"Los otros internacionales. Voluntarios extranjeros desconocidos en el Bando Nacional durante la Guerra Civil." by Jos‚ Luis de Mesa. Ediciones Barbarroja. APDO. CORREOS 45.082 MADRID. ISBN 84-87446-24-8

"LA BANDERA IRLANDESA" is a 30 page chapter in the above book , it uses Eoin O'Duffy 'Crusade in Spain', Seumas McKee 'I was a Franco Soldier', and F. Mc Cullagh 'In Franco's Spain' along with some 'Servicio Historico Militar' documents as its main sources.

Following a short biography of O'Duffy as the Commander of the Independent Irish Police and the Army Comrades Association (later the National Guard ,which were known as the "Blue Shirts" and adopted the roman salute ) JL Mesa goes through the different newspapers of the period detailing Irish Green Shirts aid to Franco.

O'Duffy arrived to Pamplona, Spain 26th September 1936, being welcome by the Junta de Guerra Carlista. On the following day he met General Mola in Burgos. But, it wasn't before November that he convinced Franco on signing an agreement at Salamanca, which went as follows:

1. The Irish volunteers would join as members of Banderas of the Tercio of the Legion Extranjera (Army of Africa).

2. Commanders would be Irish/Spanish with both the first commander and second in command being fluent in English.

3. Also there would be Spanish corporals and sergeants and even privates able to speak English.

4. Spanish members wold be extremely friendly and active Catholic's as they are both in a religious crusade.

5. Irish Banderas would operate together if possible, although might be split among columns and other wider units. It would be better if these units were not used against the separatist Nationalist Basque as they were Catholic too.

6. If any professional army officer did volunteer his rank would be recognized. It seems that O'Duffy mentioned a 2nd HQ Army Staff Colonel.

7. Irish would have heir own medical corps, chaplain and services

8. The expected forces to arrive would complete 8 Banderas (btn.) with 5000 men, although possibly this amount was to be increased.

9. A Spanish Officer would be in charge of paying the private, NCO's, officers and O'Duffy wages.

10. O'Duffy would act as "General Inspector de las Banderas Irlandesas" as a Brigade General, with a mixed staff.

11. O'Duffy mentions also a time limit for the campaign of up to six months.

By October the Bishop of Dublin had already sent 1.5 million pesetas as aid to the Nationalist Army. The Nationalist Army named Legion Lt Noel Fitzpatrick as coordinator, who made several reccommendations, and asked for some men such as Brigada Enrique Katz who were bilingual.

On paper the Irish bandera was to have 1 commander, 10 captains, 7 Lt's , 14 Alfereces, 1 doctor, 53 sergeants, 1 weapons specialist, 2 corporals, and 590 volunteers. Weapons would be 463 rifles, 18 Lmg, 8 medium MMg, six 50mm mortars and two 81mm mortars.

Some interpreters were named sergeants mainly Spaniards with Irish or British ancestors such as Charles William Hoke, Mulcham Sobraj, Walter Waller, Amaro and Antonio Duarte-Boydharvey, Adolfo Berthy, Jos‚ Mascarenhas, Diego Azcona Granda, Juan Roca Lodo, Luis Morales Mejias, Lutgardo Macias Lopez, Jos‚ Romero Mu¤oz, Jaime Juanal Danigno, and Curro Larios.

Officers were Commander Botana Rose, Lt's Noel Fitzpatrick, and William Neagle, Cavalry Ltnant. Jacobo Jordan de Urries, Alfereces P.J. Raventos, Pedro Bone, Alfonso Bustamante, and Sergeant R. Martorell. As O'Duffy aide and liason officer Jose Fernandez de Villacencio y Crooke who was an aristocrat, and whose wife was Irish. The announcement was published in the Official Bulletin as "assignments to the Catholic Banderas".

