ireland Act 1920...
. In the statement, seven Second Dáil
Second Dáil
The Second Dáil was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 16 August 1921 until 8 June 1922. From 1919–1922 Dáil Éireann was the revolutionary parliament of the self-proclaimed Irish Republic. The Second Dáil consisted of members elected in 1921...
TDs declared that they had delegated what they believed to be their governmental "authority" to the Army Council.
This announcement, coming immediately prior to the S-Plan attacks, sought to present the actions of the IRA as those of a legitimate, de jure government. Within this context, with the Army Council acting as government, with the right to use force and levy war against an occupying power, the IRA declared war on Britain in January 1939.
Details and preparation
The S-Plan contained many precise instructions for acts of destruction which had as their object the paralysis of all official activity in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the greatest possible destruction of British defence installations.
It divided the IRA campaign into two main lines: propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
and offensive (military) action. The document listed six different types of offensive action;
- Military action that was classified as not very promising
- The destruction of armanent factories to such extent as their strict security measures permitted
- The disruption of all civil/public utilities such as transport undertakings, gasworksGasworksA gasworks or gas house is a factory for the manufacture of gas. The use of natural gas has made many redundant in the developed world, however they are often still used for storage.- Early gasworks :...
, etc. - Attacks that were planned against specific industrial plants
- Attacks that were planned against a large number of commercial premises
- Attacks against large newspaper organisations
Operations were strictly concentrated on the island of Britain, in and around centres of population where IRA volunteers could operate freely without drawing attention. No attacks on targets in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
or other areas under British control were planned as part of the S-Plan.
Military preparations for the campaign included a series of attacks on British customs houses in Northern Ireland. On November 28 and 29, 1938, British customs posts along the border were demolished using explosives. The only fatalities were three IRA volunteers:
- Jimmy Joe Reynolds from LeitrimCounty LeitrimCounty Leitrim is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the county...
, - John James Kelly from DonegalCounty DonegalCounty Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, and - Charlie McCafferty from TyroneTyroneThe name Tyrone can refer to:*County Tyrone, a county in Northern Ireland, roughly corresponding to the ancient kingdom of Tír Eogain*An Earl of Tyrone*A small steam train which runs between Bushmills and the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland-Places:...
.
They were killed by the premature explosion of a mine at a house in Castlefin, County Donegal on 28 November 1938.
Russell is said to have distributed O'Donovan's notes virtually unedited to IRA battlegroups as an operational instruction from the Army Council. O'Donovan appears, at the time of writing the S-Plan, to have been oblivious to the decision to begin a campaign of attacks on British soil in 1939. However, because of his level of expertise, he was later involved in a new round of explosives training for IRA volunteers in Dublin from 1938 to 1939.
Sources of funding for the campaign are not known, but once the campaign was operating, the weekly expenses for operations in the field amounted to approximately £700 per week. Operational units were expected to raise any money needed themselves and the men who acted within IRA teams were unpaid and expected to support themselves while on missions.
The make up of these teams is thought to have been different from the cell structure employed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
in their campaign against Britain in the 1970s. It is known from arrests made during the campaign that the IRA utilised material dumps in Britain built up in 1938, as well as devices improvised while on active duty in Britain. IRA volunteers arriving from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
were also intercepted by British authorities transporting war material for use in the campaign.
The strength of the IRA and Cumann Na mBan
Cumann na mBan
Cumann na mBan is an Irish republican women's paramilitary organisation formed in Dublin on 2 April 1914 as an auxiliary of the Irish Volunteers...
at this time was said to be estimated between 5,000 and 30,000 men and women at varying stages of training and ability. Training of volunteers was organized prior to the beginning of the campaign but the volunteers sent to Britain also contained new raw recruits such as Brendan Behan
Brendan Behan
Brendan Francis Behan was an Irish poet, short story writer, novelist, and playwright who wrote in both Irish and English. He was also an Irish republican and a volunteer in the Irish Republican Army.-Early life:...
. However, IRA officials who went to Britain to assess the movement's strength there in spring 1938 reported that:
"In general it can be said that the state of the organisation in units which exist is poor and loose, and militarily should be described as almost elementary."
Seán Russell left to pursue the propaganda phase of the S-plan in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in March 1939, after the S-Plan military phase began in January 1939. On leaving he appointed Stephen Hayes as Acting Chief of Staff of the IRA. Russell was not to return to Ireland and died from an untreated gastric ulcer in 1940.
Declaration of war on Britain
On 12 January 1939, the Army Council sent an ultimatumUltimatum
An ultimatum is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance. An ultimatum is generally the final demand in a series of requests...
, signed by Patrick Fleming, to British Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax
E. F. L. Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax
Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, , known as The Lord Irwin from 1925 until 1934 and as The Viscount Halifax from 1934 until 1944, was one of the most senior British Conservative politicians of the 1930s, during which he held several senior ministerial posts, most notably as...
. The communiqué duly informed the British government of "The Government of the Irish Republic's" intention to go to "war". Excerpt from the ultimatum:
I have the honour to inform you that the Government of the Irish Republic, having as its first duty towards its people the establishment and maintenance of peace and order here, demand the withdrawal of all British armed forces stationed in Ireland. The occupation of our territory by troops of another nation and the persistent subvention here of activities directly against the expressed national will and in the interests of a foreign power, prevent the expansion and development of our institution in consonance with our social needs and purposes, and must cease.
