Capture of Lucas
Introduction from Chronology
Brigadier General Cuthbert Lucas,
Commander of 16th Brigade of the BA in Ireland, is captured by the IRA.
More Detail
The
IRA team, from (North) Cork No. 2 Brigade which captured Lucas is led by Liam
Lynch, George Power, Sean Moylan (O/C Newmarket Battalion) and Patrick Clancy
(O/C Kanturk Battalion).
Two
other British Army officers (Col Danford and Con
Tyrell) were also captured but, after a struggle, Danford
was wounded and Tyrell was released with him.
Lucas
was held for four weeks - Breen says he was being held as a hostage for some
IRA men facing capital charges - including Mick Fitzgerald.
Lucas
spent some time in East Clare. (There is a very amusing, but difficult to
believe, account in Michael Brennan's book War in Clare of what
happens when Lucas is handed over to the East Clare Brigade of the IRA for
safe-keeping.) Lucas escapes/is released in late July – see Jul-30-20/1