Missing Artillery Officers

1920 Oct 29. Brown and Rutherford have 3 days leave.

They depart their base at Moore Park, Kilworth, Fermoy at 15.00. They are each riding a motorcycle, dressed in mufti and carrying officers haversacks, and bedding. A sergeant on the base remarked "They don't look much like civilians"
They have told the regiment that they intend going to Killarney
They had 2 or 3 days of food, bedding and primus stoves with them in a sidecar. Brown was riding the Sunbeam with a sideacar and Rutherford a Triumph (from the inquiry into their disappearance)
They were last seen filling with petrol at Kilworth village
Charlie Browne of Macroom IRA said that Brown and Rutherford were "dressed in civilian clothes, were armed" and that they were later executed as enemy spies
Their bodies were never recovered
The British army WO 141/94 does say "Brown and Rutherford had been employed from time to time on inteligence work...this may have been the reason for their murder"
A Sgt at the inquiry said "Mr Brown was occupied in operatons against Sinn Feiners on patrols, or with one man or by himself. He has told me of going out and pulling down Sinn Fein signs...I know of him being out more than once at night in the battery trap"
Nothing except the short "missing" announcement appeared in the press
Lt Brown
Lt Rutherford

1920 Nov 26. A letter from a Roman Catholic priest is published implying that Brown and Rutherford had been executed.

1921 Nov 1921 Finally death can be presumed.