The Government of the Irish Republic believe that a period of four days is sufficient notice for your Government to signify its intentions in the matter of the military evacuation and for the issue of your Declaration of Abdication in respect of our country. Our Government reserves the right of appropriate action without further notice if upon the expiration of this period of grace, these conditions remain unfulfilled.
- Oglaigh na h-Éireann (Irish Republican Army).
- General Headquarters, Dublin, January 12th,1939, to His Excellency the Rt. Hon. Viscount Halifax, C.G.B.
On Sunday, 15 January, with no reply from the British Government, a proclamation was posted in public places throughout Ireland announcing the IRA's declaration of war on Britain. This proclamation was written by Joseph McGarrity
Joseph McGarrity
Joseph McGarrity was born in Carrickmore, County Tyrone, Ireland. He emigrated to the USA in 1892 at the age of 18 and settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. From 1893 until his death he was a leading member of the Clan na Gael organisation. He also was a successful businessman; however, his...
, leader of Clan na Gael
Clan na Gael
The Clan na Gael was an Irish republican organization in the United States in the late 19th and 20th centuries, successor to the Fenian Brotherhood and a sister organization to the Irish Republican Brotherhood...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and was signed by six members of the Army Council: Stephen Hayes, Patrick Fleming
Patrick Fleming
Patrick Fleming was an Irish Franciscan scholar.-Life:His father was great-grandson of Lord Slane; his mother was daughter of Robert Cusack, a baron of the exchequer and a near relative of Lord Delvin...
, Peadar O'Flaherty, George Oliver Plunkett
George Oliver Plunkett
George Oliver Plunkett was a veteran of the Easter Rising, Irish War of Independence and Irish Civil War and was IRA Chief of Staff in World War II...
, Larry Grogan
Larry Grogan
Larry Grogan was an Irish republican activist.Born in Drogheda, Grogan joined the Irish Volunteers at the age of 18, which subsequently became part of the original Irish Republican Army . He was active in the Irish War of Independence, then in the Irish Civil War in the anti-treaty IRA...
and Seán Russell
Seán Russell
Seán Russell was an Irish republican who held senior positions in the IRA until the end of the Irish War of Independence...
. The seventh Army Council member, Máirtín Ó Cadhain
Máirtín Ó Cadhain
Máirtín Ó Cadhain was one of the most prominent Irish language writers of the twentieth century.-Career:Born in Connemara, he became a schoolteacher but was dismissed due to his IRA membership. In the 1930s he served as an IRA recruiting officer, enlisting fellow writer Brendan Behan...
, refused to sign as he believed the IRA was not ready to begin the campaign.
This proclamation also called upon Irishmen both at home and, "in Exile," to give their utmost support to compel the withdrawal of the British from the island of Ireland so that a free Irish Republic could be established. As the campaign began in Britain the same proclamation appeared posted around Irish communities in British cities. The proclamation referenced back to the 17 December 1938 statement by the group naming itself the "Executive Council of Dáil Éireann, Government of the Republic" and read:
"On the twenty-third day of April in the year 1916 in the City of Dublin, seven men, who were representative in spirit and outlook and purpose of the Irish Nation that had never yielded to nor accepted the British conquest, set their humble and almost unknown names to the foregoing document that has passed into history, making the names of the seven signatories immortal. These signatures were sealed with the blood of the immortal seven, and of many others who followed them into one of the most gallant fights in the history of the world; and the Irish Nation rose from shame to honour, from humiliation to pride, from slavery to freedom...."
"Unfortunately, because men were foolish enough to treat with an armed enemy within their gates, the English won the peace. Weakness and treachery caused a resumption of the war and the old English tactics of `divide and conquer' were exploited to the fullest extent. Partition was introduced, the country divided into two parts with two separate Parliaments subject to and controlled by the British Government. The armed forces of England still occupy six of our counties in the North and reserve the right `in time of war or strained relations' to reoccupy the ports which they have just evacuated in the southern part of Ireland. Ireland is still tied, as she has been for centuries past, to take part in England's wars. In the Six Counties, a large number of Republican soldiers are held prisoners by England. Further weakness on the part of some of our people, broken faith and make-believe, have postponed the enthronement of the living Republic, but the proclamation of Easter Week and the declaration of independence stand and must stand for ever. No man, no matter how far he has fallen away from his national faith, has dared to repudiate them. They constitute the rallying centre for the unbought manhood of Ireland in the fight that must be made to make them effective and to redeem the nation's self-respect that was abandoned by a section of our people in 1923."
"The time has come to make that fight. There is no need to redeclare the Republic of Ireland, now or in the future. There is no need to reaffirm the declaration of Irish independence. But the hour has come for the supreme effort to make both effective. So in the name of the unconquered dead and the faithful living, we pledge ourselves to that task. We call upon England to withdraw her armed forces, her civilian officials and institutions, and representatives of all kinds from every part of Ireland as an essential preliminary to arrangements for peace and friendship between the two countries; and we call upon the people of all Ireland, at home and in exile, to assist us in the effort we, are about to make, in God's name, to compel that evacuation and to enthrone the Republic of Ireland."
January
- January 16 - Five bombs exploded.
