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Roger Casement's Black Diaries - Forgery?

  • 13-04-2010 6:26pm
    #1
    Denerick
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 6,488 ✭✭✭


    Sir Roger Casement was a humanitarian, patriot, and a homosexual. His Congo report practically brought down Leopolds Congo Empire, and his putumayo rubber report ruined the Arana's and did much to highlight the plight of native Indian tribes from the most sickening exploitation imaginable.

    He was also Irish, and became a political radical during the volunteer Crisis (1913) He was emphatically pro-German and went to Germany during the war to enlist German aid for the Easter Rising. He was captured after the German ship, 'the Aud', scuttled with all the rifles on board. He was the last Easter conspirator to be executed, and his trial was a public spectacle but he also enlisted the help of a talented London literary scene- notably George Bernard Shaw and Arthur Conan Doyle canvassed to get him released. Their appeals were greatly weakened by the British government's circulation of excerpts of his diaries, which detailed explicit homosexual encounters.

    For years Republicans (And ireland in general) have maintained that the diaries were forgeries invented by the British to deface him.

    Personally I don't think this was the case, as it would be unfeasible for the British secret service to conduct such a thorough series of forgeries in so short a space of time. A report commissioned by the BBC and overseen by Professor W.J. Mc Cormack determined that the 'black diaries' (As they were called) were genuine after forensic tests were carried out.

    Any opinions? Wondering if there are still people who think they were forgeries.


Comments

  • #2
    Lab_Mouse
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,219 ✭✭✭Lab_Mouse


    Denerick wrote: »
    were genuine after forensic tests were carried out.
    That would be my belief.I think the tests would of been very detailed.Also seeing this is the CT forum,would the british establishment have reason now to keep the charade going?I cant think of any reason why they would...

    my 2 cents anyways


  • #3
    PirateShampoo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,406 ✭✭✭PirateShampoo


    Denerick wrote: »
    He was captured after the German ship, 'the Aud', scuttled with all the rifles on board.

    My dad does Scuba Diving and has dived this boat many times. I have a load of Bullets that he recovered from it. They are in excelent condition once they are polished up. Its nice to have my own peice of history.


  • #4
    Denerick
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 6,488 ✭✭✭Denerick


    PirateShampoo wrote: »
    My dad does Scuba Diving and has dived this boat many times. I have a load of Bullets that he recovered from it. They are in excelent condition once they are polished up. Its nice to have my own peice of history.

    That is really really cool actually!!! Genuinely envious!!

    Are the rifles still down there? Or did the British reclaim them?


  • #5
    PirateShampoo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,406 ✭✭✭PirateShampoo


    Actually rifles are like gold dust, they are realy hard to find. They rot real easy and if you do find one it wont be that much left of it. See the bullets are stored in Leather boxs of 15 bullets in rows of 5 for preloading and are covered in a grease/oil so they dont rot.

    He does have a Spur (for horse's) from a British soliders boot though that he recovered from the Leinster which sank in 1918. And a mountian of artillary shells all sizes from U-boats up in Donegal.

    I should really photograph it all and post it up.


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