Pictured Above: After the surrender – Rebels under the command of De Valera (marked with white x) marching on Grand Canal Street. Picture courtesy of the National Library.
Girl Mistaken for Sniper
A tragic event has taken place in Dublin 4. Margaret Veale aged 13 years old, was ‘peeping’ out from her bedroom window on Haddington Road last Easter Monday, when she was showered with bullets.
Investigations into why this young girl was shot reveal that she was curiously looking out of her bedroom window using a pair of binoculars that were being kept in the house at the time. Simultaneously a group of soldiers from His Majesty’s Forces, were brewing tea in a nearby laneway when the girl was spotted.
She was wearing a green jumper at the time and this fact, coupled with the appearance of the binoculars is what led the soldiers to believe that she was a rebel sniper.
The subsequent hail of bullets left her mortally wounded. At least ten bullets were found at the scene. Mr Veale, Margaret’s father is a commercial clerk in Dublin.
Local Man is Slain as Rebels Surrender
A local man, William Gregg, of Simpson’s Lane, Ringsend, is the latest civilian casualty of the conflict on the streets. On April 29th, the day the rebels surrendered, Gregg was making his way to work at the Glass Bottle Works on his bicycle when he was hit by gunfire.
Gregg’s name will be added to the hundred’s of innocents who have fallen amidst the carnage. His relatives assert that he had no connection to the fighting whatsoever and was merely on his way to put in his usual shift as a bottle blower at the works.
We were unable to confirm if the gunfire came from rebels or soldiers but the very nature of the fighting on the streets has meant a huge number of civilian fatalities as they get caught in the crossfire.
Gregg died of blood-loss and shock as a result of his injuries while medical staff at Jervis Street Hospital have reported conditions reminiscent of an ‘abattoir,’ as they treat approximately 600 citizens for bullet wounds. Gregg, who was originally from Scotland, is now buried in a family plot in Deansgrange in close proximity to his neighbour, Andrew Joseph Byrne, from Pembroke Street, Irishtown. Byrne was a sniper with the 3rd Battalion and died on the railway line near Boland’s Mill on Thursday April 27th.
Girl Killed while Collecting Coal
On April 28th, 11 year old Bridget Stewart was collecting coal along the Dodder when she was struck by gunfire. She was brought to the Royal City Hospital in Baggot Street where she died of haemorrhage and shock from a single gunshot wound to the chest. Her father, Charles, was a general labourer. Her sister, Mary Connolly, was with her when she died. Late of 3 Pembroke Cottages.
Reports by Maria Shields O’Kelly
