Old Soldier Pat Mangan Passes Away
September, 1988: One of the last surviving members of the Connaught Rangers Mutiny in India, Ballina-born Patrick Joseph (Pat) Mangan, died in Surrey, England. He was 90 years old. Pat was born on 16th March, 1898, and lived most of his life in England, but was a frequent visitor to his native Ballina, calling on his niece, Mrs. Martha Meenaghan, and grand-nieces, Mrs. Mattie Lehane and Mrs. Mattie King. Brother Edward (Ned) Mangan (R.I.P.), and nephew, Eamon, lives in Foxford. His nephew, Eamon Mangan (son of brother, James, Old I.R.A.), died in England. James’ other son, Michael, (R.I.P.), lived in Ferran Terrace, Ballina, and worked in Duffy’s Bakery. His niece, Nano Ryan, died in Sept., 1990
Some years ago Ballina-based secondary teacher, Mary Kenny, of St. Muredach’s College, Ballina, wrote an article on the Mutiny under the title “From Ballina to Solan” which was one of the great acts of defiance again Black and Tan atrocities in Ireland, in remembrance of Mr. Mangan.
Mary wrote: “In a recent effort to trace the route of my grand-uncle, during his service with the Connaught Rangers, I had the great pleasure of meeting Pat Mangan. Pat, who now lives in Surrey, England, was born in Mill Street, Ballina, on March 16th, 1898, and every year he visits his niece, Mrs. Meenaghan, and grand-nieces Mrs. Matt Lehane and Mrs. Matt King. Thanks to them I was able to ask Pat about the famous mutiny by the Connaught Rangers in India in 1920, of which he is, I think, the last survivor.”
News of the Black and Tan atrocities at home in Ireland, which reached the Rangers in letters, triggered off the mutiny. The 1st Battalion of the Rangers laid down their arms, declaring they’d serve no more as soldiers for England.
The Mutiny began in Jalandhar, on the plains of the Punjab and spread to Solan, a hill station. Consequently, from H.Q. in Murree, Major-General G. de S. Barrow, Northern Command of the British Army in India, ordered that Private James Daly, aged 22, of Tyrellspass, Co. Westmeath, of the 1st Battalion of the Connaught Rangers, regimental number, 35025, be executed by a firing squad at Dagshai Prison on Tuesday, 2nd November, 1920.
The reason for this execution was that two men had died during the mutiny at Solan, though this wasn’t mentioned in the charge, which read:
“The said Private James Joseph Daly, and fifty men or thereabouts, attacked with naked bayonets in their hands, on the night of 1st July, 1920, the magazine at Solan in which arms had been deposited and which was being defended by a guard of officers and men”. The dead men were Privates Sears and Smith, Private Eugene Egan from Claremorris, was wounded in the attack, and at first there were fears that he, too, would die. However, the shot went through without touching the ribs or lungs and Egan survived to hear the news that he and thirteen others were sentenced to death.
What circumstances had brought those young men to India to be caught up in this situation which turned out, in fact to be a choice of loyalties? Recruiting started for the rangers in 1793, when the hon. colonel de Burgh raised an army for England’s war against France. The Rangers were then called the 88th Regiment. Thousands of young Irishmen were to serve in various places, including Argentina, France, Spain, India and the Middle East and places as infamous as Gallipoli, where they were cut down by the Turks.
THE DEVIL’S OWN
On 30th June, 1881, the 88th Regiment became the 1st Battalion of the Connaught Rangers. Commenting on “The Devil’s Own”, as they were called, Wellington is quoted to have said: “I don’t know what effect they have on the enemy, but they certainly terrify me”.
Young Irishmen in search of adventure flocked to the recruiting centres; for others it was an escape from the farming life which was their lot or in some families, it was a tradition. Pat can remember that Bob Hastings of Hill Street, Ballina, who was a postman, was the recruiting officer in Ballina and after numerous attempts at joining, and being turned away because they were too young, Pat and his friend, James Convey, finally got recruited.
