Surprise on landing in Ireland, Dublin city in ruins, women among the Rebels, targeted by a Volunteer sniper, Ernest Gill recalls some of his experiences as a British soldier sent to Dublin to put down the Rising.
Ernest Gill was one of thousands of soldiers sent to reinforce the British Army in Dublin once the Rising began.Thinking he was being sent to the Front, Gill recalls his suprise and disappointment when he realised he had been sent to Ireland. They had not been told where they were going.
No sign of where we were going at all.
Gill was sent into the city centre to deliver a message. Soon after his arrival the fighting became so intense he was forced to remain in and around O'Connell Street. Describing what it was like to be in the thick of the fight Gill says.
They were not only in the Post Office, they were at the back as well... we were in between two fires to a certain extent
He also witnessed a party of troops being fired on by Volunteers with what he describes as a machine gun. The building was quickly taken over by the military and the occupants arrested. Searching the prisoners Gill was shocked to find that one of the attackers was a woman.
Her hat fell off, her hair came down, we realised it was a girl... It was a shock.
Later he took part in searching houses for Volunteers. While searching properties in Serpentine Avenue, Ballsbridge Ernest Gill was on guard outside when fired at by a sniper. He saw the man who had shot at him and gave chase but the rebel got away. On returning to his post his commanding officer retrieved the bullet that had nearly killed him.
He dug the bullet out of the cement wall. It was a dumdum. Another fraction of an inch it would have blown my head off.
Ernest Gill was interviewed during the production of 'Ireland A Television History' in 1979.
| Title: | Ireland A Television History Ernest Gill |
| Clip Duration: | 00.12.42 |
| Material Type: | Video |
| Clip Title: | "It Would Have Blown My Head Off" |
| 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: | Easter Rising, Easter 1916, 1916, Rising, British Army, Soldiers, |
| Coverage: | Ireland |
| Genre: | Factual |
| Topic: | Wars and Conflict |
| Provider: | RTÉ |
| Contributor(s): | Robert Kee (Interviewer) |
| Publisher: | RTÉ |
| Production Year: | 1979 |
| Country of Production: | England |
| Original Identifier: | DX20/00915 |
| 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) |
