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1939 Franz Fromme who was a German expert on Ireland who was still living in Germany and who visited Ireland on many occasions, to study Ireland's struggle for freedom from the oppression of the British Government in England, their Celtic customs, and their early Christianity advised Oscar Pfaus a German agent about the conditions prevailing there as the German Secret Service had no information on Ireland up to this date. They felt they would be able to make useful contacts there with the disgruntled IRA members who were still trying to get the British Government out of the 6 Counties Artificially Partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, in the event of War occurring.

January 12th: Sean Russell the leader of the IRA decided to begin a bombing campaign in England for increased publicity to re - unite the 6 Counties previously Artificially Partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province by the British Government, and to this end he sent a letter to Lord Halifax the British Foreign Secretary to withdraw all of the British Government's military troops from the 6 Counties within 4 days. He warned him that if this was not carried out the IRA would be forced to interfere in the economic and military life in England in the same way as they had interfered for Centuries in the life of the people in Ireland and as there was no action taken within his specified period he began the bombing campaign in England involving 127 separate incidents including teargas in cinemas, fire in hotels, mail boxes and mail vans and station cloakrooms.

January 14th: The Eire - Irish Government - Irish Assembly - under Eamonn de Valera and the Fianna Fail Party again declared the IRA unlawful.

January 16th: A declaration of War was also made for the return of the 6 Counties Artificially Partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, by the British Government, that was issued by Joseph Mac Garritty of the Clann na Gael and it was signed by 6 members of the IRA including Peadar O Flaherty, Patrick Fleming, Lawrence Grogan, Stephen Hayes, George Plunkett and Sean Russell and bombings were to be carried out in England for another 15 months were 66 members of the IRA were convicted of the 127 attacks with 57 of these carried out in London alone. Sean Mac Bride their Chief of Staff was to break with the IRA over the bombing campaign in England.

January 19th: A bomb was detonated in Tralee in Co. Kerry in the south - west of the Munster Province were Francis Chamberlain, the son of the British Conservative Prime Minister was staying and Sean Russell went out of his way to notify all concerned that it definitely was not the work of the IRA.

February 3rd: Oscar Pfaus the German Agent, had arrived in Ireland looking for a useful contact in the IRA and was introduced by mistake to Eoin O Duffy, by Liam Walsh, who was aghast at the suggestion that he had in any way, anything to do with the IRA and Oscar Pfaus eventually made contact with and met with the IRA at Clontarf in Dublin including Sean Russell now the IRA Chief of Staff whom he advised to send an IRA agent to Germany were he might be able to gain a supply of small arms. Seamus O Donovan came forward and tore an English pound note in half and gave one half to Oscar Pfaus stating that the other half would be produced by the the IRA agent when he arrived in Germany to secure any arms.

February 4th: 2 bombs were set off in Tottenham Court Road and Leicester Square stations in England, which caused much damage and 2 people were injured. February 6th: The IRA tried unsuccessfully to blow up the Walton Gaol at Liverpool and sporadic explosions were carried out in different areas of London suburbs. Seamus O Donovan went to Germany himself to make contact for the supply of arms should War eventuate but no concrete plans were made.

February 7th: In the 6 Counties Artificially Partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province thousands of leaflets calling for National Service in the British Army were burnt.

March 2nd: The IRA planted bombs in the aqueduct near Stoneridge Park in London and in the Birmingham Canal near Staffordshire, which failed to cause much damage. March 23rd: After 20 days of silence the IRA began their campaign again by setting off 5 bombs in one day and then in London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Coventry. The Sabotage Plan of the IRA drawn up by Seamus O Donovan, which was to bring to a halt all British defence mechanisms by the use of Propaganda and 6 different types of offensive action was discovered on those arrested, which bought home to those in authority in England that the IRA really meant business. April 13th: 11 more bombings were carried out in London and Birmingham. April 26th: Stephen Hayes had taken over as the IRA Chief of Staff as Sean Russell had gone to America to raise funds but it was also rumoured it was just a ruse to get him out of the way. Seamus O Donovan paid a second visit to Germany where he had further discussions there about assistance to the IRA if War should break out.

Neville Chamberlain the British Conservative Prime Minister decided to introduce Compulsory Military Service in the 6 Counties Artificially Partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province who were in reality still under his control and he was backed up by Lord Craigavon - Sir James Craig the leader of the Official Unionist Stormont Government, there while the Catholic Bishops came out against it and Eamonn de Valera informed him that all he would do was strengthen the IRA there while carrying out this further aggressive move against the Irish population there.

May 4th: Neville Chamberlain the British Conservative Prime Minister after much consideration decided not to proceed to press the Irish in the 6 Counties Artificially Partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province into his Conscription programme.

May: Several Irishmen were sentenced to 10 - 20 years imprisonment in England.

May 30th: The Fianna Fail Eire - Irish Government under Eamonn de Valera had declared it would remain neutral if a War should occur so hundreds of Irish Republicans in Belfast situated in the 6 Counties Artificially Partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province, which were in reality still under the control of the British Government, concurred with this decision. They took exception to the issuing of gas masks there as they saw it as further sign of British Imperial sovereignty over them so they gathered up a 1000 and burnt them and that same evening magnesium and tear gas bombs also were exploded in Liverpool and Birmingham in England.

June 6th: Sean Russell the leader of the IRA was arrested in Detroit in America at the request of the British Government's Scotland Yard because the British King and Queen were visiting Canada. There were by now 10,000,000 Irish - Americans in the population of the United States at this time and 76 of them were members of the American Congress and they sought an explanation from President Roosevelt as to why he was imprisoned. They boycotted the Royal Visit so Sean Russell was released on $5,000 bail put up by Joseph Mac Garrity from the Clann na Gael and he was then ordered to leave the USA.

June 10th: On this date the IRA destroyed 30 Pillar Boxes and Post Offices in England and carried out another further 17 explosions in London with others in Birmingham and Manchester while trying to gain publicity for the reunification of the 6 Counties Artificially Partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province with the other 26.

June 14th: In the Dail Eireann - Irish Assembly - in Erie - Ireland - an Act was passed in the Parliament to incorporate Offences against the State Law and the IRA was again officially declared an illegal association and Gerald Boland became the new Minister For Justice in the Eire Government.

June 19th: Once again IRA bombs were set off in London. - In Eire 200 Irishmen staged a procession to honour the memory of Theobold Wolfe - Tone the founder of Irish Republicanism and demanded the release of the IRA prisoners held in the jails. June 20th: The IRA planned commemoration for Theobold Wolfe - Tone to be held at his grave at Bodenstown in Co. Kildare in Mid Leinster Province was banned again by Eamonn de Valera the Irish Prime Minister who tried to stop it with the the Irish Police - Garda - who could not handle it and he had to bring in the Irish National Army to stop them. At the IRA Memorial that was held at the Glasnevin Cemetery above Dublin the IRA stated that they did not want Civil War in Eire or to take over the 6 Counties Artificially Partitioned from the 9 in the Ulster Province and that they had ordered that there were to be no casualties in the bombing campaign in England.

+On to 1939 - 2 - July - December

Situated on the western bank of the Hunter River, midway between Muswellbrook and Denman the doorway to the Heart of Australia's "Horse Capital" in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales., Australia.

John & Sue Markham

RAINBOW FARMS 603 Roxburgh Road., Muswellbrook., 2333.

02 65 479 100 - Fax: 02 65 479 102 E - Mail: www.rainbowfarms@bigpond.com