[1] This influx of foreign soldiers encouraged the northern command of the IRA, under the auspices of newly appointed IRA Chief of Staff Hugh McAteer, to reorganise and on 25 March 1942 agree a new campaign against the British military and war effort in Northern Ireland.

[1] Six IRA members, including Joe Cahill,[2] were arrested during the Belfast incident and sentenced to death for the murder of one of the constables.

[3] In the first few months of 1943, jail breaks at Crumlin Road and Derry gaols saw 23 IRA members, including McAteer, escape.

[1] Many of the escapees had crossed the border into County Donegal in Ireland and were subsequently recaptured by the Irish Army.

[citation needed] Bowyer-Bell states of the late-1943 to mid-1943 period that the local commanding officers preferred to avoid arrest, and that anything associated with the IRA such as parades, training, and even meetings ended with fear of internment at Curragh.