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Formation of an Irish Brigade in Germany.
Following upon the Declaration of goodwill towards Ireland issued by the Imperial German Government on 20 November last, Sir Roger Casement proposed the possible formation of an Irish Brigade to be enrolled from among those Irishmen, prisoners of war or interned in Germany who might be willing to volunteer for the service of their country.
The proposal thus made having been fully considered steps were taken by Sir Roger Casement and some of his countrymen in Germany to carry this project with effect.
The end in view was clearly defined in a series of articles submitted by Sir Roger Casement to the Imperial German Foreign Office, and Embodied in an Agreement with that Department dated 28 December last.
The main points of this Agreement are the following:
"with a view to securing the national freedom of Ireland with
"with the moral and material assistance of The Imperial German Government, An Irish Brigade shall be formed from among the Irish soldiers or other natives of Ireland, now prisoners of war in Germany.
The object of the Irish Brigade shall be to fight - solely in the cause of Ireland and under no circumstances shall it be employed or directed to any German end.
The Irish Brigade shall be formed and shall fight under the Irish flag alone. The men shall wear a special, distinctively Irish uniform.
The Irish Brigade shall be clothed, fed, and efficiently equipped with arms and munitions by the Imperial German Government, on the clear understanding that these are furnished it as free gifts to aid the cause of Irish independence.
"It is distinctly understood, and is hereby formally declared by the parties to this agreement that the Irish brigade shall consist only of volunteers in the cause of Irish national freedom, and as such no member of the Irish Brigade shall receive pay or monetary reward of any kind from the Imperial German Government during the period he shall bear arms in the Brigade.
In the event of the Irish Brigade landing in Ireland (with German support) and military operations in that country resulting in the overthrow of British authority and the creation of a native Irish Government, the Imperial German Government will give the Irish Government so established its fullest moral support and both by public recognition and by general goodwill will contribute, with all sincerity, to the establishment of an independent government in Ireland."
Many
Many of the Irish soldiers in the prison camps in Germany, on learning of these conditions, expressed their wish to join the Irish Brigade and numerous applications have already been accepted.
A body of picked Irishmen is now enrolled, armed and equipped and is being daily augmented by fresh volunteers from among the prisoners.
The first company of the Irish Brigade has drawn up and caused to be signed by their non-commissioned officers the following statement which they wish to have widely circulated as a Manifesto to their countrymen of their hopes and aims, and thereby to secure the moral and material support of all patriotic Irishmen throughout the world.
Manifesto of A Company of the Irish Brigade
[printed, pasted down onto the page:] We, the Members of the Irish Brigade now being formed in Germany, late prisoners of war but now enrolled to fight for the freeedom of our country hereby declare:
That, as we entered upon the war as members of the British army in the belief that we were fighting in the cause of Liberty and justice, as thereby advancing the cause of our Country, Ireland, to secure the rights and liberties of her people; and as we have assured ourselves and are now certain that in this belief we were misled by those we had trusted and that today, as always, the British State is the implacable enemy of our Country and of all its national rights and liberties, and, moreover, that in this war, which has been forced on the world by England and her allies the cause of national right, of justice and truth is the cause of the Germanic nations:
Now, therefore, after full deliberation and with full sense of our responsibility, we have taken the open course of severing, by our own act, all connection with the British State and army and of giving ourselves to the service of our Country to fight for Irish Indepen dence. If it were in the power of any Irishman to bring that result about to-morrow by honourable and brave means, he would be indeed a coward and a traitor to the traditions of his race did he not do so. The Imperial German Government has generously undertaken to arm and equip us as soldiers of Ireland to fight in her cause alone and under the flag of our Country.
With the help of our countrymen in Ireland and throughout the world, we hope either to win the Inde pendence of our Country or to die fighting for the glory of God and the honour of Ireland.
[end of printed text]
[at the upper right corner of the page, pencil, struck through:] get officers get men get money get in touch with leaving Irish
We the members of the Irish Brigade now being formed in Germany, late prisoners of war but now enrolled to fight for the freedom of our country, hereby declare:
That, as we entered upon this war as members of the British Army in the belief that we were fighting in the cause of Liberty and Justice and thereby advancing the cause of our Country, Ireland, to secure the rights and liberties of her people; and as we have assured ourselves and our now completely certain that in this belief we were misled by those we had trusted and that today, as always, the British State is the implacable enemy of our Country and of all its national rights and liberties, and,