- In LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, a bomb exploded outside the control room of a large power stationPower stationA power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
. It created a large crater in the forecourt of the building. There were no casualties and the control station was reportedly undamaged. - In London, a second explosion damaged an overhead cable running from Grand Union CanalGrand Union CanalThe Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
to Willesden Power Station. - Explosions at ColeshillColeshill, WarwickshireColeshill is a market town in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England, taking its name from the River Cole. It has a population of 6,343 and is situated east of Birmingham.-Location:...
and AlnwickAlnwickAlnwick is a small market town in north Northumberland, England. The town's population was just over 8000 at the time of the 2001 census and Alnwick's district population was 31,029....
. According to The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
(on 18 January), one targeted Hams Hall Power StationHams Hall Power StationHams Hall Power Station refers to a series of three, now demolished coal-fired power stations, situated in Warwickshire in the West Midlands of England, from Birmingham.-Hams Hall A:...
and two of the principal water mains supplying the station.
- In London
- January 17
- In Barton-upon-IrwellBarton-upon-IrwellBarton-upon-Irwell is a suburban area of Eccles, Greater Manchester, England.-History:...
, an attempt was made to bomb an electricity pylon stretching across the Manchester Ship CanalManchester Ship CanalThe Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...
. A faulty timer meant the bag of dynamiteDynamiteDynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
and geligniteGeligniteGelignite, also known as blasting gelatin or simply jelly, is an explosive material consisting of collodion-cotton dissolved in either nitroglycerine or nitroglycol and mixed with wood pulp and saltpetre .It was invented in 1875 by Alfred Nobel, who had earlier invented dynamite...
failed to explode. - In Great BarrGreat BarrGreat Barr is a large and loosely-defined area which straddles the boundaries of Birmingham, West Bromwich and Walsall , West Midlands, England...
, a bomb exploded at an electricity pylon, but it remained standing on one strut. - In ColeshillColeshill, WarwickshireColeshill is a market town in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England, taking its name from the River Cole. It has a population of 6,343 and is situated east of Birmingham.-Location:...
, there were explosions at Hams Hall Power Station, the main source of Birmingham's electricity supply. - In London, a bomb exploded at Williams Deacons Bank, gas mains were damaged.
- The British Government sought to improve security of infrastructure in England. All power stations, gas works, telephone exchanges, and the Droitwich transmitting station were put under police protection. Police patrols around the government buildings at WhitehallWhitehallWhitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
were strongly reinforced and all ships from Ireland arriving at HolyheadHolyheadHolyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
, FishguardFishguardFishguard is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, with a population of 3,300 . The community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5043 at the 2001 census....
and LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
were closely inspected.
- In Barton-upon-Irwell
- January 18
- The Times reported a total of nine explosions designed to "cripple electricity services" since the 16th January.
- 14 arrests were made in connection with the attacks; 7 in Manchester and 7 in London. Each of the men was charged under Section 4 of the Explosive Substances Act 1883Explosive Substances Act 1883The Explosive Substances Act 1883 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It makes it illegal to use -- or conspire or intend to use -- any explosive substance to cause an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property, whether or not any explosion actually takes...
. - 8 barrels of potassium chloratePotassium chloratePotassium chlorate is a compound containing potassium, chlorine and oxygen atoms, with the molecular formula KClO3. In its pure form, it is a white crystalline substance. It is the most common chlorate in industrial use...
each containing 1cwt, 1 large quantity of powdered charcoalCharcoalCharcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
, and 40 sticks of gelignite were uncovered.
- January 19 - In Tralee, County KerryCounty KerryKerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
a small bomb concealed in a tobacco tin exploded in the yard of Hawneys Hotel. Francis Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister's only son, had been staying there during a shooting holiday. - January 20
- Seán Russell had a notice printed in the Dublin newspapers in which he dissociated himself from the Hawneys Hotel attack the previous day. It stated "IRA Headquarters had no knowledge of this attack, nor would it order or countenance such an action". This unsanctioned action is assumed to have been carried by a local non S-Plan-involved IRA unit.
- In LancashireLancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, an unexploded package of gelignite and a stopped alarm clock timer were found attached to an electricity pylon. - Arrests were made, with 1 London man charged with possession of 2 tons of potassium chlorate and 1 ton of iron oxideIron oxideIron oxides are chemical compounds composed of iron and oxygen. All together, there are sixteen known iron oxides and oxyhydroxides.Iron oxides and oxide-hydroxides are widespread in nature, play an important role in many geological and biological processes, and are widely utilized by humans, e.g.,...
between 1 October and 5 November 1938.
- January 22 - In VauxhallVauxhall-Demography:Many Vauxhall residents live in social housing. There are several gentrified areas, and areas of terraced townhouses on streets such as Fentiman Road and Heyford Avenue have higher property values in the private market, however by far the most common type of housing stock within...
, an arrest was made in connection with the SouthwarkSouthwarkSouthwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
explosion. - January 23 - In ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, two women were arrested on possession of explosives. Items seized included one barrel of potassium chlorate, two Mills bombMills bombMills bomb is the popular name for a series of prominent British hand grenades. They were the first modern fragmentation grenades in the world.-Overview:...
s, 49 sticks of gelignite, and 10 electric detonators. Sir Dawson Bates, then Northern Ireland minister of Home Affairs, revealed the existence of an "execution list of NI officials" (which had been seized in BelfastBelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
) to the British press.