I asked Pat if he knew where he would be sent. “Ah, no”, he replied, “and I didn’t care either”. The £2 weekly wage, as well as the adventure side, was attractive after having worked for thirty shillings in various butcher shops.
Pat’s regiment number was 35250 and he was sent to India in October, 1919. He remembered travelling from Liverpool to Dover and stopping in Malta on the way to India. On arrival in India, they were sent to Jalandhar, in the Punjab, for training and later to the hill-station of Solan, as it got very hot on the plains. Pat recalls that a pint cost two pence in the canteen.
While Pat was in Solan with C. Company a large draft arrived in Jalandhar in May, but wasn’t sent to the hills for some unknown reason.
On Monday, 28th June, 1920, one of the last drafts on the plains refused to parade and others followed their example. The previous day, these soldiers had received letters from home. At first it was thought that the reasons the men refused to parade was as a protest again the adjutant Lieutenant Leonard William Leader, who was rarely punctual for inspection and inflicted forced marches on the men under the burning sun. At 7.00 a.m. B. Company at Jalandhar was preparing for parade and the march to the rifle range. Four privates – Joseph Hawes, Stephen Lally, Patrick Gogarty and Christopher P. Sweeney – volunteered for the guard-room which was the traditional way of registering a protest. They told Sergeant Shaw: “We’ll soldier no more for England”. Eventually there were 35 men in the guard-room from B and C Companies, singing rebel songs.
All the companies were assembled and Hawes explained to Colonel Henry Robert Gordon Deacon, the officer in command: “All the honours on the Colours of the Connaught Rangers are for England. There’s none for Ireland, but there’s going to be one to-day and it will the greatest honour of them all.”
On dismissal, Private William Coman from Cashel, heard the adjutant give the order to the acting sergeant-major: “When the men go to their bungalows, put Hawes under arrest”. Coman shouted: “You won’t get the chance of arresting Hawes – we’re all going back to the guardroom –left turn, back to the guardroom lads”. Now there were 40 mutineers and the Tricolour was raised at Jullundur.
The officer in command of Jullundur arrived. The mutineers agreed to hand over their guns to the N.C.O’s who were in sympathy with them. They were sent to a camp on the plains, which was enclosed by barbed wire. Here, some suffered from sunstroke and for non-co-operation, as far as work was concerned they were put on a diet of bread and water. In a temper, Major R. L. “Johnny” Payne, from Cork, had them lined to be shot by a detachment of the South Wales Borderers. The Rangers were saved just in time by the arrival of Fr. Levin, a Capuchin priest of Lahore diocese, who asked what was going on. He was told by Major Payne: “I am going to shoot these mutineers”, to which Fr. Levin replied: “If you shoot one of these Irish lads you will have to riddle my poor old body as well”.
The priest turned to the Connaught Rangers and said to them: “Are you ready to die?” After replying “yes” the Rangers knelt while the aged priest gave them Absolution. He turned to the Major and said: “Fire away, I shall die with them”. Just them Colonel Jackson rode up on his horse and angrily demanded from Major Payne: “Who gave you orders to do this?” Without giving the officer a chance to reply he said: “Get out of here and take those men with you.” He apologised to the Rangers and said: “I am sorry for this incident. Nothing like this will happen in future”. The majority were now subdued, but 47 who wouldn’t give in and were sent back to Jalandhar in leg-irons.
Meanwhile, two Rangers – Lance-Corporal Frank Keenan and Private Patrick Kelly – had reached Solan – where Pat was stationed – with news of the mutiny. The men there, led by Daly, refused to report for duty. Fr. Levin persuaded them to give up their arms. They agreed to do this on the condition that they wouldn’t be arrested by armed troops.
Later, Fr. Baker, then chaplain to the Connaught Rangers at Solan, was seen talking to some officers and the mutineers got afraid that something was being planned against them. There followed the tragic attack on the magazine, led by Daly, who shouted to the guards: “If you want to know who the leader is, I’m James Daly, No. 35025 of Tyrellspass, Co. Westmeath”.
