The Squad...

[cogito]

That's him....no further with McKenna as yet, but still looking. Can't be that many left.

True... Lawson mentions that when he joined in March '21 the unit had a total strength of 21 - three companies of six men led by Tom Kehoe, Joe Leonard and Jimmy Slattery - with O'Daly in overall command.

Mick McDonnell
Tom Kehoe
Jimmy Slattery
Paddy O'Daley
Joe Leonard
Vinny Byrne
Sean Doyle
Paddy Griffin
Eddy Byrne
Mick Reilly
Jimmy Conroy
Ben Barret
Bill Stapleton
Charles Byrne
Pat McCrae
Charlie Dalton
Ben Byrne
Frank Bolster
Mick Keogh
Mick Kennedy
Sam Robinson
Johnny Dunne
Joe Byrne
Paddy Drury
Patrick Lawson
Tom Mckenna


How does that tally ?

[DAMNTHEWEATHER]

True... Lawson mentions that when he joined in March '21 the unit had a total strength of 21 - three companies of six men led by Tom Kehoe, Joe Leonard and Jimmy Slattery - with O'Daly in overall command.

Mick McDonnell
Tom Kehoe
Jimmy Slattery
Paddy O'Daley
Joe Leonard
Vinny Byrne
Sean Doyle
Paddy Griffin
Eddy Byrne
Mick Reilly
Jimmy Conroy
Ben Barret
Bill Stapleton
Charles Byrne
Pat McCrae
Charlie Dalton
Ben Byrne
Frank Bolster
Mick Keogh
Mick Kennedy
Sam Robinson
Johnny Dunne
Joe Byrne
Paddy Drury
Patrick Lawson
Tom Mckenna


How does that tally ?

Just the job, probably the only place on the net / in books with a true figure and names to date.
PS; I emailed T P Coogan for some info, await reply.

[DAMNTHEWEATHER]

Rare pic; Charlie Dalton (right)...with brother Emmet. Charlie was a member of Collins' Squad. Emmet was a jack of all trades.

[cogito]

Rare pic; Charlie Dalton (right)...with brother Emmet. Charlie was a member of Collins' Squad. Emmet was a jack of all trades.

Good pic of the Dalton bros...

[DAMNTHEWEATHER]

True... Lawson mentions that when he joined in March '21 the unit had a total strength of 21 - three companies of six men led by Tom Kehoe, Joe Leonard and Jimmy Slattery - with O'Daly in overall command.

Mick McDonnell
Tom Kehoe
Jimmy Slattery
Paddy O'Daley
Joe Leonard
Vinny Byrne
Sean Doyle
Paddy Griffin
Eddy Byrne
Mick Reilly
Jimmy Conroy
Ben Barret
Bill Stapleton
Charles Byrne
Pat McCrae
Charlie Dalton
Ben Byrne
Frank Bolster
Mick Keogh
Mick Kennedy
Sam Robinson
Johnny Dunne
Joe Byrne
Paddy Drury
Patrick Lawson
Tom Mckenna


How does that tally ?

Think we can add John Caffrey to the list. Info tells us although he was only involved with the Squad for a short time before he was absorbed into the ASU, he nevertheless took part with the Squad in the attempted springing of MacEoin from Mountjoy in May 1921.

[cogito]

Think we can add John Caffrey to the list. Info tells us although he was only involved with the Squad for a short time before he was absorbed into the ASU, he nevertheless took part with the Squad in the attempted springing of MacEoin from Mountjoy in May 1921.

Well... so did Emmet Dalton - but he wasn't in The Squad. Caffrey's Witness Statement is here... http://www.bureauofmilitaryhistory.i...BMH.WS0569.pdf

Am I being a tad pernickety ??

[DAMNTHEWEATHER]

Well... so did Emmet Dalton - but he wasn't in The Squad. Caffrey's Witness Statement is here... http://www.bureauofmilitaryhistory.i...BMH.WS0569.pdf

Am I being a tad pernickety ??

Well yeh, but Dalton was into everything and was just about everything.

Caffrey ?....Lewis Gun....Moreland's......the job....and later officially inducted into the fledgling ASU. So I would say he just scrapes in, as that job was all Squad men as I read it, except for Dalton. Although he's not so hard necked to record himself as being a 'member' member....I think he just qualifies, and I'd say the other lads would count him in if we could ask them. Slight 'pernickertyness' but I'll give you the last word.
Squad man Jim Slattery.

[cogito]

Oh okay... we'll put him in the new list... John Caffrey... and DTW...

[cogito]

The Squad... early Summer 1921.

Mick McDonnell
Tom Kehoe
Jimmy Slattery
Paddy O'Daley
Joe Leonard
Vinny Byrne
Sean Doyle
Paddy Griffin
Eddy Byrne
Mick Reilly
Jimmy Conroy
Ben Barret
Bill Stapleton
Charles Byrne
Pat McCrae
Charlie Dalton
Ben Byrne
Frank Bolster
Mick Keogh
Mick Kennedy
Sam Robinson
Johnny Dunne
Joe Byrne
Paddy Drury
Patrick Lawson
Tom Mckenna
John Caffrey

[DAMNTHEWEATHER]

Oh okay... we'll put him in the new list... John Caffrey... and DTW...

