Private Charles Herbert Burns
Charles Herbert Burns was born on 15 November 1895 in Kilmacrenan, County Donegal, the fifth of ten children of grocer Samuel Burns and his wife Annie (nee Rutherford). By 1911 he was living in Kilmacrenan with his parents, eight siblings and a nephew.
Burns enlisted in the North Irish Horse between 20 October and 12 December 1913 (No.881 – later Corps of Hussars No.71145). He embarked for France with A Squadron on 17 August 1914, seeing action on the retreat from Mons and advance to the Aisne.
He remained with the squadron in France and Belgium throughout the war. One record states that he was wounded, but no details are known at present. On 17 March 1919 he was transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve.
After the war Burns returned home and worked for his father. On 23 February 1922 he was fatally shot by an IRA man at Milford. The circumstances, according to Liam Ó Duibhir in Donegal in the Civil War:
... a party of IRA men under the command of Commandant James Walsh was on patrol at the Milford Fair with instructions to stop and search all vehicles entering the town. Three IRA men spotted two men running up the street away from their post and going into Alcorn's grocery shop. The IRA men pursued them, entered the shop and ordered the two to raise their hands: but one man did not obey. The order was given again and then a third time but the other man put his hand into his coat pocket, drawing a weapon and was immediately shot dead by Patrick Connelly.
Newspaper reports of the incident are shown below.
The matter was raised in debate in the House of Commons on 15 March 1922, when the Secretary of State for the Colonies, WInston Churchill, was asked:
... whether he has any information in the case of Charles Herbert Burns, who was shot dead by the Irish Republican Army at Milford, County Donegal; whether he is aware that the murder of this ex-soldier has been justified on the part of the Irish Republican Army on the ground that it was by lawful authority; and if he can say whether any representations have been made to the Provisional Government; and whether any arrests have been made by their authority in connection with this matter?
Churchill replied:
According to the evidence given at the coroner's inquest in this case, Burns was challenged and ordered to put up his hands by a picket of the so-called Irish Republican Army consisting of four men, who were under orders to attend at Milford Fair and to hold up and disarm all unauthorised persons found in the possession of firearms, and when challenged he put his hand to his pocket and drew a revolver, whereupon one of the four men fired and wounded him fatally. I am not aware that the so-called Irish Republican Army has made any statement in the matter; but the coroner's jury, consisting of six Protestants and six Catholics, none of whom, I understand, is a member of the Irish Republican Army, found that the man who fired did so in the execution of his duty. In view of the peculiar circumstances existing at the time and in the area where this unfortunate and regrettable event occurred, and in view of the finding of the coroner's jury, His Majesty's Government do not propose to take any further action in the matter.
At least one of Burns's brothers served during the war – Robert Arthur Burns, as a corporal in the US Army.
The Londonderry Sentinel, 25 February 1922
The Northern Whig and Belfast Post, 27 February 1922
The Londonderry Sentinel, 28 February 1922
The Northern Whig and Belfast Post, 6 March 1922