AN IRISH BRIGADE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 39, 15 October 1915, Page 7

AN IRISH BRIGADE.

TO FIGHT FOR GERMANY. SIR ROGER CASEMENT’S MISSION FHISONERS REFUSE TO BE TRAITORS. (A detailed account of the impudent German attempt to influence their Irish prisoners of war was given to a Daily Chronicle representative on August 2G by Corporal H. Thompson, a Dublin man belonging to the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. Corporal Thompson returned to Knglaiul on that date with the disabled soldiers who have been 1 exchanged with German prisoners.) On May 9 (says Corporal Thampsoii) the troops at Limburg were circularised, and invited by Sir Roger Casement to light for Irciantt, “with the moral and material assisG;''fa of tin- Gorman Government.” The circular also stated that, if an Irish brigade were formed, it would he equipped with arms, and ammunition by the German Gove nmenc, would be stationed near ikviba, and be treated as guests of the Government. “At the end of the war,” the circular continued, “the German Government undertakes to send each member of the brigade who so desires it, to the U.S.A. with necessary means to land.”| Hie appeal ended with the intimation that men who refused to join the Irish brigade would be removed from Limburg. Those who were interested wore advised at once to see their German company commander. | “Out of the 2000 men,” said Cor-j pond Thompson, “about 50 accepted, the invitation. Not a single N.C.0.,| however, was among the 50. Every officer did his utmost to dissuade the men from joining.” “TURN HIM OUT.” Corporal Thompson showed “The Daily Chronicle” representative a copy of a written statement by another interned prisoner concerning the formation of the Irish Brigade. Itj runs as follows; ] “On December 7 all the of the camp present at the time were paraded in a barrack room. A tail gentleman accompanied by a staff of German officers entered and spoke tons. lie said: ‘I am engaged on a dangerous mission. I am now for the purpose of forming an Irish origado of the prisoners of war.’ | “We were naturally dumbfounded as it dawned on us what he was ling at. He had appeared to take special notice of me during hi, s visit, i was the youngest N.C.O. there, and some days afterwards 1 was sent for from his hotel at Limburg. He gave me a book and told me to enter up the names of Irishmen in camp. . . Mass was to he said next morning, and all the men gathered in a room when our noble friend made his appearanace, and said it would be a good opportunity to speak to the men. Our fellows were very angry at being tooled. . . He attacked our Go-

\ eminent and heaped abuse on England and all Englishmen. “Our fellows got raging, and cries of ‘Chuck him out’ were heard. So after a few more remarks he went out. Three days aiterwards the priests arrived, and one of them had a parcel for me and one for the sergeant of the Leinstcrs. It contained food enough to fill a hungry person's soul with delight. “Sir Roger Casement paid some more visits to us, and 1 was taken to his hotel, and once more met the scoundrel. Tie at once began to talk about the Irish brigade, and asked me if there were any hope of its materialisation. I replied, ‘Surely you don’t expect men who light for the British Hag t> betray their country!’ He said they were unworthy of the name of Irishmen. THE PROPOSED UNIFORM, “He then showed me a uniform with green facings and collar badges of the harp, which was to lie worn by the brigade. He asked me if I were willing to become a recruiting sergeant, and I said, ‘Decidedly not.’ “Sir Roger Casement now has another ally in the person of an American priest. The latter made it his business one day to call upon me and question me about the 1,8. movement. Our fellows treated him with scant courtesy. I reminded him that we had taken an oath to fight for our King and country, and he said we weren’t hound to keep that oath. He said, ‘What a grand thing it would he if S ome of the Irish soldiers bearing a flag with “Ireland our country, not England.” “The following day he visited Us as usual, but very soon perceived he was in Coventry. We met on the road, but !| took no notice of him. He went into h, ne 0 f the rooms where a hot-headed 'fellow of the Ministers asked him 'what he meant by coming near us at hdl. A fierce argument ensued, in ‘which the priest was worsted, and took his departure. And I have not seen him since. 18.2.15.” i Corporal Thompson added that the Irish soldiers everywhere are continually approached by the Germans with a view to fostering disloyalty to the Empire.