Australians and the First World War by Kate Ariotti & James E. Bennett

Australians and the First World War by Kate Ariotti & James E. Bennett

Author:Kate Ariotti & James E. Bennett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer International Publishing, Cham


The Irish National Association and the Irish Republican Brotherhood

One consequence of increased perceptions of possible disloyalty was increased government surveillance of the Irish-Australian community. A key target was the INA. This group was established in Sydney in mid-1915 by Albert Dryer, an Australian of Irish descent, who was motivated by Britain’s delay in granting Ireland Home Rule after the outbreak of war in 1914. The association focused on all aspects of Irish culture and history, and Dryer ensured its members were kept informed about Ireland’s progress.13 In a reflection of the number of Irish-Australians adopting more radical positions in relation to Ireland, branches of the INA were subsequently established in both Brisbane and Melbourne.

Close links between MI5 in Britain and the SIB led to the sharing of information about supposedly suspect Irish-Australians, including INA members.14 In November 1916, MI5 intercepted a letter revealing details of Australian money involved in buying American arms for Irish revolutionaries.15 This interception precipitated a circular from the SIB director, who warned all his inspectors that “Sinn Fein…[existed] in a serious form [and] it will be well to watch closely all persons known to be connected to the organisation.”16 Individuals thought to be associated with the Irish Republican movement were to be monitored “without distinction,” and the creation and use of a card index of suspects and their details was soon mandated.17 Raids on targeted Irish-Australian groups by security officers in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane followed in March 1918 and material obtained during these searches facilitated further raids in May. In June 1918, in what appeared to prove loyalist suspicions of Irish-Australian treachery, seven INA members were arrested.

SIB surveillance of the INA, and the arrest of seven of its members, also exposed the existence within its ranks of the Irish Republican Brotherhood’s (IRB) “Australian Division.” The IRB had a shadowy history with Fenian roots, and from the late 1860s it “led a rather submerged existence seeking opportunities to exploit.”18 Any situation where British vulnerability could be exploited to further Ireland’s interests encouraged IRB interest. There were early Australian connections. In 1877, according to O’Farrell, an international revolutionary directory intended to coordinate the IRB and Irish-American radical groups had one Australian member.19 After Sinn Fein was founded in Ireland in 1905, another generation of radicals provided republicans with wartime opportunities. The IRB’s Supreme Council was largely responsible for the 1916 Easter Rising. One study of the 1,770 Irish witness statements collected between 1947 and 1957 from participants of the Rising demonstrated IRB connections, and showed “the importance of the IRB, not only in Ireland, but also in the countries where thousands of Irish emigrants sought a livelihood.”20 Although this evidence was collated some decades after the Rising—potentially raising questions about its reliability—it is important to note that participant statements about IRB membership and involvement were generally consistent.

The IRB’s history of international extremism and violence against Britain led to significant official anxiety about the discovery of IRB connections in Melbourne and Sydney during 1917 and 1918. But a



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