Cpl Aspinall

1922 Aug 25. One reference to Aspinall having died but nothing in GRO. But contrary to some inaccurate newspaper reports, there were no fatalities at the time of the incident. The British said that Symonds, Stonehouse and Kennedy were the only casualties - all wounded

Captain Kennedy, War Department in charge of the launch. I assume Kennedy was a naval man in charge of the launch

A firefight broke out between anti-Treaty IRA men and the RGA group from the British garrison on Bere Island to collect money from a bank in the town. Men on both sides were wounded and the British party ran to their boat under fire and sailed back to Bere Island.

The IRA group was led by Liam O’Dwyer, Commandant of the IRA’s Beara Battalion – he was a hardliner who was on the anti-Treaty side in the Civil War which had started a few weeks before, and had a policy of attacking any British forces that remained in Ireland.

2 Officers and escort of 7

• Lieutenant E N C Symonds MC, from the Bere Island Garrison wounded shot in the neck after drawing money from the bank in Castletown.. He relinquished his RGA commission in 7 July 1921 (so what his position was in Aug 1922 is unclear)
• Lt Henry William Bear RGA. He was Mentioned in Despatches for Gallantry in Castletownbere.
• 1421833 Bombardier James Archibald Stonehouse, Royal Garrison Artillery, from Bere Island Garrison wounded on the launch ‘Cambridge’ while returning to Berehaven after drawing money from the bank in Castletown (Suicide on 6 March 1923
• Bombardier James Archibald Stonehouse (RGA). In May 1923 Stonehouse committed suicide in hospital, having become depressed, feeling he was not getting better.
• Corporal Aspinall, Royal Garrison Artillery Shot in the chest travelling by boat from Spike Island to Cork
• A Mate (Kennedy) in the ‘Cambridge’ crew was also wounded

British Soldiers died in Ireland