Who Killed Constable Kearns?
Introduction from Chronology
IRA men try to disarm two RIC men – Sgt T. Wiseman and
Constable G. Waters – at the Customs House (or GPO) in Derry City.
The two RIC men are shot (but not killed). Later, three RIC men
were found wounded in Foyle St. They
were in civilian clothing. One of these RIC men – Constable Hugh Kearns –
later died from his wounds.
More Detail
From the accounts given by Gallagher
and Grant, it would appear that, after the two RIC men (Wiseman and Waters who
had been wounded) staggered back into their barracks, a number of RIC men
(including Constable Kearns) left the barracks in mufti and went on a rampage
throughout the city shooting, burning and throwing bombs into buildings,
singling out the houses and business premises of prominent republicans. It
would also seem that they even shot at a fire tender on its way to tackle the
fires they had started but the fire tender had a military escort which shot
back.
It emerges at the inquest into Kearns’ death (and at compensation claims) that the three RIC men were not only in plain clothes but had been shot by the British
troops. On the other hand, Abbott says that Constable Kearns was
accidentally shot by the British military. He says that three RIC men
were sent from Victoria Barracks to investigate reports of gunfire from Foyle St.
Abbott does say that the RIC men were in plain clothes but does not say why.
The IRA carry out some retaliatory attacks on unionist business premises the following night. On the November 8th, the Derry Journal was to report a Sinn Féin spokesman drawing attention to the lack of response by the RIC to the loyalist killing of Constable Flaherty (see Oct-06-20/3) and contrasted it with their response to the wounding of the two (or possibly three) RIC men on November 6th by the IRA. The spokesman went on to say that reprisals were only directed towards nationalists.