A document certifying that James Connolly was “perfectly rational” and “fit to undergo his trial” is among papers included in his court-martial file, held at the British National Archives in London.
The rebel leader had been shot in the leg during fighting at the GPO. The note, mainly in type, and signed by medics RJ Tobin and PJ O’Farrell, said during the entire time of his detention as a patient, Connolly had been “perfectly rational and in complete possession of his faculties”.
“His mental condition has been and still is perfectly normal and his mind, memory and understanding entirely unimpaired,” it said. A handwritten line added; “and that he is fit to undergo his trial”. The document is not dated.
Connolly (47) was the last of the leaders to be court martialed, on May 9th.
The trial was held in the Red Cross Hospital, Dublin Castle, where he was being treated. Col Douglas Sapte, Lieut Col Arthur Bent and Lieut Col Francis Willoughby Woodward made up the court. Connolly was charged with taking part in an armed rebellion for the purpose of assisting the enemy and, according to a charge sheet, with attempting to “cause disaffection among the civilian population of His Majesty”.
The evidence against him, held in his file, included a letter, dated April 24th, 1916, that had been found on John MacBride, who had been fighting at the Mendicity Institute. It was headed "Army of the Irish Republic" to "the Officers and Soldiers in Dublin of the Irish Republic, Comrades, We salute you". It said the flag of the Irish Republic has been hoisted in Dublin and "the armed forces of the Irish Republic have everywhere set the enemy and defeated them – North, South, East and West".
“The Irish Army has been in action all day, and at no single point has it been driven in, nor lost a single position it has taken up. In the name of Ireland we salute you. This is the greatest day in Irish history and it is you who have made it so.” It was signed by Connolly, Commandant-General, Dublin Division.
Second Lieut SL King, of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, told the court martial he was on Sackville Street at 11am on April 25th, and was taken prisoner by the rebels and brought to an upstairs room. He saw Connolly, in uniform and equipped with a revolver, going across to the Hotel Metropole and on three or four occasions near the GPO.
Under cross-examination, he agreed he was “very well treated generally by the rebels”. He also said when they were put out of the post office on April 28th, they were told to run for their lives and were fired on by the rebels – and two of them were hit.
A second witness, Capt de C Wheeler, said he brought a document to Connolly, who was in hospital on April 29th, from Pearse, which Connolly signed.
Another officer, Second Lieut AD Chailman, 14th Royal Fusiliers, said he was in the GPO when 300 armed rebels entered and made him a prisoner. He saw Connolly among them and described him as in a “dark green uniform with a distinctive hat with cock’s feathers in it”. He said Connolly ordered him to be tied up in a telephone box. He also said he heard Connolly say “I don’t care a damn what you do with him”, when one of the men spoke of his complaint of being “about suffocated”. He also said he saw Connolly giving orders about firing from the Hotel Metropole. Under cross-examination, he said “the rebels did their best for us whilst we were in the post office” and he did not actually hear Connolly order that he be “tied up in the box”.
“One of the rebels went up to the accused and on his instruction I was tied up,” he said.
Connolly read a document at the court martial and said he did not wish to make any defence “except against charges of wanton cruelty to prisoners”.
He asked that his court-martial proceedings be given to his wife and was told to make a formal application to the Irish command. He was found guilty of taking part in armed rebellion and not guilty of attempting to cause disaffection. His death sentence was confirmed by General John Maxwell, in command of British forces in Ireland. The last of the leaders to be executed, Connolly was shot on May 12th.
