{"id":671,"date":"2024-03-22T11:38:01","date_gmt":"2024-03-22T11:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seswpcourse.hosted7.connect.ie\/?p=671"},"modified":"2024-03-25T14:57:58","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T14:57:58","slug":"the-man-in-the-tank-fear-an-tanc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seswpcourse.hosted7.connect.ie\/index.php\/2024\/03\/22\/the-man-in-the-tank-fear-an-tanc\/","title":{"rendered":"The Man in the Tank (Fear an Tanc)"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Mystery<\/h2>\n

click on any picture to enlarge it\u00a0for another account of this story,\u00a0see here (click).<\/a><\/i>\u00a0This story will be on TG4 Player until 16 November 2014.<\/p>\n

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\"Plassy

The Plassy<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Inis Oir is the smallest of the Aran Islands, measuring about two miles by three miles. From a maritime history perspective, it is best known for the wreck of the\u00a0Plassy<\/em>, the \u201cFr Ted\u201d ship which features in the opening sequence of each episode of that series. During the Second World War, wreckage from ships which were lost in the Battle of the Atlantic was washed up on western shores. In this particular case, a railway tank wagon (intended to contain a liquid such as water or petrol) came ashore.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"headstone\"

headstone<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

When it was opened, it was found to contain a corpse! We do not know who he was. Locally he was dubbed \u201cFear an Tanc\u201d or the \u201cman of the tank\u201d. He<\/span> was buried in the local cemetery,<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Holy

St Kevins, a fifth century church this is Holy Ground<\/p><\/div>\n

which is the site of the ruined monastery of Saint Kevin. This page is a summary of what is known and speculation of what remains unknown. These notes were prompted by Aenghus Geoghegan of Snag Breac Films who was making a documentary on this subject for TG4. Mark McShane, author of Neutral Shores, did considerable research in the archives at Kew, establishing details, such as: Jessmore<\/em>\u00a0was the ship which sank. When we went to the island, the people there were extremely helpful, in particular Paddy Crowe, the Co-op chairman; also Michael \u00d3Conghaile (bike hire) and Ned of Teach Ned. While almost all on the island were very helpful.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Messenger<\/span><\/h2>\n

Their experience of John Messenger who wrote \u2018Inis Beag: Isle of Ireland\u2019 and \u2018Inis Beag Revisited\u2019 was, from their point of view, an unpleasant betrayal of trust. His book commented on the islanders, who spent their days in alcohol fuelled fights. That is the mildest of his observations. He said a lot more. Perhaps that is why they won\u2019t oblige other strangers asking questions. Those who would talk acknowledged that a corpse was found in the tank, and they buried it. They claim that there was nothing to identify the corpse; not even clothing! John Messenger was on the island when the\u00a0Plassey<\/em>\u00a0went aground. We are fortunate that he had a camera and took photographs of the rescue. There are prints of those photographs in the National Maritime Museum in D\u00fan Laoghaire. There is a far better preserved set in Aras Eanna on the Island and another in Teach Ned, a pub.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Photo

A Photograph, in Aras Eanna, taken by John Messenger of the Plassy Rescue.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Turkey<\/span><\/h2>\n

The railway tank wagon was part of a consignment sent to Turkey during the war. We are unaware of any other export, to other nations, of rail locomotives or rolling stock in the early years of the conflict. Britain needed the steel to fight the war! The War Department did send trains to Egypt, Palestine and Persia. This export was unusual. Turkey had ordered 58 locomotives and 600 wagons before the war. At the outbreak of the war, the British would not fulfil the order. Hitler then sent \u201ckriegsloks\u201d locomotives to Turkey. Britain then supplied 25 locomotives, which were originally intended for the war in France. After the fall of France, there was no immediate requirement for them. For \u201cdiplomatic reasons\u201d (to maintain Turkish neutrality) they were sent to Turkey on a number of ships. Two ships were lost: the\u00a0Jessmore<\/em>\u00a0in the Atlantic, west of Ireland and the\u00a0Berhala<\/em>\u00a0off Freetown, Sierra Leone. In recent times (2010), some engines have been brought back to England and restored by enthusiasts. They were built for the \u201cstandard gauge\u201d of 1,435 mm or 4 ft 8 1\u20442 inches, which is used in France, Turkey and Great Britain. In Turkey, these engines were known as \u201cChurchills\u201d. Turkey remained neutral. Near the end of the war Turkey did declare war on Germany. This was technical, allowing Turkey to seize German assets in Turkey. Turkish troops were not involved in any combat.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Jessmore

Jessmore\u00a0is lost, with thanks to Mark McShane<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Jessmore<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

The\u00a0Jessmore<\/em>\u00a0was built in built West Hartlepool in 1921. Her dimensions were: steel 360\u00b4 long; 52\u00b4 beam; 2357 tons. Her first owner, Johnston Line, called her \u2018Peruvia\u2019<\/em>. This company later merged into the Johnston-Warren Line. She left Liverpool, travelling in convoy OG53. The convoy was bound for Gibraltar, hence the prefix OG. The\u00a0Jessmore<\/em>\u00a0intended to continue around Africa and through the Suez Canal to Turkey. Her log book cannot be located, however full details are in other records, such as the Commodores Report. (If a stowaway was found, there would be a mention in the ship\u2019s log.) Considering when and where the man, dead or alive, entered the rail tank wagon. It could have been anywhere from where the wagon was assembled to Liverpool docks. While it is possible it happened on the ship, a dead body would have been thrown overboard; while a stowaway would probably prefer a lifeboat if he hadn’t already revealed his presence. We are not certain that the wagon was made in the Gloucester Works. We can say, for certain, that the Jessmore sailed from Liverpool in February 1941. This was at the height of the Blitz. Contrary to some public perceptions, the blitz resulted in more crime, more criminals, more gangs and more murders. This has been recounted in books such as \u201cThe Myth of the Blitz\u201d by Angus Calder, \u201cMurder on the Home Front: A True Story of Morgues, Murderers and Mysteries in the Blitz\u201d by Molly Lefebure, and \u201cAn Underworld at War: Spivs, Deserters, Racketeers and Civilians in the Second World War\u201d by Donald Thomas. The average citizen was 85 per cent more likely to be a victim of violence in 1945 than in 1940.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Munster,

