SEARC'S WEB GUIDE - James White (1874-1940?)

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Searc's Web Guide to 20th Century Ireland - James White (1874-1940?)

James White was born in County Antrim. He was educated at Summerfield School, Winchester and at Sandhurst Military College. He joined the Gordon Highlanders in 1899 and fought in the Boer War in the Battles of Magersfortein and Doornkop, Johannesburg and Pretoria in 1901. The next year White became Aide-de-Camp to his father, then Governor of Gibraltar, and spent three years, in his own words, 'pimping for princes'.
In 1905 White was posted to Pershawar in India where he learned Hindustani before being posted back to Aberdeen as Adjutant of the Gordon Highlanders Territorial Battalion. White resigned his Commission and became a teacher in Bohemia and later in Canada. He objected to the formation of the Ulster Volunteers in 1912 as an 'abuse of Protestantism' and returned to Ireland to lobby for Home Rule among the Presbyterians of County Antrim. He was encouraged in his endeveaours by Roger Casement. In 1913 White moved to Dublin where he met James Connolly and James Larkin. It was at White's suggestion that the Civic League, later renamed the Citizen Army, was formed. White drilled the Citizen Army until a dispute with Larkin caused him to resign. He then joined the Irish Volunteers and organised brigades in Derry and County Tyrone.
In 1914 White drove an ambulance to Boulogne, France to help the wounded in the First World War but he was suspected of helping Casement to raise an Irish Brigade and he sought refuge with Maud Gonne in Paris. White tried to return to Ireland when the 1916 Rising began but he was imprisoned for three months in Cardiff for inciting Welsh miners to strike in protest at the imprisonment of James Connolly.
White was appointed Chairman of the Irish Workers' League in the 1920's and in 1930 he published Misfits from which this extract is taken.©

James White (1874-1940?)

In Derry I organised and commanded a brigade of men, mostly old soldiers, which I brought to a parade efficiency almost equal to the Brigade of Guards. Derry was a powder mine at the time. Once a week at least I would be called out of bed by an orderly with some report that 'the other sort' (the Orangemen) were mobilising for a secret attack on the Catholic Quarter. By sifting and dissipating these false rumours, I preserved the peace, but I did not make myself popular. There was one incident where I almost incurred an open mutiny by resisting this atmosphere of neurotic mutual suspicion that might easily have led to open conflict.
A battalion of ours was out for the day at a place called Molennan some miles out of the city. Separated from them by a few fields was a battalion of Unionist Volunteers. I was reviewing another of our battalions across the river on what is called the Waterside, when a police inspector came up to me during the review and said he wanted to speak to me urgently. He told me that a third battalion of ours was marching out to the support of the one encamped at Molennan; it was almost certain the Unionist Battalion, seeing our people reinforced, would assume the reinforcement was to attack them. Needless to say, our battalion had marched out on some rumour that attack was contemplated by the Unionists. The inspector begged me to come at once and turn back our battalion marching out. I thanked him for his information and told him I would certainly do as he suggested. I was furious at the breach of discipline involved in the march-out of the extra battalion without orders from me.
I told the inspector to get into my car with me and we started in pursuit. Probably I committed an error of tact in taking the inspector with me. For the moment he was an ally in motive in wishing to prevent a conflict, which would have had the most disasterous consequences to the whole cause of Irish unity and might have set Protestant and Catholic at each other's throats all over Ireland. I did not stop to think of the unfortunate symbolism of having a policeman in the car with me. It is hard for an honest boy to remember that he will never be given credit for honest motives either by friend or foe, though honest men have sooner or later to learn the terrible lesson.
We caught up with the main body of the battalion half a mile out of the city. Commandant M'Glinchy, an old regular sergeant-major, was in command of it. He was a fine type, but as obstinate as a mule, as indeed most Derry men are.
Knowing the advance guard was in front of him, I got out of the car and, marching beside him for a few yards, told him my opinion of his conduct. I said I was going forward to catch up and turn the advance guard, and ordered him to turn about and march back, as soon as he saw the advance guard coming back.
He was more than half inclined to be mutinous, but his sense of discipline just held. I motored on and turned the advance guard. M'Glinchy turned the battalion, though I did not feel sure he would do so until it was done.
I think it was over this incident that I sent for publication in the Derry Journal, which published my brigade orders twice or thrice weekly, an order dismissing M'Glinchy from his command. My order did not appear. On inquiry from the paper, I found that such strong influence had been brought to bear to prevent publication that they had not dared to publish. Obviously my authority was being undermined. There were influences in Derry, as there are to this day all over Ireland, that wanted a sectarian victory, not national unity.
At last a deputation waited on me and asked me straight if it came to a fight would I fight against my co-religionists. I answered as straight that I would not; that I was there to keep the peace between Irishmen and combine them if I could against the English connection. After that my command plotted against me and eventually ousted me. © Searc's Web Guide 1997-2008

20th Century Ireland (1916)
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