February
- February 4
- Two bombs exploded in the London UndergroundLondon UndergroundThe London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
– one at Tottenham Court Road stationTottenham Court Road tube stationTottenham Court Road is a London Underground station in central London. It is an interchange between the Central line and the branch of the Northern line.On the Central line it is between and , and on the Northern line it is between and...
and one at Leicester Square stationLeicester Square tube stationLeicester Square is a station on the London Underground, located on Charing Cross Road, a short distance to the east of Leicester Square itself....
. They were timed suitcase bombs stored in the left-luggage rooms overnight. There were no fatalities, although two people were seriously injured and severe damage was done to the facilities. This attack generated a good deal of panic and alarm amongst the British population. - Questions were asked in the British Parliament about the IRA's 12th January ultimatum to the British government. The ultimatum had previously been publicized in the British newspapers following the 17th January attack. Sir Samuel Hoare, then British Home Secretary, informed the House of CommonsBritish House of CommonsThe House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
that the police had already arrested 33 people in connection with the attacks up to that point and that the security authorities were doing everything within their power to find the perpetrators. - In Liverpool, an unsuccessful attempt was made to blow up one wall of Walton GaolLiverpool (HM Prison)HM Prison Liverpool is a categoryB/C local men's prison, located in the Walton area of Liverpool in England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
, but the wall was not penetrated. - In London, fires broke out within half an hour of each other in shops in one of the suburbs. The British police established that in each case the fire was due to a chemical mixture which ignited when exposed to the air.
- Plans to blow up Buckingham PalaceBuckingham PalaceBuckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
were reported by The Times to have been found in Belfast. As a result, night and day guards were placed around the grounds of Royal LodgeRoyal LodgeThe Royal Lodge is a house in the civil parish of Old Windsor, located in Windsor Great Park, half a mile north of Cumberland Lodge and south of Windsor Castle. It was the Windsor residence of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother from 1952 until her death there in 2002. Since 2004 it has been the...
and Windsor Great ParkWindsor Great ParkWindsor Great Park is a large deer park of , to the south of the town of Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. The park was, for many centuries, the private hunting ground of Windsor Castle and dates primarily from the mid-13th century...
. All visitors to the state apartments at Windsor CastleWindsor CastleWindsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
and St. George's Chapel were also reported to have been stopped and searched before being allowed entry.
- Two bombs exploded in the London Underground
- February 5
- In CoventryCoventryCoventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, fires in four department stores began and were attributed to incendiary devices, balloon bombs being suspected. The stores affected were Marks & SpencerMarks & SpencerMarks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
, Owen & Owen Ltd, the packing department of Montague Burton Ltd, and WoolworthsWoolworths GroupWoolworths Group plc was a listed British company that owned the high-street retail chain, Woolworths, as well as other brands such as the entertainment distributor Entertainment UK and book and resource distributor Bertram Books...
. - In BristolBristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, guns were issued to police after the discovery of a note in a petrol storage depot reading "BEWARE. These tanks are the next to be blown up". Watches were put on Avonmouth DocksAvonmouth DocksThe Avonmouth Docks are part of the Port of Bristol, in England. They are situated on the northern side of the mouth of the River Avon, opposite the Royal Portbury Dock on the southern side, where the river joins the Severn estuary, within Avonmouth....
and Bristol AirportBristol International AirportBristol Airport , located at Lulsgate Bottom in North Somerset, is the commercial airport serving the city of Bristol, England and the surrounding area. At first it was named Bristol Lulsgate Airport and from March 1997 to March 2010 it was known as Bristol International Airport...
. - Arrests were made and seven hand-grenades, gelignite, ammunition, and the S-Plan itself were seized. The S-Plan is thought to have been found on a detained IRA volunteer.
- Threats were received that the following buildings would be blown up: Bow Street Police Station in London, and the offices of the South Wales EchoSouth Wales EchoThe South Wales Echo is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Cardiff, Wales and distributed throughout the surrounding area.The newspaper was founded in 1884 and was based in Thomson House, Cardiff city centre. It is published by Media Wales Ltd , part of the Trinity Mirror group...
in CardiffCardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. A man claiming to be the "Chief of Staff of the IRA in Cardiff" demanded the release of volunteers held there.
- In Coventry
- February 7 - In the streets of DerryDerryDerry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, IRA supporters burnt thousands of leaflets issued by the British Government calling for "voluntary national service". - February 8 - Two Bills giving the Government of Ireland (the territory formerly known as the Irish Free StateIrish Free StateThe Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
) extraordinary powers were introduced in the Dáil. The first of these, called the Treason ActTreason ActTreason Act or Treasons Act is a stock short title used for legislation in the United Kingdom and in the Republic of Ireland on the subject of treason and related offences...
, imposed the death penalty for persons guilty of treason as defined in Article XXXIX of the Irish Constitution. This penalty was to apply whether the act was committed within or outside the boundaries of the State. Its aim was curtailing IRA activity both within the Irish state and the United Kingdom. The second measure, called the Offences against the State Act, made it possible for citizens to be interned without trial, and conferred elaborate powers of search, arrest, and detention upon the police. It declared seditious any suggestion in a newspaper or magazine that the elected Government of Ireland was not the lawful government.
