Richard O'Rawesheds light on the vetting of H-Block comms.

As as general rule I don't comment on social media or get involved in the discussion that takes place online. But for the purposes of clarity I think I should on this occasion.

In 1985, I, along with two other volunteers, vetted all the comms from the H-Blocks before they were given over to David Beresford, who was researching his book, Ten Men Dead at the time.

Our task was to make remove all comms which mentioned The Mountain Climber, the intermediary between the British government and the IRA kitchen-cabinet. As we now know, one comm slipped through the net.

The recently uncovered 25 February 1981 comm from Bobby, in regards to his burial arrangements, did not come to our attention while vetting the comms.

In relation to the 9 March 1981 comm that Danny Morrison has produced for the media, at no time did I, or my fellow-volunteers, redact any comms. Redaction was not the purpose of the process in which we were engaged. So, if there is a redaction in the Morrison comm, someone other than we deemed it necessary to censor the comm and, in doing so, conceal the facts behind the redacted section from Beresford's future readership. 

It is not for me to speculate who might have been behind the redaction. But if everything is above board, if Bobby genuinely did change his mind in regards to his funeral arrangements, why hide it? And why was all this hidden from the Sands family for the guts of forty years? Maybe someone thought them unworthy of knowing how their son and brother wanted to be buried.

Richard O'Rawe was the H-Blocks PRO during the 1981 Hunger Strike. His books, Blanketmen and Afterlives are inside accounts of the blanket protest and subsequent hunger strikes. 

Vetting Comms From The H-Blocks

Richard O'Rawesheds light on the vetting of H-Block comms.

As as general rule I don't comment on social media or get involved in the discussion that takes place online. But for the purposes of clarity I think I should on this occasion.

In 1985, I, along with two other volunteers, vetted all the comms from the H-Blocks before they were given over to David Beresford, who was researching his book, Ten Men Dead at the time.

Our task was to make remove all comms which mentioned The Mountain Climber, the intermediary between the British government and the IRA kitchen-cabinet. As we now know, one comm slipped through the net.

The recently uncovered 25 February 1981 comm from Bobby, in regards to his burial arrangements, did not come to our attention while vetting the comms.

In relation to the 9 March 1981 comm that Danny Morrison has produced for the media, at no time did I, or my fellow-volunteers, redact any comms. Redaction was not the purpose of the process in which we were engaged. So, if there is a redaction in the Morrison comm, someone other than we deemed it necessary to censor the comm and, in doing so, conceal the facts behind the redacted section from Beresford's future readership. 

It is not for me to speculate who might have been behind the redaction. But if everything is above board, if Bobby genuinely did change his mind in regards to his funeral arrangements, why hide it? And why was all this hidden from the Sands family for the guts of forty years? Maybe someone thought them unworthy of knowing how their son and brother wanted to be buried.

Richard O'Rawe was the H-Blocks PRO during the 1981 Hunger Strike. His books, Blanketmen and Afterlives are inside accounts of the blanket protest and subsequent hunger strikes. 

8 comments:

  1. ROR
    I don't think it was because Bobby's family were thought unworthy of knowing. Consistent with your published work informing the family of what they had a right to know would have been just as inconvenient as telling the men that there was an offer on the table. Gerry Adams had a plan that saw himself become leader of the republican movement... like all ambitious political leaders he wasn't inhibited from using people to achieve his objective. As an agent of influence his Brit handlers would have been expert political strategists and not your run of the mill MI5 operator.

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  2. If comms were written on toilet and other scraps of paper, is it even possible to redact something that small?
    Once redacted which I would assume would involve blocking words with a marker or tape that would then destroy that piece of the document and make it unreadable?
    We do know the comms were vetted. It seems anything that was deemed “secret” on a comm, then the whole comm was not provided to various authors writing books on either Bobby or the hunger strikes. Were there any cases of a redacted comm being photographed or replicated in a publication?
    If Beresford were shown the comm in which Bobby asked for the poetry and mentioned the change of mind on his burial wishes, why would he remove that himself from his book?
    There is no mention of that sentence or paragraph on any of the other books published containing that comm.
    One would think that an investigative journalist would scrutinize these documents and follow up on anything that stood out.
    I find it hard to fathom with all the books and articles ever written where this comm was reproduced or referenced that every author felt there was no need to include this one thing?
    It does not add up.


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    1. Tommy - I think the way the redactions were done was that they typed up the comms and then stored the originals elsewhere. The redactions would have taken place via manipulation of the typed copy.

