The Manchester Uprising was a brief internal conflict of the United Kingdom fought in the months after the
British Army helicopter over Strangeways Prison in December 1991
'91 Disaster. Given the sheer horror of the '91 war that had finished only a few months earlier the Manchester Uprising has largely been forgotten but it was the first armed uprising in mainland Britain in over 200 years.
Genesis of the Uprising[]
It is difficult to establish the exact origins of the uprising but it is generally accepted that much of it centred around public frustration over internal economic policies of the 1980s. In such times it was easy to blame the establishment and as such the Royal family and the government became the target of some people's frustration.
British Republicans[]
These people became known as the British Republicans and it was their aim to remove the Royal family and
Anti-Royalist slogan
the then-Conservative Party and install a more socialist way of life. Exact numbers are uncertain but it is estimated that there were some 3400 members by 1991 across the UK. In the mid to late 1980s the British Republicans were responsible for 245 protests across the British Isles. Many of these protests turned violent either as a result of the protesters themselves or the harsh tactics used by the Police. In the era of persistent industrial action by unions the British Republicans flourished as they garnered the support of angry workers.
Foreign Support[]
There is strong evidence to suggest that even before the US Coup elements of the CIA were quietly encouraging anti-Royalist movements in Australia, Britain, Canada and South Africa in an effort to destabilise the New Commonwealth. Without a doubt however the biggest supporter of the British Republicans were the IRA who believed that if there was a revolution in England then Ireland would
People in Britain wanted someone to blame for the suffering of the 91 War
finally be free and united.
As the 1980s passed and the British Republicans became more willing to commit violence the IRA began to smuggle weapons (many of them supplied by the CIA initially for use in Ireland) and eventually trained some members in combating the British Army in an urban environment.
Aftermath of the '91 War[]
The '91 War and its aftermath provided the spark that would ignite the uprising. With much of the country's infrastructure damaged or destroyed and the Princess Regent being granted almost unlimited powers the time was right for the uprising to begin.
The Uprising[]
The uprising officially started on November 13th 1991 when the Manchester arm of the British Republicans violently seized several buildings across the city. The buildings were selected for their links to the establishment
Manchester Police fighting the Republicans
the most significant being the Victoria University of Manchester and Strangeways Prison. With the prison the Republicans found additional supporters amongst the prison population many of whom were simply looking to cause trouble. Other small scales buildings were also seized and in almost all incidents hostages were taken. Post Offices were a popular target for the smaller group as they came to symbolize the establishment they so loathed.
Initial Response[]
The uprising caught the authorities (who were busy maintaining law and order as well as ensuring food supplies were safe and distributed fairly in the harsh post war environment) completely by surprise. Even by the 25th of November the authorities didn't really seem to grasp what was happening and the violence was put down to local fanatics. In other words it was for the Police to deal with. Severely overstretched the Police utilized their emergency powers and fought back against the Republicans whose supporters were now flooding in
Armed British Police in Manchester during the uprising
to Manchester to join the fight. Media coverage of the events were deliberately downplayed initially to avoid panic but then later to discourage uprisings in other parts of the country.
Death Toll Rises[]
As December arrived the violence had made the streets of Manchester look more like Northern Ireland than mainland Britain. Nevertheless the Princess Regent refused to send in troops fearing that if she did it would encourage such anti-Royalist sentiments elsewhere in the country. By December 15th the Manchester Constabulary released a report stating that they had been forced to kill 107 Republicans and had lost 54 officers. Added to this were at least 77 innocent people who had been caught up in the fighting and many more had sustained injuries with the Manchester hospitals proving unable cope with such numbers (casualties from the war were still overwhelming British wards).
The Situation One Month On[]
After a month of fighting the situation appeared to have largely turned against the Republicans. Nearly all the
The Post Office on Maple Street in Manchester burns after a fierce gunfight between armed Police and British Republicans in November 1991.
smaller buildings they had seized had now been retaken by Police and many of their supporters began to fizzle away. However the Republicans holding the University and the Prison remained a serious threat as these buildings became strongholds. The Police decided that isolation was the best policy and cordoned off the surrounding areas. While this isolated the uprising to a few trouble spots making it easier to Police them it also allowed the Republicans to reinforce their positions making it that much harder to subdue them.
The Christmas Eve Massacre[]
Everything changed on Christmas Eve 1991. A group of Republicans attacked a Police cordon blocking one of the roads leading to the Victoria University. Five Police officers were killed by gun fire and five others were taken prisoner. The five prisoners were marched to the University and were put on the roof of the building in full view of another nearby Police cordon. One by one the Police officers were executed. The image of the execution was filmed by a BBC news team and an edited version (excluding the actual killings) was shown on the 6 o'clock news. What little public sympathy for the Republicans existed around the country before that day evaporated and the people demanded action.
The Army Goes In[]
With her people now demanding action the Princess Regent had no choice but to order her troops in. The
British troops came down hard on the Republicans
battle hardened British Army appeared in no mood to tolerate the Republicans and came down hard on them. As the Police had done they elected to continue to isolate the Republicans holding out in the prison and the university. They conducted large sweep operations of the city mopping up those Republicans who could no longer join their comrades in the more defensible locations thus further isolating the two remaining locations.
Air Power[]
The RAF routinely flew high speed shock-and-awe passes over the University and the prison spreading fear as well as denying the Republicans the ability to sleep properly. The Republicans tried to fire on the supersonic aircraft but failed to bring any down. Helicopters were heavily used in the fighting
A British Army helicopter brought down by small arms fire from Republicans
once the Army went in and a single Westland Lynx was brought down by small arms fire from the university.
The Final Days[]
As January gave way to February the uprising was well on its way to its ultimate conclusion. The Republicans at the University and the prison were approaching exhaustion having been cut off from supplies for over two months. Record numbers, particularly from Strangeways Prison, were now surrendering after an offer of imprisonment over death was made by the Army.
On the night of the 6/7th February 1992 a column of British Army Warrior IFVs stormed the Victoria University. A seven hour battle ensued before the remaining Republicans surrendered. Just two days later the Republicans at Strangeways Prison also surrendered. The uprising was over.
The Benedict-Bear Inquiry[]
The Benedict-Bear Inquiry was set up in March 1992 to fully asses the uprising including establishing how the uprising began and how it was dealt with. The inquiry remarked;
"Foreign interference is a strong factor in establishing how this tragic chapter in our recent history came in to being. This inquiry primarily puts blame on the interference of persons thus far unknown from the former United States of America and the Republic of Ireland."
It was largely this conclusion that ultimately lead to justification for the invasion of the Republic of Ireland in 1995.
The Final Toll[]
Given the millions who died the world over during the '91 War the numbers of those killed in the Manchester Uprising seem trivial in comparison. However, given the circumstances in which these deaths occurred they do become all the more shocking. The Benedict-Bear Inquiry produced the following figures directly related to the Manchester Uprising;
Republican Losses[]
- 356 killed fighting British authorities.
- 214 were executed under Special Powers granted to the Police/Army.
- 612 imprisoned.
Police Losses[]
- 71 killed fighting Republican forces.
- 213 injured fighting Republican forces.
Army Losses[]
- 33 killed fighting Republican forces.
- 77 injured fighting Republican forces.
Civilian Casualties[]
- 142 killed.
- 1,281 injured.