985 
And with this great man’s life having been celebrated with a special paper presented by his grandson, Charles Cushing, at
It was Monteith’s years serving in the British Army that made him invaluable to the Irish
Once in Germany, 56 POWs were recruited, and then word came through of an urgent need for arms, as a dispatch
Captain Robert Monteith
hen, on Good Friday 1916, Sir Roger Casement and two comrades arrived 
at Banna Strand carrying arms to aid the struggle for independence, only one man escaped – Kilcoole-born hero Captain Robert Monteith.
hen, on Good Friday 1916, Sir Roger Casement and two comrades arrived 
at Banna Strand carrying arms to aid the struggle for independence, only one man escaped – Kilcoole-born hero Captain Robert Monteith.And with this great man’s life having been celebrated with a special paper presented by his grandson, Charles Cushing, at 
Druids Glen Club House back in March 2016, the 10-year anniversary of the good captain’s Newtown memorial will be marked on Easter Sunday.
Druids Glen Club House back in March 2016, the 10-year anniversary of the good captain’s Newtown memorial will be marked on Easter Sunday. Born on the Woodstock estate – where Druids Glen is now situated – here’s a little Captain Robert Monteith history…
It was Monteith’s years serving in the British Army that made him invaluable to the Irish 
Volunteers, his decision to join being sparked by scenes of what he regarded as savagery by the Dublin Metropolitan Police and the Royal Irish Constabulary during a peaceful labour movement in the capital. The fact that his own 14-year-old daughter, Florence [pictured right on April 8th, 1966 at the unveiling of the Banna Strand tribute to her father and that Good Friday mission], returned home one afternoon with a blood-soaked head after being clubbed by a policeman on North Earl Street only sparked this proud military man.
Volunteers, his decision to join being sparked by scenes of what he regarded as savagery by the Dublin Metropolitan Police and the Royal Irish Constabulary during a peaceful labour movement in the capital. The fact that his own 14-year-old daughter, Florence [pictured right on April 8th, 1966 at the unveiling of the Banna Strand tribute to her father and that Good Friday mission], returned home one afternoon with a blood-soaked head after being clubbed by a policeman on North Earl Street only sparked this proud military man.
It didn’t take long for Monteith to become Captain of A Company, with his unit the first to parade through the streets of Dublin. And when World War 1 broke out, and the British Army offered the much-decorated Monteith a series of high-ranking positions to come out of retirement, his refusal saw him mysteriously losing his Ordnance Depot job, followed by, twelve hours later, a deportation order in accordance with the Defence of the Realm. After consulting with James Connolly and others, Monteith moved to Limerick, where he continued his role of drill instructor with the Volunteers.
It didn’t take long for Monteith to become Captain of A Company, with his unit the first to parade through the streets of Dublin. And when World War 1 broke out, and the British Army offered the much-decorated Monteith a series of high-ranking positions to come out of retirement, his refusal saw him mysteriously losing his Ordnance Depot job, followed by, twelve hours later, a deportation order in accordance with the Defence of the Realm. After consulting with James Connolly and others, Monteith moved to Limerick, where he continued his role of drill instructor with the Volunteers.From there, a plot was hatched for Monteith to train Irish POWs in Berlin, a deliberately misleading correspondence with his wife, Mollie, in Dublin faking a growing disinterest in the Volunteers and a desire to move to the US. The deception worked, and Monteith found himself on the SS New York from Liverpool on September 9th, 1915, heading to Berlin and the Irish Brigade on his return journey less than one month later.
SS York
came through for Monteith at the War Office in Berlin. It was from Irish Revolutionary Headquarters.