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  3. Bobby made the ultimate sacrifice for us. The very least we and the P.I.R.A. command outside of the H Blocks should have done was honour his dying wishes.
    Our struggle has been plagued with ego's and ulterior motives, to have allowed this to happen to one of our leaders at such a seminal hour shows how dangerous ego's and ulterior motives are to any revolutionary movement.

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  4. 21-5-81 bik sends comm to Liam og naming next four hunger strikers in numerical order Tom mcelwee Bellaghy Laurence McKeown Randlestown D Nellis Derry city Martin Hurson TYRONE.27-5-81 bik receives comm from Brownie after which bik replys saying he has informed Martin Hurson to commence the hunger strike in place of Brendan McLaughlin who has had to come off his due to medical issues.So Martin Hurson has went from fourth in biks list till next in line after receiving brownies comm so brownie must have picked him is it because Martin was from Tyrone,were there's a by election coming after Bobby Sands death.29-5-81 Liam og writes bik a comm asking what he does with the Comms he receives.After explaining how he disposes off the Comms he writes that all his Comms will be kept in a folder and he will be tried by the IRA on mutiny charges is this an admission of guilt on what they involved in is against army rules.3-7-81 bik received a comm from Brownie after which he replys saying he will write to OC INLA prisoners asking will they endorse Owen Carron as candidate for Fermanagh south Tyrone at the end of comm there's this god knows when you'll get a reply meaning it's brownie asking for the endorsement for Owen Carron .This is a couple days before the death of Joe McDonnell and brownie looking for the election endorsement of by election get to be called.13-7-81 Martin Hurson dies and bik sends brownie comm stating they will replace Martin with Matt Devine from TYRONE immediately against the normal procedure off vetting each hunger strikers.Its strange all other hunger strikers there village or town or estate they from except the two Tyrone were it seems it's the county they from that quickened there hunger strikes starting.This is all taken from ten men dead in which it proves Martin Hurson was chosen by brownie against biks order on which he choose them Numerically.So question is why he was overruled.

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  5. Just what was in brownie comm to bik 22-7-81 in biks reply he talks of terrific gains in advancing the struggle so politics is a cert,then there's capitulation bik mentions on a number of occasions but when bik says that doc and Kevin will die and as you say other hunger strikers could also then brownie told bik doc and Kevin will die and possibly more hunger strikers until the hunger strikers capitulate.Bik then says the hunger strike will go on until a settlement or events outside there control force the hunger strike into capitulation which is exactly what happened with the men's families interventions.Question is did brownie tell bik that was the plan to end strike after Owen Carron was elected that was there way out but it would cost 4 more deaths.In reading the lengthy comm I think so

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  6. Why would Danny Morrison try minimise the contact he had with Bobby Sands unless he has something terrible to hide he makes out the last time he spoke with Bobby was when First hunger strike ended and he was then mysteriously barred from jail.But in a comm from bik dated 15-1-81 it say Marcella has special visit with pennies ie Morrison tomarrow so nearly a month after his apparent last visit he was back so why is he lying what does he not want people to know?

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  7. If we are to believe ten men dead as the truth off the hunger strike and Bobby Sands master minded it constantly sending Comms for the permission to embark on the 2nd hunger strike why is there no Comms showing this.You are meant to believe it was all his idea and that it was he who picked Francis Hughes and Ray mccreesh to follow him and that he devised which way the hunger strike strategy would operate.In the Comms sent from Marcella hunger strike is not mentioned until 31-1-81 in replying to army council the 2nd time it's mentioned is in a comm to Liam og about visit from menace dated 21-2-81 he says the only way to stop hunger strike is assurance to implement previously negotiated and guaranteed settlement by an agreed date.Meaning he thought that there must have enough in the agreement that ended the 1980 strike if implemented as agreed.Thats completely different view we are meant to believe he had had.Is it possible that everything we are meant to believe is a lie.Could Bobby just have been following orders from those on the outside were he was ordered not to repeat what was asked of him and the importance off following orders.That could be the reason Morrison is lying abt his last time meeting him could it be him on the other kitchen cabinet members who devised the whole thing.If you think off how they lied about his funeral wishes manipulated his writings and poetry and songs into a cash bonanza for themselves what would they not do.They even put the blame of picking Martin Hurson on to Bobby Sands when it says bik didn't know Martin Hurson he was picked posthumously by Bobby Sands.In fact brownie picked Martin Hurson

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