ONE EXECUTED
Next day, all the mutineers were rounded up and sent to various prisons. Fourteen were condemned to death, but all, except Daly, were reprieved and got life sentences. Others varied from 1 year to life. Pat was sent to Simla for his 2 year sentence. Here he made doormats. After about a year, all the prisoners were sent to England to finish their term in prison. (Pat now lives just half a mile from where he finished his prison term). In mid-December, the leaders were sent to England in leg-irons. James Daly was executed on November 2nd, 1920, and was buried in grave number 340 of Dagshai prison. In 1970 the remains of Sears, Smyth and Daly, were repatriated to Ireland by The National Graves Association and given a military funeral with full honours. A special monument in their honour was erected at Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin.
After the Anglo-Irish treaty, the government decided to reduce the army and the Connaught Rangers was among the regiments which were disbanded. Their colours were laid up at Windsor, Berkshire, and the disbandment of the regiment took place on the 31st July, 1922, thus ending 230 years of an outstanding record of military service.
Nowadays, names like Jalandhar and Solan, even the name “Connaught Rangers”, don’t ring many bells. Pat for me, is history and adventure personified, as well as a lovely gentleman.
• Private Daly’s Regimental Number was 35025, and Pat Mangan’s Regimental Number was 35250.
• Ballina men who took part in the Mutiny: Patrick Joseph Mangan, Mill Street. No. 35250. James Joseph Devers, Bohernaup. No. 32609.
CONNAUGHT RANGERS’ MEMORIAL
IN GLASNEVIN CEMETERY, DUBLIN.
Pat Mangan – Sole Survivor
of the Punjab Mutiny
In an interview by Anthony Hickey,
published in the “Western Journal” issue on 29th June, 1979.
He was born on the 16th of March, 1898, in what was then the very heart and soul of Ballina – Mill Street – along the banks of the River Moy where so many of his kind reaped a livelihood, found contentment in times of distress, and enjoyed their leisure time swimming, fishing and boating.
But it was also a very different world from present day Ballina. It was occupied by the British, there was very little work and when one was fortunate enough to have a job one was usually exploited by unscrupulous employers who demanded long hours and paid out meagre wages in return.
Pat Mangan remembers those days now and refers to them as the ‘Good old days’—but for the eighty-ones years old Pat reminiscing on those times brings back rather hazy memories of a protest he was involved in three thousand miles from his native Ballina, as a young lad of 16½ years.
Pat Mangan is the last living man of the brave 69 members of the Connaught Rangers who shook the very foundation of the mighty British Empire—the British Army—when they mutinied on the plains of the Punjab in 1920, in sympathy with their homeland which was undergoing a brutal plight at the hands of a mercenary army.
From the outset the mutiny was passive, but it was to end in the execution of a 22 years old Private named James Daly from Tyrrellspass, Co. Westmeath, and long prison sentences for the rest of the mutineers.
From watching the silent movies Pat had developed a longing to ‘see the world’ and like so many young boys did, he joined the British Army to fulfil his teenage dreams of adventure.
Pat recalls: “I wanted to see the world and get away from everything. Looking at the silent pictures in Mulligan’s picture house in Garden Street, gave me a longing for the world.”
In those days the British Army offered the most convenient escape for such sentiments both in financial and travel terms. Although the required age for entry to the army was 19 years, Pat had a friend, James Convey, went to the recruiting office, situated in the vicinity of Shamble Street, and both were eventually accepted when persistence won out. “Every time we went up to the recruiting office where Bob Hastings, father of Andy, was the recruiting Sergeant, we were a few years older. Finally Bob said to us ‘sign here’ and he gave us a shilling each.
The infamous Kings shilling was to be Pat’s first payment in the Army and after being assigned to the most respected regiment—the Connaught Rangers—Pat spent some time training in England before his departure to the Orient. A frontier post in the Simla Hills became the place where his dreams of adventure and escapism were quenched.
