Daily Mail Claims Republican Plot to Seize Irish Boundary Commission Files – On This Day in 1925
November 17 1925
An extraordinary story of alleged preparations on the part of Irish Republicans in London to raid the office of the Boundary Commission appeared in yesterday’s “Daily Mail”.
“The police information was”, says the paper, “that an opportune moment for the raid was to be seized, and if the raid was made in daylight officials present were to be covered by revolvers and rendered helpless to raise an alarm until it was too late. It was because such a threat could not be taken lightly that it was decided to arm all the detectives and to issue orders that the firearms should be used if an attempt were made to seize the documents and resistance was offered”.
The paper adds: “Although the capture of the documents would not effect the decisions of the Commission beyond causing further delay, the Republicans would be in possession of the entire history of its activity and the reason for every decision”.
The Press Association say that as a precautionary measure nine armed special branch police officers whose duties concern political offenders were despatched to the offices on Saturday evening. The guard was maintained throughout the weekend, and will be retained until the authorities deem it safe to withdraw the officers. At first the police were not inclined to attach too much importance to the threatened raid, but subsequent investigations, it is understood, led them to the conclusion that a raid might be attempted. The work of the Boundary Commission in Ireland attracted a good deal of interest, and it is suggested that members of the Irish Republican Party are anxious to retrieve certain documents that came into the possession of the Commission.
The raid, however, was not attempted, and at the moment the police incline to the view that no attempt will be made to visit the office.
A Press Association representative walked into the building yesterday without being challenged, and learned that the office staff would not be on duty until some time later. A porter explained that the gates of the Inn had been locked at night of late, following a burglary.
With the arrival of the staff, however, the Press Association representative found that his access to the building was challenged, and he had some difficulty in gaining admission. The official whom he interviewed said that there was a guard of armed detectives over the documents. They came on duty on Saturday night, but none of the officials knew that there was any truth in the story of the alleged plot to destroy the papers.
“We had an armed guard during our sojourn in Ireland”, he added. He said that the detectives numbered over a dozen.
With the furore rising over the Morning Post forecast of an abysmal Boundary Commission outcome for nationalists, there were allegations from the Daily Mail that Irish republicans were planning to raid the Boundary Commission office in London.