- The IRA had been declared an illegal organization under the Declaration of Unlawful Organization Order passed 18 June 1936, but the Irish Free State Government had only used this power on a few IRA volunteers. Éamon de ValeraÉamon de ValeraÉamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...
spoke about the IRA and S-Plan in the Dáil for two hours. He said that the IRA had no right to assume the title "Irish Republican Government" and that the then Irish Minister for Justice, PJ Ruttledge, planned to bring "energetic measures" before the house to combat the IRA.- February 9 - The Times continued in its efforts to calm British public opinion when it printed:
The signatories of the ridiculous ultimatum to Great Britain are men of no account. Nobody in this country would have taken them seriously, but for the recent outrages in Great Britain. As a political force in Éire, the IRA simply does not count.
- February 9 - In London, two bombs exploded at Kings Cross railway station, and bomb threats were made to the National History Museum.
- February 13 - An incendiary balloon device set fire to the steam ship St. David.
- February 9 - The Times continued in its efforts to calm British public opinion when it printed:
March
- March 2 - In London, a bomb exploded on an aqueduct for the Grand Union CanalGrand Union CanalThe Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
near Stonebridge ParkStonebridge ParkStonebridge Park could refer to:*Stonebridge Park, Liverpool, a new business centre in Liverpool*Stonebidge Park junction, a major junction in North-West London*Stonebridge Park station, a tube station in Tokyngton, London...
. In WednesburyWednesburyWednesbury is a market town in England's Black Country, part of the Sandwell metropolitan borough in West Midlands, near the source of the River Tame. Similarly to the word Wednesday, it is pronounced .-Pre-Medieval and Medieval times:...
, StaffordshireStaffordshireStaffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
a bomb exploded on an aqueduct for the Birmingham Canal NavigationsBirmingham Canal NavigationsBirmingham Canal Navigations is a network of navigable canals connecting Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and the eastern part of the Black Country...
. Both devices only damaged the concrete walls of the beds of the canals. It has been speculated that, had the dynamite been placed 18 inches lower, they would have caused considerable flooding over the lower-lying adjoining fields. - March 3 - In WillesdenWillesdenWillesden is an area in North West London which forms part of the London Borough of Brent. It is situated 5 miles north west of Charing Cross...
a railway man, Henry George West, prevented a bomb attack on a railway bridge during the night. - March 23
- In London, five bombs exploded at different times during the day. The bombs were all in the vicinity of the large wholesale food markets. The other main targets were the telephone and gas installations. The advertisement department of the News ChronicleNews ChronicleThe News Chronicle was a British daily newspaper. It ceased publication on 17 October 1960, being absorbed into the Daily Mail. Its offices were in Bouverie Street, off Fleet Street, London, EC4Y 8DP, England.-Daily Chronicle:...
in Fleet StreetFleet StreetFleet Street is a street in central London, United Kingdom, named after the River Fleet, a stream that now flows underground. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s...
was also the target of a bomb. - Bomb attacks were also made in Birmingham, Liverpool, and Coventry.
- In London, five bombs exploded at different times during the day. The bombs were all in the vicinity of the large wholesale food markets. The other main targets were the telephone and gas installations. The advertisement department of the News Chronicle
- March 29 - In London, two bombs exploded on Hammersmith BridgeHammersmith BridgeHammersmith Bridge is a crossing of the River Thames in west London, just south of the Hammersmith town centre area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham on the north side of the river. It allows road traffic and pedestrians to cross to Barnes on the south side of the river...
. - March 30 - Bombs exploded in Birmingham, Liverpool, and Coventry.
- March 31 - In London, seven bombs exploded.
April
- April 5 - In Liverpool, two bombs exploded at a railway station and council buildings. One bomb exploded in Coventry.
- April 10 - At a republican demonstration (commemorating the Easter RisingEaster RisingThe Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
) at the Glasnevin CemeteryGlasnevin CemeteryGlasnevin Cemetery , officially known as Prospect Cemetery, is the largest non-denominational cemetery in Ireland with an estimated 1.5 million burials...
in Dublin, a communiqué from the IRA Army council was read out which announced that the "operation groups" of the IRA in Britain carried out their tasks in accordance with orders without causing casualties, the avoidance of which had been expressly ordered. The communiqué also stated that the order to avoid casualties could be countermanded if Britain had recourse to extreme measures. - April 12 - Threat made to blow up Catford Bridge, LewishamLewishamLewisham is a district in South London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
. - April 13 - In London and Birmingham, 11 bombs exploded. These had the appearance of being no more than trial explosions as all occurred in public lavatories. According to the announcement by public officials in Britain, these bombs contained new chemical mixtures which were mainly composed of carbideCarbideIn chemistry, a carbide is a compound composed of carbon and a less electronegative element. Carbides can be generally classified by chemical bonding type as follows: salt-like, covalent compounds, interstitial compounds, and "intermediate" transition metal carbides...
.
May
- May 4 - Appearance in court of men & women charged under Explosive Substances Act 1883 in a Birmingham courtroom. They were charged with belonging to an IRA team working from "the headquarters in the Midlands for manufacturing incendiary and explosive bombs".
- May 5
- In Liverpool, tear gas bombs exploded in two cinemas, causing 15 injuries.
- In Coventry, four bombs exploded.
- In London, two bombs exploded.
