Some outrages and murders throughout the month of November 1920 failed to generate the same level of condemnation as Kevin Barry, Bloody Sunday or Kilmichael.
One such murder was that of Constable James Wood who was shot at Ballybrack Railway Station, near Killarney and died six days later on 15 November. Woods, aged 29 had been returning from leave when he was attacked by an armed group at the railway station. Constable Archibald Turner, age 28 who was with him was also killed in the attack. The funeral of Woods, a native o Glasgow and formerly of the Grenadier Guards before joining the police, was largely attended by the military at the New Cemetery in Killarney. The cortege was headed by a firing party and a detachment of the East Lancs with arms reversed. The coffin was borne on a gun carriage led by six grey horse. Earlier in the day notices were posted throughout Killarney ordering all of the shops in the town to close between 2-3pm when the funeral took place. Although a number of shops and business premises were searched on the day of the funeral, no incidents were reported. The lonely death of Constable Woods, who was unmarried, was carried out without fuss. Woods had only joined the RIC in February 1920 and was posted to Farranfore in county Kerry. His mother later secured £1,500 compensation for his death.
Source: Evening Echo,November 15, 1920, page 1
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