Robert Bruce

100 years ago today on 10 September 1920 my wife’s great grandfather – Robert Bruce - was involved in an incident in Dublin which reached the newspapers – as far as Tasmania.

In an early version of “fake news” the story developed two lines. A family story reports that he was tarred and feathered because he was the GNR engine driver on the Belfast to Dublin train and was accused by Sinn Fein of supporting the British troops because they were transporting munitions/ being protected by the British military.

At the time the trains were often subject to attack and disruption.

In fact it appears he was “just” chained to a lamppost by three men, two of whom had revolvers! In his report to the police he said “they did not take a feather out of him ”which may have (falsely ) given rise to the “tarred and feathered” story though other railway workers did suffer this fate.

In any event, papers in what was then the North of Ireland (the whole county being part of Britain) had a much more sympathetic view to his ordeal and made him out as a real victim with a large family to support. He was celebrated on his arrival back home and these celebrations attracted the international press. Almost all Australian newspapers carried the story – as far as Tasmania.

The southern newspapers focused more on him coming out of a pub and the unusual sight of a man being escorted by the police to the barracks without a military car in support.

Neither newspapers in the north or south mentioned “tarred and feathered”. So, for once you can believe the newspapers more than the family stories. In 1920 he was one of the most senior workers in the railways in Ireland.

While working on the railways, as a protestant, he stayed with a catholic family in Dublin and in the census of 1901 Robert Bruce was listed above William Wallace – a railway worker. Of interest to us in Scotland!

The photo is of Robert (Bobby) Bruce with his wife, Sarah Kelly

The extra is an extract from The Belfast News Letter dated 11 Sep 1920

I’m indebted to our son Andrew for his meticulous research into the family tree for all of this.