Bloody Sunday November 21 1920
The role played by Major General Tom Ennis Captain Elm Park 1940/1941

Tom took part in many of the major military operations in Dublin during the War of Independence. By far the biggest of these was to become known as Bloody Sunday (21 November 1920). According to the account of Bohemian FC player Sam Robinson, Vinny Byrne of the Squad and Tom Ennis led a group of men on that day to 38 Upper Mount Street, where they assassinated British Lieutenants Ames and Bennett. Vinny Byrne said he was detailed to take charge of the operation but he did not like the idea because in his group was Tom Ennis and Byrne thought that as Ennis was a senior officer in the 2^nd Battalion, he should take charge, but when he said this to Ennis, the latter “would not hear tell of such a thing”. The group met outside St Andrew’s Church on Westland Row at 8 a.m. on that Sunday morning. They went via Merrion Square and Holles Street to Mount Street.
 
Byrne and Ennis went to the door, rang the bell and a servant girl opened. Byrne said he sent Ennis to one of the rooms and entered the other himself. He and some of the men took the officer they found there to the room of the other officer and shot both of them in that room. The sound of the gunfire attracted British army personnel in the area and the men keeping watch at the entry to Mount Street came under fire. When the men in the house ran out, they were fired on from across the street. They succeeded in making their way to the Liffey, getting across in a boat and escaping capture or death.
 
Frank Saurin, who was a member of GHQ Intelligence Section and intelligence officer for the Mount Street operation, said that he was interested principally in the papers that the British intelligence officers Ames and Bennett would have. In his anxiety to make a thorough search of their rooms, he was unaware that the other men had left and hearing some shooting in the street, he walked to the door of Bennett’s room. He heard a noise and, looking down the hall, he saw a British soldier outside the room where the two bodies were. Saurin wheeled to shoot but the soldier jumped into the room. At the same time, Tom Ennis, who was shooting across the street from the doorstep of number 38, called on him to “come on”. Saurin ran to the door and saw across the road another British soldier shooting down the street at the backs of their retreating men. Both he and Ennis fired at this soldier, who jumped into the doorway of the nearest house. Saurin said he and Tom hurried after their men, “the line of our retreat being to Sir John Rogerson’s Quay and by ferry across the Liffey to the north side”.
 
That afternoon, Tom attended the fatal football match in Croke Park between Dublin and Tipperary (he was photographed, dressed in civvies, with the Dublin team), at which 14 people were shot dead when Black and Tans and Auxiliaries arrived at the ground and fired into the crowd. Among those killed was Michael Hogan, the Tipperary corner back; the famous Hogan Stand was subsequently named in his memory.
Frank Henderson, who was adjutant to the Dublin Brigade, said that shortly after Bloody Sunday he presided at the election of commandant of the 2^nd Battalion, Dublin Brigade and that Tom Ennis was elected to the position. This was confirmed by Harry Colley, who was also a Dublin Brigade adjutant.
 
Next week: Tom leads a large contingent to burn the Custom House
 
   

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