Detectives were busy all the time trying to take fingerprints from prisoners …
Seamus Donaghan from Liverpool, who fought in the GPO was double-jointed and the detective was told to hurry up as he had to go to the boat. The ‘G’ man tried to take his prints again but got no result so he told Donaghan and the rest of us to go’…. …
Before leaving the gymnasium the prisoners were paraded in single file with an English Officer and a ‘G’ man. Each man had to give his name and address. Dr James Ryan was detained by the ‘G’ man for some time. After he gave his name, address and profession, the ‘G’ man said, ‘I have a charge against Dr Ryan.’ The prisoners were held up, so the Officer became annoyed and said,
‘I am in charge here! Proceed, Ryan!’
After this delay the Volunteers proceeded from the gym to the barracks square, where our comrades were assembled in single file. We fell in likewise.
There were several English soldiers going along the line with a large open basket containing biscuits. When they came near the end of the file there were no biscuits left for about a dozen men and they were given two small tins of bully-beef in lieu.
The soldiers told us that if we had been able to hold out for another week, the English would have been starving.
We were marched to the Quays, en route to England. A number of our men were ill-treated when they arrived on the boat and also during the passage. We were packed like cattle. The first town we stopped at was Stafford where our reception was hostile – which was only to be expected from our enemy people.
… more later …