Meanwhile, O'Duffy's men were enlisting and being sent to Spain by sea. The initial forces departed from Liverpool (UK) on the vessel 'Ladys Leister'. The Commanding officers were Diarmuid O'Sullivan, Captain PJ Gallager, Quatermaster James Finnerty - a former IRA member/Irish army. John F Mc Carthy ("jerry") , Captain David Torney, Captain Sean Garraham, and Sean B. Murphy, John C. Muldoon and Bernard J. Connolly. Argentina's newspaper "La nacion" mentioned a certain Carew, and that the vessel was the vanguard of 2000 men.

A week later a second group arrived. Among the officers: Colonel Patrick Dalton (who was commander of the Bandera), Captain Thomas Hyde, Commander Padraig Quinon (first leading a company and later the 2nd Bandera), Thomas Gunnig, Commander Sean Cunnigham (commanded the Mg company), Tom O'riordam, Tom Smith (commanded the "B" company), Edward Murphy, Dennis Kelly, George Timlim and Peter Lawler all officers in Spain. Also James Clancy and Michael Cagney MG officers, a chaplain Father S. Gillian and medical Doctor Peter O'Higgins.

On October 20th a couple of dozen volunteers arrived on the ship ' Avoceta ' at Lisbon. The first flag given to the unit was emerald green with a red cross and the words "in hoc signo vinces". On November 26 an Irish commander and 10 officers appeared in Caceres to create the Irish unit which was a surprise for the nationalist army HQ. The following day a new vessel "Aguila" left Liverpool with 84 volunteers among them the officers: Charles Horgan, Thomas Cahill and Eamon Horan (all former IRA members) and chaplain Seamus Mulream and colonel Michael Coughilzagdt. By then there were 21 officers and 123 privates of Irish nationality.

A further ship ' Dunn Aengus ' left Galway on December 15th. According to the Argentinian newspaper "La prensa" there were "1000 men". Also Carlos Engel another SCW historian mentions that it was the ' Urundi' vessel from Hamburg with 400 men. Following Peter Kemp, these men were only 650 and went to Vigo from Germany. Finally the forces were gathered at Salamanca where they paraded under the Flags of Spain, Ireland, Italy and Germany.

Mc Kee mentions that they were sent to Caceres barracks on December 22, being officially recorded as the 13th Bandera later 15th (Irish forces) with a Commander, 18 officers and 635 men. The unit had as support weapons - two 77 mm mine throwers. Uniform included the green shirt with an harp, later changed to a blue green Tercio shirt still with the Irish national emblem. A new flag was issued in green with an irish Wolfhound on it.

Commanding ranks were : Major P. Dalton as "Jefe", "A" company Captain O'Sullivan, "B" company Captain Smith, "C" company Captain Quinon, and mg company Captain Sean Cunnigham.

The Bandera had German instructors, who did not speak English, so Capt. O'Sullivan had to translate. This officer insisted that the national flag was saluted raising the hand (Roman salute). At least one instructor Capt. Capablanca was Spanish.

During training there were several incidents as heavy drinking, fights and others. Mc Kee mentions a fracas with Moorish troops using knifes and guns -- a moor was killed -- the Irish were only fined for this 'incident '. Another fight with Spaniards resulted in an arrest for a certain Mr O'Dowell. Also worth mentioning is the case of private William Moran who deserted, was caught and arrested -- then condemned to die as punishment, but as new volunteers were expected to fight, he was spared. Some British soldiers in the unit, Hugh Alapnourusos, M. Daniels, Jack Colley and Sergeant Mulchand Sobrajh were accused as spies, only sergeant Sobrajh left without charges, and the other 3 expelled to Gibraltar.

Among the difficulties the unit had - many authors mention the lack of proper officers as there are many doubts on the ranks self given by some of them, or were obtained along with Irish independence, but never in an professional army. Notwithstanding the above, there were good officers such as Walter Meade, Alferez Peter Lawler, and the Tercio lieutenants Fitzpatrick (O'Duffy says his real name was Michael Skeffirgton Smith), and Neagle who had been at Sandhurst, India and in the French Foreign Legion. Also be mentioned are Sgt. Joseph-Doyle C. Coy, and "C" Company Sgt. Joseph A. Cunningham (who published his memoirs).