Life in that first years in India Pat remembers with affections was happy and enjoyable. “There was plenty of fresh air and sunshine and life was good and enjoyable.” With some sorrow Pat adds: “I was quite happy until the trouble started.”
The trouble Pat referred to was the mutiny which had begun at Jullundur on the plans of the Punjab and spread within a short time to the hill post where Pat as stationed. IN his book ‘The Connaught Rangers’, Sligo-born journalist T. P. Kilfeather, states: “The reason was simple (for the mutiny). In the Connaught Rangers 1s Battalion there were close on 1,000 Irishmen. In Ireland, a war to free Irishmen from British domination was being fought. To subdue the Irish, the British recruited a band of men whom the Irish called Black and Tans. In letters, from home, the Connaught Rangers grounded arms in mutiny, declaring nevermore for England would they serve as soldiers.”
Says Pat: “We were on the hills and the fells down on the plains came up and told us that the Black and Tans were doing awful things back in Ireland. We threw down our arms and were shifted to Dagshai jail.
“Among those with Pat at the time, he remembers a man from Tubbercurry called ‘Chinny’ Gorman who died recently.
Threats of execution, court martial, attempts at persuasion and gruelling hardship failed to break the mutineers’ spirit. They were marched in the blazing sun without water to an internment camp. At that time of the year, the heat, even in the shade of bungalows, was well nigh unbearable. By mid-day, the plight of the Connaught Rangers was pitiable. Men who could not bear the near suffocation of the tents crouched inside with their shirts held over their heads in protection from the sun which seemed to strike like a blow. One by one the men collapsed with heat exhaustion and lay inert after which their bodies became covered with sand flies.”
Finally Pat was removed to Dagshai jail and after a court martial was sentenced to three years. Although this was commuted to two, it was a stark difference to what the young Ballina boy, not yet 18, had gone in search of the big world. After some time in Dagshai jail Pat was transferred to Woking jail in England where he completed his term.
He explains that being only 16½ years he didn’t fully realise the significance of his action. It wasn’t until years afterwards he became fully aware of what he had done. But still there is no regret evident and says Pat “I am happy with what I did.”
On the completion of the prison sentence he returned to his native Ballina working on the Moy Fisheries, among other jobs. Later he crossed the Irish Sea again taking up employment with an American company. Here Pat stayed and yearly makes visits home.
While in Ballina he stays in the home of his old friend Matt King at Childers’ Heights. And the man who ran away from home, as a boy, over fifty years ago, says he wouldn’t be happy living anywhere except close to the River Moy and his old home at Mill Street.
CONNAUGHT RANGER VETERAN DIES IN ENGLAND
In its issue of 14th September, 1988, the “Western People” reported that “the death occurred recently in England of Pat Mangan, formerly of Mill Street, Ballina, who was the last surviving Mayo member of the Connaught Rangers’ Regiment.
“Aged 90 years, the last Mr. Mangan was one of those involved in the famous Rangers’ Mutiny in India and was jailed at that time.
“He joined the British Army at fourteen years of age in Ballina and after training in England was shipped to India with the famous Regiment.
“Members of the Regiment were involved in mutiny over the actions of the British Forces in Ireland at the time.
“The late Mr. Mangan lived most of the life in Surrey in England. He is survived by his brother, Eddie, in Foxford.
“His remains were brought to Ballina and he was buried in Leigue cemetery.”
(For those who would like to visit Pat’s (or Patrick Joseph—his full Christian name) grave he is buried in the Tony Meenaghan grave).
(In the 1901 Census of Ballina, the Mangan family lived in house No. 12 in Mill Street. The family consisted of Michael (head of family, butcher and cattle dealer); Sarah (his wife); and family members: Katie (10); John (8); James (6); Thomas (5); Patrick Joseph (3) and Michael (1). By 1911 they had moved to No. 3 Mill Street. They family was increased by two: Norah (9), and Edward (8). In the 1901 Census Michael snr. said he was born in Mayo, but in the 1911 Census he declared he was born in Co. Sligo).
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