Crossbarry
Introduction from Chronology
The West Cork IRA flying column, led by Tom Barry, are near Crossbarry, Co
Cork. They are nearly surrounded by Crown Forces but manage to escape the
encircling troops. The British had sent units from Cork, Kinsale,
Ballincollig and Bandon. The BA units
from Bandon do not arrive on time which allows the column a way out of the
encirclement. Barry breaks his men into seven sections. Six sections ambush the British and then
withdraw in formation.
This is the largest military encounter of the War of Independence.
More Detail
IRA sources claim over 30 thirty British killed while official British
figures were 10 members of the Crown Forces killed and 6 IRA men killed.
Abbott says that six British Army soldiers along with one RIC man (Constable
Arthur Kenward) were killed and that one IRA man was also killed (Peter Monahan).
He had deserted from the British Army’s
Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders based in Cobh and joined the IRA – See
Dec-24-20/2. In addition, he says that a number of other IRA men wounded.
Townshend says that the British Army lost eight men and another four
wounded.
Along with Constable Kenward, O’Halpin and Ó Corráin name nine BA casualties as follows: Lieutenant Geoffrey Hotblack,
Sgt Edward Watts, Private Stanley Steward, Private Sidney Cawley, Private
Joseph Crafter, Private William Wilkins (all of the Essex Regiment), Private
Harold Baker, Private William Gray and Private Cyril Martin (all three of whom
were in the RASC). Hotblack
had a notorious reputation among IRA men.
Along with Peter Monahan and Charlie Hurley (see below), O’Halpin and Ó Corráin name two
other IRA fatalities as Con Daly and Jeremiah O’Leary. Therefore, the true figure for fatalities at Crossbarry would seem to ten members of the Crown Forces
killed and four IRA men. (Kautt gives the same names
as O’Halpin and Ó Corráin
except he omits Kenward and Hurley.)
Sheehan says that Monahan was important to the IRA because of his
expertise in mining.
A full list of the IRA men who fought at Crossbarry
is given in Appendix F of Deasy (1973). Tom
Barry’s report on Crossbarry is given as Appendix
Four in Sheehan
(2017).
Before the engagement, the house at Ballinphelic,
Upton in which Charlie Hurley (O/C Cork No. 3 Brigade, IRA) is recovering from
wounds he received at Upton (see Feb-15-21/2), is surrounded by men from the
BA’s Essex regiment. Hurley tries to
fight his way out of the house but he is shot in the head by Sgt Poole of the
Essex Regiment and dies immediately.
Constable Kenward was from Surrey in England and had almost six months’
service with the RIC.
The Monument at Crossbarry
The Inscriptions on the Monument at Crossbarry
