Having joined the British army ten weeks earlier William Barrett was sent to Dublin during the Easter Rising.
William Barrett recalls the lack of military experience among the troops who landed at Kingstown (Dun Laoghaire). During a rifle inspection an officer staring down the barrel of gun before the sergeant major pushed him away. There was a dark sense of humour among the young troops.
When you join the army they ask you what religion you are? Well some men of no persuasion whatever they always put them as C of E, give them a disc around their neck. Well one wag interpreted that as 'Coffins ordered for Easter' which was true in some cases.
Marching from Kingstown the public gave them chocolate and fruit. Having spent the night in the Agricultural Hall at Ballsbridge William Barrett and his comrades were sent to Northumberland Road to clear houses during the Battle of Mount Street Bridge.
We didn't know who the enemy was. In one case one of the soldiers was given a drink of water and while he was drinking it he was shot.
William Barrett says they were never sure what to expect as they had no idea what the enemy looked like. During his time in Ireland he never heard from his wife or his parents as the post was delayed. His wife had no news of William until a dozen letters arrived at the same time.
Later William Barrett and his colleagues were sent to rural areas. Although rebels here were known to the local constabulary it was deemed to dangerous for them to make the arrests. In the early hours of the morning houses were raided and the detained were sent to prison in England.
William Barrett was interviewed during the production of 'Ireland A Television History' on 11 July 1979.
| Title: | Ireland A Television History William Barrett |
| Clip Duration: | 00:06:04 |
| Material Type: | Video |
| Clip Title: | "Coffins Ordered For Easter" |
| Series Title: | Ireland A Television History Interviews |
| Information: | Ireland A Television History was a 13 part series written and presented by Robert Kee looking at the complexities of Irish history. The series chronicles Ireland's development from pre-Christian times to the 1980s, with a specific emphasis on the creation of the modern independent Republic and the roots of the Troubles. 'Ireland a Television History', a BBC production was broadcast on RTÉ and BBC at the same time. In an article for the RTÉ Guide, Kee was asked is the series aimed at a British audience? He replied, "No it's aimed at those (mainly in Britain) who are less familiar with the subject than they ought to be; and at those (in Ireland, North and South) who think they know but don't". |
| Local Keywords: | 1916, Easter Rising, Easter 1916, Rising, British Army, British Soldiers |
| Coverage: | Ireland |
| Genre: | Factual |
| Topic: | Wars and Conflict |
| Provider: | RTÉ |
| Contributor(s): | Robert Kee (Interviewer) |
| Publisher: | RTÉ |
| Production Year: | 1979 |
| Country of Production: | Ireland |
| Original Identifier: | DX61/0375 |
| IPR Restrictions: | Rights Reserved - Free Access |
| Rights, Terms and Conditions: | Copyright RTÉ. This material may not be replicated in any form or manner without the prior express permission of RTÉ. Any form of reproduction in print, television, video, multimedia, web site or other electronic media or any form of dissemination for commercial or non-commercial use must be licensed by the RTÉ Archives.
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| Item Type: | part/extract |
| Colour: | Colour |
| Sound: | Mono |
| Aspect Ratio: | 4:3 |
| Language: | English (eng) |