- May 16 - Arrests made and seizure of 8lbs of potassium chlorate, two powder fuses, 12 26 and a half sticks of gelignite, two sticks of saxonite, fuses, a revolverRevolverA revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
and ammunition, twenty-nine balloons, and street maps of SalfordCity of SalfordThe City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
, Manchester and Liverpool. An unexploded bomb, found abandoned on a bus, was identified with this material when the arrests were made. - May 18 - Two men sentenced to 10 and 15 years penal servitude respectively for possession of 10 bundles of gelignite, a 5 pound pack of gelignite, 103 detonators, and 4 balloons.
- May 19
- Eight timed incendiaryIncendiary ammunition-World War I:One of the first uses of incendiary ammunition occurred in World War I. At the time, phosphorus—the primary ingredient in the incendiary charge—ignited upon firing, leaving a trail of blue smoke. They were also known as 'smoke tracer' for this reason. The effective range of...
bombs caused fires to break out in eight British hotels. - Eight arrests made in Birmingham in connection with an explosion at a house in Manchester.
- Eight timed incendiary
- May 29 - In Birmingham, four magnesium charges exploded in the Paramount Cinema.
- May 30 - IRA "General Call to Arms" sounded, with hundreds of IRA members running from house to house collecting gas masks and burning around 1000 in heaps in 15 streets.
- May 30 - In Liverpool and Birmingham, magnesium and tear gas bombs exploded during the evening show in cinemas. Twenty-five people had to be taken to hospital but no material damage was done.
- May 31 - Seanad ÉireannSeanad ÉireannSeanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas , which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann . It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members Senators or Seanadóirí . Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by...
(the Irish Senate) approved the Offences against the State Act and it was put into effect, after having been signed by President Douglas Hyde. - May 31 - In London, cinemas were attacked with incendiaries, prompting the police to search every single London cinema.
June
- June 7 - In Detroit, USA, Seán Russell was arrested at the request of Scotland YardScotland YardScotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
. He had been conducting a speaking tour as part of the propaganda arm of the S-plan. - June 9 - Letter bombs exploded in twenty postboxes. One went off in a London sorting officeSorting officeSorting office or Processing and Distribution Center is any location where postal operators bring mail after collection for sorting into batches for delivery to the addressee, which may be a direct delivery or sent onwards to another regional or local sorting office, or to another postal...
and also in a Birmingham mail lorry. Every postbox in London was searched for further IRA devices. - June 10 - In London, Birmingham and Manchester, bombs exploded in thirty post offices and postboxes. Seventeen explosions had occurred in a space of only two hours.
- June 24 - In London, several bombs exploded following or preceding a demonstration (under police protection) in honour of Wolfe Tone. The banners the marchers carried demanded the release of IRA members who had been arrested by the British police.
- June 24 - London branches of the Midland BankMidland BankMidland Bank Plc was one of the Big Four banking groups in the United Kingdom for most of the 20th century. It is now part of HSBC. The bank was founded as the Birmingham and Midland Bank in Union Street, Birmingham, England in August 1836...
, Westminster Bank and Lloyds BankLloyds BankLloyds Bank Plc was a British retail bank which operated in England and Wales from 1765 until its merger into Lloyds TSB in 1995; it remains a registered company but is currently dormant. It expanded during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and took over a number of smaller banking companies...
were targeted with a series of massive explosions. London police carried out mass arrests; interrogations of the Irish community in Britain with the majority being released soon after.
- Sir Samuel Hoare, introduced the Prevention of Violence Bill (Temporary Provisions). The bill provided comprehensive powers for the British government to prevent the immigration of foreigners, for their deportation, and for extending to the Irish the requirement to register with the British police. Hoare referred to the S-Plan of the IRA when presenting the bill to the British parliament. He also stated that a total of 127 terrorist outrages had been perpetrated since January 1939. 57 in London and 70 in the provinces. In the course of these one person had been killed and 55 seriously or less seriously injured. 66 persons had been convicted of terrorist activity. In all, Hoare repeated that the British police had seized;
-
- 55 sticks of gelignite
- 1000 detonators
- 2 tons of potassium chlorate & oxide of iron
- 7 gallons of sulphuric acid and
- 4 cwt of aluminum powder
-
- He explained that up to the present the perpetrators of these attacks had restricted themselves to damaging British property, however recently the government had been notified that the campaign was about to intensify with no regard being paid to human life. He added that the IRA campaign "was being closely watched and actively stimulated by foreign organisations" (a reference to German Intelligence). Hoare went on to claim that the IRA had come within an inch of blowing up Hammersmith Bridge, Southwark Power Station, and an aqueduct in North London. They had collected detailed information about important bridges, railway lines, munition dumps, war factories and airfields and even engaged in a plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament.
July
- July 3 - In Birmingham, a bomb exploded in left-luggage area of LMSLondon, Midland and Scottish RailwayThe London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
railway station on London Road. Extensive damage caused to station concourse. - July 26 - In London, two bombs exploded in left-luggage area of King's Cross Station and Victoria Station. In the King's Cross attack, one fatality occurred; a man was severely wounded and later died in hospital. Two counter attendants were also seriously wounded. A great deal of damage was done to the stations in the attacks. In the Victoria Station attack five were severely wounded with a similar amount of damage to the station. Following this attack the draft Prevention of Violence legislation in the British parliament was speeded up. The bill received its 2nd and 3rd reading in the House of Lords on the 28th July. The bill was disposed of in five minutes on its second reading and the 3rd reading was waived.