On February 15 1937 the unit was sent by train to Navalmoral de la Mata and later Valdemoro (Madrid area) and then walked to Ciempozuelos. "A" company deployed and noticed that there were Falangist forces towards them, although identified as Irish Bandera of the Tercio, both troops fired and there were some casualties in the unit, Spanish and Irish (among the latter - lieutennant Hyde, and privates Dan Chute, and John Hoey...).

Being on duty in Ciempozuelos, they suffered at the hands of an air attack (known casualty: Tom Mc Mullen who lost a leg). As the unit occuppied a former Moor position which was in an unhealthy status, many soldiers suffered illness, even Dalton himself. During this time Alferez Marcelo Gaya Delrue (of french origin ) meets the unit writing in his memoirs "Combatre pour Madrid" that the Irish had poor discipline, and that having received whisky before an attack they began to shoot other nationalist troops. There are also references to alcohol problems among the Irish in General Cabanellas memoirs "La guerra de los mil dias".

On March 13th the unit is used against Titulcia, but is pushed back with casualties due to fierce enemy fire. Mc Kee says it finished with a general flee. Among casualties Sgt. Gabriel (aka Gab) Lee, and privates John Mc Sweeney, Bernard Horan, and Tom Foley, also wounded Sgt Lawlor, Caporal Donnelly, and privates Mick O'Connor, F. Gilbert, Tom Mc Grath and Mark Price. The medical services and the "Irish Christian Front" ambulance were mentioned (Bergin, Roche, Bophy, Mc Gee, Mulvaney and Mc Closkey) for their bravery.

On March 18th the unit deployed in the La Mara¤osa heights, an Irish company being attached to the Carlist Tercio de Requet's El Alcazar.

There were new casualties (-John Noochs by accident), and up to 150 suffered disease, some dying such as Sgt. Tom Troy, and privates John Walsh, Eunan McDermott, and Thomas Doyle. Others died once being evacuated to Ireland from disease caught in Spain - John Mc Grath, Mat Barlow, Jack Cross, and E. Dwyer. The Irish medical services also included Colonel Doctor Mc Cabe and nurses Mc Gorisk and Mulvaney in Caceres Hospital.

A Depot Irish Company was created in Caceres under the command of Capt. Patrick Hughes, which was in charge of new volunteers (among them chaplain O'Daly in the 2nd Bandera, this unit never actually being formed).

Meanwhile the Irish government was pressing to abort all new recruiting and asked that any one under 21 years of age to be sent back (more than a hundred). Accordingly, some of those claimed by their parents are sent back to the rearguard: John O'Connor, William Mc Morran, William Fogarty, Joseph Rogers, and Christy O'Connalle, Joseph Doyle, Martin Kennella, Jeremiah Cassey, and Mathew Curtiss.

There were problems with discipline, alcoholism, and fights even among officers; O'Duffy had introduced censorship preventing volunteers to write back home. All these circumstances introduced doubts in the Nationalist HQ relating the feasibility of the Irish Bandera, and on March 28 General Yagae himself asked to disband it. Among many other facts he said that an Irish officer had fired at Spanish officers Botana and Marques de Vallecerrato, that Captain Peter O'Higgins and unit chaplain didn't dare to go with the volunteers following a reprimand. The chaplain even asked to be assigned to another unit, and he was finally sent back home.

O'Duffy complained about the disbandment request and blamed the Spanish officers, an specially the British members of the Bandera. Following a discussion between Yagae an O'Duffy, the former dismissed O'sullivan as commander of the Bandera, sending him to Caceres.

Finally the decision is taken, and the unit is disbanded. All the volunteers but nine decided to go back to Eire, which was done through train to Lisbon and then by the ship "Mozambique" arriving to Dublin June 22 1937.

(Editors note - In the September issue of ' Military Illustrated ' Number 148 Chris Hall writes an article on ' Irelands Fascist volunteerss ', which should be read in conjunction with the above. backcopies are available from Military Illustrated, 45 Willowhayne Ave, East Preston, BN16 1PL, UK £ 3.95 Uk, £ 4.95 Europe, $10 USA. Cheques payable to Publishing News Ltd )