London North Western Railway Hotel Attack -11 Apr 1921

Auxiliaries outside the hotel after the attack (the window pictured is the lower right window in the contemporary photo).

1921 Mar 21. "Q" Company took over the L.N.W.R. Hotel as a H.Q. and Barracks

1921 Apr 11. The Times reported Shortly before 8am attackers mingled with dockers on their way to work. When the attack began, an Auxiliary sentry on duty outside, was shot in the leg, but he succeeded in getting inside and raising the alarm. The Hotel was attacked from three different points, men armed with bombs and revolvers attacked the windows from two sides, while others who were stationed on adjacent roofs with rifles, fired at anything they saw moving inside. The men on the road took cover behind barrels that they rolled in front of them as they advanced to the windows hurling their bombs. Major Ryan the Company Commander was coming down the stairs when a bomb came through the window, knocking off his cap, the bomb however failed to explode. The Auxiliaries, most of whom were only partly dressed, came out on to the road and replied vigorously to the fire of the assailants, who quickly fled and were pursued in every direction. Some escaped across the canal, others towards the city, and they raised the drawbridges to prevent further pursuit. Parties of five and six Auxiliaries chased here and there, after escaping assailants and minor engagements took place at several points. One man who had a bomb in his hand was shot in the head and fell in the road, he died on the way to hospital, two other men suffering from gunshot wounds were taken to hospital.

An Irish newspaper report says that 12 bombs were thrown. The Daily Mail had a more sensationalistic view of the attack

 

The sentry wounded at the start of the attack was the only Auxiliary casualty, he was Temporary Cadet Gerald Alfred Body

Among the attackers only one, Peter Freyne , was killed.His surname was Freyne, not Frayne as on the British records

1922 Jan 21. As a result of the gunshot injuries he received following the attack on the North Wall L&NWR Hotel, T/C Body was awarded £180 compensation

Given that this photo was taken on 11 April 1921, and that most of the recruits to Q Coy only joined ADRIC on 2 April, one can see that some had not yet received their ADRIC uniform

The T/Cadet in RAF uniform in the foreground is Hatch HWW , and the man against the wall, standing to the right of the drainpipe is Reynolds JC

 

Q Company