- July 27 - In Liverpool there were three explosions. The first bomb in a suburb blew up a swing bridge spanning the canal. The wreckage of the bridge fell into the canal, with the result that all barge traffic was halted. The second bomb completely wrecked the front and large sections of the inside of a post office in the centre of Liverpool. The third bomb went off in a park. No injuries were reported.
August onwards
- August 3 - IRA announced that it would continue its campaign against Britain for another two-and-a-half years. From August onwards, deportations of Irish from Britain increased under the Prevention of Violence Act 1939 (Temporary Provisions).
- August 25 - A bomb exploded in Broadgate, Coventry. The bomb was in the carrier basket of a bicycle outside Astley's store in the busy shopping district. Five people were killed and over fifty wounded. There was widespread revulsion at the attack in Britain.
- August 29 - Wires of a dozen telephone kiosks were cut, assumed to be IRA activity.
- October - Russell made a speech which has been interpreted as attempting to shore up flagging belief IRA members had in the effectiveness the S-Plan was having:
"England's difficulty - Ireland's opportunity" has ever been the watchword of the Gael.. Now is the time for Irishmen to take up arms and strike a blow for the Ulster people.
- December 11 - Trial opens in Birmingham of three men and two women indicted for murder as a result of the bombing of Coventry on 25 August 1939. The accused were
- 29-year-old labourer Joseph Hewitt,
- 29-year-old labourer James Richards,
- 22-year-old Mary Hewitt,
- 49-year-old Brigid O’Hara and
- 32-year-old clerk Peter Barnes.
- The Hewitts were a married couple and Bridgid O’Hara was Mrs. Hewitt’s mother. All pleaded not guilty to the charge of murdering 21-year-old Elsie Ansell, (the prosecution had limited the charge to one victim). Three days later, the verdict of guilty was returned. James Richards and Peter Barnes were sentenced to deathHangingHanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
. The sentencing triggered a series of IRA attacks on British post offices, postboxes and mail trains.
1940
- January 3 - Emergency Powers ActEmergency Powers Act 1939The Emergency Powers Act 1939 is an act of the Oireachtas enacted on 3 September 1939 after an official state of emergency had been declared on 2 September 1939...
passed in Ireland. - February 5 - All over Ireland there were demonstrations and resolutions of protest against the executions of the bombers. De Valera appealed for a reprieve. The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
analyzed Irish public opinion so:Opinion here is either that 2 innocent men will hang, or that it is the partition of Ireland by the British who forced these young Irishmen to perpetrate such outrages. Anglo-Irish relations could markedly deteriorate through the hanging of these men.
- February 6 - Three explosions occurred in mailbags. Two happened in Euston Station, London. One in the GPO on Hill Street, Birmingham. This attack was regarded by The Times as a reprisal for the failure to reprieve Barnes and Richards.
- February 7 - Richards (29) and Barnes (32) were both hanged at Birmingham PrisonBirmingham (HM Prison)HM Prison Birmingham is a Category B/C men's prison, located in the Winson Green area of Birmingham, England. The prison was formally operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service...
. Many protests followed this. Simon DonnellySimon Donnelly (Irish Republican)Simon Donnelly was a member of the Irish Republican Army and a founder member of both Córas na Poblachta and Clann na Poblachta....
, former IRA leader, made a speech in Dublin in which he proclaimed, to the crowds jubilation:We know very well what outcome we want to this war. We want the enemy, who has kept our people in bondage for 700 years and who continues to pour insults on us, to be pitilessly vanquished. Until such time as the Irish Republic is established, Ireland's youth will continue to sacrifice itself. If the government does not bring foreign overlordship to an end, others must be entrusted with the task.
- February 14 - In Birmingham, five bombs exploded.
- February 23
- The Times reported that since being enacted, the Temporary Provisions legislation has led to the expulsion of 119 people from Britain.
- Two explosions occurred in the West End, London. The devices had been placed in refuse bins. Thirteen people were injured.
Involvement of German Abwehr
It is unlikely that the German Intelligence AbwehrAbwehr
The Abwehr was a German military intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only...
I & II had any input into the formation of the S-plan. However, interest in the S-Plan did become a feature of subsequent IRA/Abwehr contact following the British declaration of war on Germany in 1939. According to a 1939 discussion between Jim O’Donovan and Abwehr Director, "Dr. Pfalzgraf", (Captain Friedrich Carl Marwede Director of Office I West in Abwehr II, Berlin), the point of the S-plan was, "a final fight with England, whereby it was hoped to force the British to negotiations on the question of re-unification."
There is solid evidence from the Abwehr war diaries that methods employed by IRA units carrying out the S-Plan generated only annoyance and frustration in Germany. Attacks against mostly civilian targets while causing panic and loss of confidence in the authorities, were not perceived as helpful to damaging British capability for waging war.
Evidence of German Intelligence's frustration can also be seen in the message from Abwehr II’s Director which was hand delivered to Seamus O'Donovan on 9 February 1940 by Abwehr agent Ernst Weber-Drohl.:
"The Pfalzgraf Section very urgently requests its Irish friends and IRA members to be so good as to make considerably better efforts to carry out the S-plan, which they received some time last summer, and to be more effectual against military as opposed to civilian objectives."
