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| File Reference |
MSP34REF59614
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| Name |
Francis McLoughlin Scannell |
| Gender |
male |
| Address detail |
| Street |
26 Arran Road, Drumcondra, Dublin
|
| County |
Dublin
|
| Country |
Ireland
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| Address detail |
| Street |
9 Hamstead Avenue, Glasnevin, Dublin
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| County |
Dublin
|
| Country |
Ireland
|
| Address detail |
| Street |
25A St Canice's Road, Glasnevin, Dublin
|
| County |
Dublin
|
| Country |
Ireland
|
| Date of birth |
1880
|
| Notes |
Exact date of birth not recorded on file
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| Date of death |
1960-11-10
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| Associated files in MSPA |
34E8141
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| Civilian occupation |
Employee, Post Office Engineering Department, British Civil Service;
|
| Easter rising service |
No |
| Organisation |
Irish Republican Army |
| Rank |
Intelligence Officer
|
| Division |
General Headquarters (GHQ)
|
| Commanding Officer(s) |
Wilson C MacWhinney (Derry); Liam Archer (Dublin)
|
| Pension Claim |
Yes |
| Award Pension |
Yes |
| Army Pensions Act 1923/1953 |
No |
| Military Service Pensions Acts 1924 |
No |
| Military Service Pensions Acts 1934 |
Yes |
| Grade |
E |
| Notes |
Awarded 1 and 1/2 years’ service for pension purposes in 1942 at Grade E under the Military Service Pensions Act, 1934
|
| Military Service Pensions Acts 1949 |
No |
| Digital file |
Scanned/digital copyMSP34REF59614 Francis McLoughlin Scannell.pdf
Scanned/digital copy34E8141 Francis McLoughlin Scannell.pdf |
| File dates |
27 December 1940 - 06 March 1961
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| Subject Information |
File relates to Francis McLoughlin Scannell’s receipt of a military service pension in respect of his service with the IRA in the service periods between 01 April 1920 and 11 July 1921 during the War of Independence. Scannell was awarded 1 and 1/2 years’ service for pension purposes in 1942 at Grade E under the Military Service Pensions Act, 1934.
Francis McLoughlin Scannell was employed in the Post Office Engineering Department of the British Civil Service in Ireland. It is stated that his association with the Irish Volunteers began when he met Wilson C MacWhinney of Derry in a rowing club in Dublin. Subject claims that he was sent to Derry City for work where he was in charge of all telegraph and telephone installations in Derry and as far as Portrush [County Antrim] and down to Omagh [County Tyrone]. He became attached to the Irish Volunteers in early 1918 and worked alongside William Doherty and another unnamed man in Engineering Department.
Francis McLoughlin Scannell states that he took part in supplying detailed technical information regarding telephone and telegraph circuits which enabled IRA units to isolate a single house or entire town with minimal risk which was also used by IRA to give “false alarms” to police; supplying information that was heard on secret service telephone lines; supplying information to IRA about a car parked outside Derry Jail which was put there as “bait” by British forces to entrap the IRA; reporting malicious damage to telegraph/telephone lines to the police and procuring information on their descriptions of IRA suspects; supplying information regarding the personnel and strength of police and military barracks including the presence of two female “secret service agents” who were transferred from Belfast; supplying false information to British forces which led them to not opening the bridge over River Foyle and helping with planned escape of Wilson C MacWhinney from prison which was not successful.
Applicant states that he spent two weeks in Cork every year on holidays where his sister worked in a post office. He claims that he gave instructions to battalion units in Cork and Blarney on how to use his tapping machine under command of P O’Keeffe.
In November 1920 during the War of Independence (January 1919 – July 1921), Francis McLoughlin Scannell states that transferred to Dublin and started doing similar work under the command of Liam Archer (24SP1019) (Central Telegraph Office). Subject states that he working alongside another post office employee named McArdle and three unnamed telephone operators. He claims that he was in charge of all telegraph and telephone installations in Dublin (from Wicklow to Balbriggan and to Maynooth, County Kildare in West and Sallins, County Kildare in South). He claims that he was engaged in supplying plans and charts to the IRA of underground telephone cable under Dublin city; information regarding British military telephone circuits connecting British General Headquarters (GHQ) and the Curragh and Cork HQ; devising an instrument to “tap” telephone lines; procuring post office equipment for 5 Battalion (Engineers), Dublin Brigade; procuring information which led to five telephone cables being cut before Custom House burning (May 1921) and passing on general information gleaned from police to Patrick Moynihan (MSP34REF15502) about the layout of several government buildings.
In front of the Advisory Committee, it is claimed that Francis McLoughlin Scannell “left the Post Office and joined the Army” but he wrote in his application form that he did not have service in the National Army. Taking the pro Treaty side in the Civil War, the subject states that he discovered a scheme in post office where telephone lines to the new ministers of the Irish Government were being “tapped” and information onto passed to ‘Belfast Evening Telegraph’ and British secret service man in Belfast which led to the dismissal of telephone operator Miss Fitzgerald in Dublin and four girls in the Belfast office; was in charge of Crown Alley Exchange (National Army) and tapping the lines of “suspects” (anti-Treaty IRA) and refers to the fact that the head officials in the Post Office Engineering Department were still Pro British.
File includes references in support of the subject’s claim from Wilson C MacWhinney (1941) and Colonel Liam Archer (1941); a typed summary of sworn evidence given by the applicant before the Advisory Committee on11 July 1941; handwritten notes of discussion with Colonel Liam Archer on 09 November 1942; material relating to the payment of the balance of the service pension and funeral grant to next of kin following subject’s death on 10 November 1960 and letter addressed to widow regarding widows pension returned “deceased” in 1972.
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