LOL....I've got my personal Squad pic courtesy of Boxy long time ago.
I think we now have the only definitive list of all true Squad men to be found anywhere on the net.
Though ye never can tell what might turn up.......
L-R; Mick McDonnell - DTW - Tom Keogh - Vinnie Byrne - Paddy Daly - Jim Slattery.

[cogito]

Fella on the left would blend in anywhere... obviously why they picked him.

Follyups... the ASU... GHQ Intelligence... 'part timers'... spies ??

[DAMNTHEWEATHER]

Fella on the left would blend in anywhere... obviously why they picked him.

Follyups... the ASU... GHQ Intelligence... 'part timers'... spies ??

Yeh Right ! LMAO. GHQ Intel will be the easiest to sort for starters.
Michael Collins = Director of Intelligence
Liam Tobin = Deputy Director of Intelligence.
Tom Cullen = Assistant Director of Intelligence.
Frank Thornton = Deputy Assistant Director of Intelligence.

[The Dublin Guard]

The Squad.

The Squad... early Summer 1921.

Mick McDonnell
Tom Kehoe
Jimmy Slattery
Paddy O'Daley
Joe Leonard
Vinny Byrne
Sean Doyle
Paddy Griffin
Eddy Byrne
Mick Reilly
Jimmy Conroy
Ben Barret
Bill Stapleton
Charles Byrne
Pat McCrae
Charlie Dalton
Ben Byrne
Frank Bolster
Mick Keogh
Mick Kennedy
Sam Robinson
Johnny Dunne
Joe Byrne
Paddy Drury
Patrick Lawson
Tom Mckenna
John Caffrey

Hi all great post I have just read a lot of it, I have a few amendments to the list. I would take John Caffrey off as he was only used for one job ie the Armoured Car job, also Dalton I would class him & Joe Dolan as Intelligence officiers also Jackie/Johnny,Jack or John Dunne off the list as he was second in command of the ASU complete unit under Paddy Flanagan & was never a Squad member. As far as I know I am right with all the above.

Your missing Johnny Wilson transferred from the third ASU , Listed in a couple of books as a Squad member,also on Jim Harpurs statement as a Squad member & on O`Dalys as Jimmy Wilson ! There was also a couple more third ASU men transferred between March & April into the Squad as they where needed to take the Igoe gang out.

Another way of working Squad men out from Intelligence Officers is that none of the Intelligence Officers to my knowledge took part in the burning of the Custom House ! as it would have been madness to include them.They did become part of the Guard late May early June 1921 ,so thats where the whole thing gets all mixed up, also Intelligence did some of there own hits Joe Dolan seems to have been good at that !

[cogito]

Hi all great post I have just read a lot of it, I have a few amendments to the list. I would take John Caffrey off as he was only used for one job ie the Armoured Car job, also Dalton I would class him & Joe Dolan as Intelligence officiers also Jackie/Johnny,Jack or John Dunne off the list as he was second in command of the ASU complete unit under Paddy Flanagan & was never a Squad member. As far as I know I am right with all the above.

Your missing Johnny Wilson transferred from the third ASU , Listed in a couple of books as a Squad member,also on Jim Harpurs statement as a Squad member & on O`Dalys as Jimmy Wilson ! There was also a couple more third ASU men transferred between March & April into the Squad as they where needed to take the Igoe gang out.

Another way of working Squad men out from Intelligence Officers is that none of the Intelligence Officers to my knowledge took part in the burning of the Custom House ! as it would have been madness to include them.They did become part of the Guard late May early June 1921 ,so thats where the whole thing gets all mixed up, also Intelligence did some of there own hits Joe Dolan seems to have been good at that !

Hi DG... good to see you back.

On the GHQ Intelligence people - we'd kicked off back in January with these -

Liam Tobin
Tom Cullen
Joe Dolan
Frank Thornton
Frank Saurin

I don't think we ever had Dolan down as a Squad member...

On Charles Dalton, though it's well known he was an intelligence man during the Civil War I'd always assumed he was an active member of The Squad during the WOI - can be rechecked.

Caffrey was discussed by myself and DTW a few nights ago and fair enough there is a grey area relating to some of those seconded to the unit for particular operations...

For Wilson, we can re-check O'Daley's witness statement...

Similar re-check with Dunne - is it possible that there were transfers out of the Squad too... ?? Dalton to Intelligence and Dunne to the ASU ?

[DAMNTHEWEATHER]

Very glad TDG has brought up the question of Joe Dolan, even though we hadn't included him in Squad activities. I have been pursuing Joe Dolan's story on and off over past weeks and I've come to the conclusion that he should be included as a Squad member along with Frank Thornton.

Although both are universally recogonised as Intel Officers...a close look reveals they did more......In the case of Dolan we should take into account his involvement with the Squad where he was directly responsible on two assignments for 'pulling the trigger' and on three further occasions where he acted as covering party, not as an intel man but as a squad man.

There is also a case for Frank Thornton to be included on the 'active part time' list on account of one particular occasion whereby he was Dolan's partner in one of the operations where Dolan actually pulled the trigger.

In all of this it should be remembered that there were 'jobs' carried out both prior to the formation of the 'Twelve Apostles' and afterwards.....

So if we are to use the yardstick of those who carried weapons, accompanied, covered or actually carried out the deed on the day....prior to and post Apostles, and prior to the formation of the ASU.....Then surely it is only logical that these men are included on the list of men commonly regarded as part of the Director of Intelligence's group known as the Squad.