Munster, an Irish passenger ferry, was mined and sunk on entering Liverpool.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Liverpool was the second most-bombed city, (London being the first). Amid this confusion, criminality flourished. At the outbreak of the war, large numbers of prisoners were released. The blitz provided ample opportunity for crime and the police were under-resourced. In 1941, when food was strictly rationed, 2153 beef and lamb carcasses were stolen. There was an increase in the number of prostitutes plying their trade in Liverpool docks, accompanied in the numbers murdered. However we were told that the man in the tank was male. In some high profile murder reports, the body was left in bombed buildings under rubble, in the expectation that the police would conclude that the victim was killed by the bombs. In a number of widely reported cases this ruse did not convince and the murderer was hanged. If the murderer knew that the wagon was bound for Turkey, exporting the body might have seemed preferable. He could have been murdered!<\/span><\/p>\n

Convoy OG53<\/span><\/h2>\n

Convoy OG-53 departed Liverpool on 15 February 1941 and arrived in Gibraltar on 1 March 1941. It consisted of 45 merchant ships and 15 escorts from the Royal Navy. Not all the Ships were bound for Gibraltar. At various points, ships left the convoy, sometimes joining other convoys, for destinations such as North America and, as in the case of the\u00a0Jessmore<\/em>, some would continue south, around Africa. Similarly, escorts joined and left. \u00a0The convoy went around the north of Ireland and took a wide arc into the middle of the Atlantic. When Jessmore sank, she was 200 miles west of Ireland. \u00a0This route was taken to avoid German surface raiders and aircraft based in occupied France.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"The

The Dutch ‘Thames’ is about to collide with, and sink, the\u00a0City of Waterford\u00a0Painting in D\u00fan Laoghaire Museum<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Collision<\/span><\/h2>\n

At 3am 19 February 1941, another ship in the convoy,\u00a0Baron Pentland<\/em>, lost control of its steering and collided with\u00a0Jessmore.<\/em>\u00a0A tugboat was dispatched from Londonderry (Derry) to tow\u00a0Jessmore<\/em>\u00a0back for repairs. The convoy continued. HMS\u00a0Scimitar<\/em>\u00a0remained with\u00a0Jessmore<\/em>. On the morning of the 21st , with\u00a0Jessmore<\/em>\u00a0very low in the water and deteriorating weather, the crew were transferred to HMS\u00a0Scimitar<\/em>. At noon 21 February 1941,\u00a0Jessmore<\/em>\u00a0sank at 53\u00b011\u00b4N 16\u00b007\u00b4W. It was an orderly evacuation. All the crew were accounted for. If there was another person on board, there was every opportunity to leave the sinking ship. As there was no reason to forget the ship’s log and other papers. There were other losses from collisions in convoys, such as the loss of\u00a0City of Waterford,<\/em>\u00a0which sank after she was accidentally rammed by the Dutch tug \u2018Thames<\/em>\u2019 while they were part of convoy OG74. At the start of the war Irish ships did sail in convoys, this changed after the experiences of OG71 and OG74. For detail on the Irish experience of convoy OG71 and convoy OG74, which is not relevant to this story,\u00a0click here<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Rail Tank Wagon<\/span><\/h2>\n

The rail tank wagon could be opened and locked from the outside. There was an expansion valve to release pressure if the contents expanded in heat. The coast, where it came ashore, is all large stones. It has been described as a \u201cpebble beach\u201d, if so the pebbles have a diameter of a meter or more. These rocks are moved about by storms. The storms of January 2014 were particularly damaging. Pieces of the rail tank wagon are strewn along the coast. These stones are unstable. I didn’t venture over to the rusty remains. My thanks to Paddy Crowe for taking this photo.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"The

The remains of the rail wagon on the beach. Photo by Paddy Crowe.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Where was it made?<\/span><\/h4>\n

A brake block is inscribed with the word \u201cGloucester\u201d. We are fortunate to have it, as it was removed by an islander as it was convenient to shape horse shoes. Irish railway historian Jonathan Beaumont (author of \u2018Rails to Achill\u2019 and \u2018Rails through the West\u2019) identifies \u201cGloucester\u201d with the Gloucester Railway Carriage Works, where it probably was manufactured. On the other hand Alan Drewett wrote: \u201cI for one had no recollection of an order being placed directly by the Ministry of Supply or other British Government body with the Bristol Road Wagon Works for any tank wagons for Turkey\u201d. \u201cIt is not impossible that it was another maker\u2019s wagon with a spare GRCW brake block added during hasty wartime repairs.\u201d So, we do not know where it was made. Ten months after the\u00a0Jessmore<\/em>\u00a0was lost, the rail tank wagon was sighted off the coast of Inis Oirr. After it came ashore, it was opened and the corpse was found. Those who found it say that the man could not be identified. He was buried in the grounds of the ruined church of Saint Kevin. Others were washed ashore and were buried near where they were found. They would only have buried this body in such a sacred place, if they knew that he was a \u2018good Christian\u2019. What was left of the rail tank wagon has been damaged by subsequent storms. Serious damage was inflicted by the storms of January 2014. Parts of the wagon remain strewn along the foreshore.<\/span><\/p>\n

The grave, marked only by the stone illustrated above<\/div>\n

What is known:<\/span><\/h2>\n