Joe Stanley was not awarded his 1916 Pension until 1947 only just a few years before his death. This was an extraordinary scenario particularly as Charles Walker (printer) has received his pension very early on. We can only assume that Joe pursued this for so long as he really felt it was a wrong to be put right, Particularly as he had a claim for 15K before the Shaw Commission for the closure of The Gaelic Press and seizure of his plant and stock. He was simply told he was too late to apply and as Charles said to Joe in a letter he does not know anyone who lost so much materially as Joe in the struggle for Irish Independence. On a visit to us in Drogheda to view the Pearse Papers, the then curator of ST.Enda's School repeatedly asked me which side did Joe take in the Civil War - I told him that my father told me Joe took no part as he could not believe they would fight each other he replied he was then part of what was called the neutral IRA and they were hated by both sides - perhaps that was only his personal opinion or did that continue through Joe's life until 1947 when Oscar Traynor, a Frongoch fellow prisoner and printer got his request "over the line".
We know that his disappearance to secretly print an T'Oglach was also mis-read by those authorities saying at one point it was a commercial enterprise as an excuse. .
Was Ireland so divided as we/it grew up ?
Herewith we present a variety of the colleagues he reached out to for assistance and supported , and their replies....