21st - 24th June 1920 Battle of Derry

BalcombeSt4

Is anyone able to tell me more info about this, it seems like a very bloody part of the War of Independence but very overlooked or does anyone know any details of the actual battle, are 20 UVF casualties, 1 IRA O/C. 7 Catholics & 3 Protestants civilians true?

Wiki

"21–24 June 1920: The UVF occupied the centre of Derry and UVF snipers fired on Catholic districts from rooftops and the city walls. The IRA returned fire and engaged the UVF in the Diamond. There was fierce fighting around St Columb's College. Armed with rifles and machine-guns, the IRA occupied the college and dislodged the loyalist snipers, inflicting an estimated twenty casualties. Shortly after, 1,500 British Army reinforcements arrived in Derry and imposed a curfew.[80][56][57] An IRA commander, seven Catholic civilians and three Protestant civilians were killed throughout the city between 21 and 24 June"

The catalyst for it seems to have happened 3 days earlier.

"18–19 June 1920: Sectarian clashes erupted in Derry. Catholic homes were attacked and burned in the mainly-Protestant Waterside. The Derry Journal wrote that the streets looked "as if an avenging army had passed through them". The Catholics fled by boat across the River Foyle but the UVF fired on them from the bridge. Later, loyalists fired into the Catholic Long Tower and Bogside districts, and republicans returned fire. Much of the loyalist shooting came from the city walls and Fountain neighbourhood.[78][56][57] Two Catholic civilians were killed on Long Tower Street by a loyalist sniper on 19 June.[79]"

It seems like the first engagement between the IRA & UVF. between 1919 - 1923, I know in April Carson wrote to Bonar Law urging the UVF to be reformed./ A month after the June battle on the 12th of July, Carson gave a ferocious speech, urging Ulster Loyalists to take action themselves.

A small bit from the speech "When Carson’s turn came to address the large crowd, he denounced not only the British government but Sinn Féin, the Catholic Church and the county councils (Derry, Fermanagh & Tyrone) which had chosen to give their allegiance to the Irish republic." "The MP for Belfast Duncairn said that he would reorganise the Ulster Volunteers (UVF) no matter what the consequence, adding pointedly: ‘I hope you have got that pretty clear. I hate words without action.’" - https://www.rte.ie/centuryireland/index.php/articles/carson-threatens-return-of-ulster-volunteers-in-militant-twelfth-speech - A few days later Catholic workers were chased from their jobs on the shipyards by Loyalist mobs to "drive the Sinn Feiners out", which is sort of counter-productive now they have more time to concentrate on SF activities, if they were in it, which I doubt.

In another article, it says the battle was July 1920, but I think they mean June. The Bishop of Derry's house was shot at after declaring his support for Sinn Fein.

"A CATHOLIC boys' school became headquarters to the IRA for a tumultuous week during the Irish War of Independence, a new book has revealed.

Over a seven-day period in July 1920, during which 20 people were shot dead, St Columb's College in Derry - later home to two Nobel laureates and a host of nationalist leaders - became the front line between the IRA and the re-forming UVF.

New research by Ulster University academic Adrian Grant has revealed that the IRA centred itself at St Columb's with the support of many republican priests angry at plans to partition Ireland." https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2018/12/03/news/derry-s-bloodiest-week-in-war-of-independence-revealed-in-new-book-1498874/ Also interesting to read Carson's support for partition. In recent years revisionists have tried to paint Carson as someone who would almost support a united Free State, instead of dividing any part of Ulster or Ireland, but he seems fine with it here https://www.rte.ie/centuryireland/index.php/articles/carson-defends-partition-of-ulster

Does anybody have any info on the battle, I can only find articles which pretty much say the same thing & a book with a few lines?

As for the British role in it I'll quote from a book "1916: Ireland Revolutionary Tradition"

"the British Army were supplying intelligence material on Sinn Fein & the Northern IRA to still illegal UVF. When sectarian riots broke out after the first-ever nationalist election victory for Derry City Council, the full extent of the collusion became evident. Loyalists began firing on Catholic areas and UVF patrols took over the city centre, yet the British Army stood aside. When they finally imposed a curfew on the city they concentrated their efforts on the Catholic population. Searches for arms were also concentrated in the Catholic areas and six Catholics were shot dead."

^ Sounds like the Falls Curfew 50 years earlier.

donaghs

Never knew about this before. There's a good article here: The Derry Riots of 1920 – The Irish Story