By the time of Russell's journey back to Ireland in August 1940, German Intelligence chief Wilhelm Canaris
Wilhelm Canaris
Wilhelm Franz Canaris was a German admiral, head of the Abwehr, the German military intelligence service, from 1935 to 1944 and member of the German Resistance.- Early life and World War I :...
appears to have lost faith in attempts to infiltrate into England via Ireland.
There is no evidence that IRA teams during the period were involved in co-ordinating or guiding Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
planes to, or within, the airspace of Britain, Northern Ireland, or Éire. This was not a feature of IRA/Abwehr contact, during the period.
Significance of the S-Plan
The five deaths during the Coventry bombing on August 25 effectively ended the campaign. By late 1940, the introduction of the Treason Act 1939, Offences Against the State Act in Éire, and the Prevention of Violence (Temporary Provisions) Act in Britain had seen many IRA members interned in Éire, arrested in Britain, or deported from Britain. The granting of extra powers to the Irish Justice Minister under the Emergency Powers Act in January 1940 led to 600 IRA volunteers being imprisoned and 500 interned during the course of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
alone.
In June 1940 Time Magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
reported that:
- "Since 1938 its [the IRA's] 7,500 youthful members (plus 15,000 fellow travelers) have followed the wild-eyed, bomb-Britain policy of 46-year-old, super-radical Chieftain Sean Russell. There is reason to believe that the intransigent I. R. A.-sters are getting money from the Nazis, mostly by way of the U.S."
Increases in the security surrounding rich infrastructure targets in Britain also had a major effect on IRA team's ability to conduct operations. The seizure of war material and inability to get newly-acquired war material into Britain under wartime restrictions meant increased improvisation which in turn lead to increased exposure to discovery. It is also clear that the campaign generated a good deal of anti-Irish sentiment which increased the British public's suspicion of Irishmen/women in general. All these factors led to attacks tapering off around early to mid-1940. The death of Seán Russell on August 14 1940, (he had already been effectively incommunicado since April 1939), and the succession of Stephen Hayes as IRA Chief of Staff also contributed to the petering out of the attacks.
At the time, the author of the S-Plan, Seamus O'Donovan noted his views on the S-Plan campaign in his diary entry for 23 August 1939 as:
"hastily conceived, scheduled to a premature start, with ill-equipped and inadequately-trained personnel, too few men and too little money....
..unable to sustain the vital spark of what must be confessed to have fizzled out like a damp and inglorious squib"
Reflecting in the 1960s, O’Donovan, assessed the results of the campaign even more critically:
"It brought nothing but harm to Ireland and the IRA."
M.L.R Smith writing in "Fighting for Ireland? The military strategy of the Irish Republican movement", has argued that the S-Plan campaign:
"..can be seen not as a serious attempt to advance the nationalist cause, but as a sign of the movement reverting to type, as a vehicle for preserving the doctrinal purity of the republican vision. The bombing campaign underscored that a 'militarist caste' was exactly what the IRA had become."
The main outcome of the campaign was the Prevention of Violence Act in Britain which remained in force until 1954. Allowed to expire in 1953 and repealed in 1973, it was reintroduced in 1974 as the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act to combat the successor to the S-Plan- Provisional IRA attacks on British soil.
The final figures resulting from the S-Plan are cited as 300 explosions, seven deaths and 96 injuries.
See also
- Fenian Dynamite CampaignFenian dynamite campaignThe Fenian dynamite campaign was a bombing campaign that took place in Great Britain from 1881 to 1885. It was carried out by the Irish Republican Brotherhood , nicknamed the "Fenians", who launched attacks on infrastructure as well as government, military and police...
- Northern Campaign
- Border Campaign
- Christmas RaidChristmas RaidThe term Christmas Raid is a name used within the folklore of the Irish Republican Army to describe a raid in the Republic of Ireland against the Irish Army, and the theft of a huge quantity of weapons and munitions from an Irish Army ammunition Magazine Fort storage depot in Dublin's Phoenix...
- IRA Abwehr World War II - main article on IRA-Nazi links during this period
- Michael BrowneMichael Browne (bishop)Michael Browne was an Irish prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh from 1937 to 1976....
Sources and further information
- Mark M. Hull, Irish Secrets. German Espionage in Wartime Ireland 1939-1945 2004. ISBN 071652807X
- Enno Stephan, Spies in Ireland 1963. ISBN 1-131-82692-2 (reprint)
- Carolle J. Carter, The Shamrock and the Swastika 1977. ISBN 0-87015-221-1
- M.L.R smith, Fighting for Ireland? The military strategy of the Irish Republican movement 1997. ISBN 0-415-16334-X
- J. Bowyer BellJ. Bowyer BellJ. Bowyer Bell was an American historian, artist and art critic.-Background and early life:Bell was born into an Episcopalian family on 15 November 1931 in New York City. The family later moved to Alabama, from where Bell attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, majoring in...
, The Secret Army - the IRA 1997 3rd ed. ISBN 1-85371-813-0 - Seán Russell arrest
- Prevention of Violence Bill and Prevention of Terrorism Act 1974
- Treason Act 1939
- Offenses Against The State Act 1939