Constable Peter Hunter MUNRO (21)

07 Aug 1921
Lanarkshire Constabulary

PC Munro died after he was assaulted whilst making an arrest in Wishaw when a large group turned on him and colleagues.

On 5th August 1921, PC Peter Munro and PC George Davidson of Lanarkshire Constabulary were on foot patrol at Wishaw East Cross. At that time a flute band, followed by a crowd said to number 200 came marching up the road from Newmains, apparently coming from a children’s football match.

The crowd was somewhat rowdy and elements began to shout and swear at the police ‘…cries of “Up Dublin” and obscene language were used’. Munro and Davidson arrested a male for using obscene language. ‘He was going along quietly but the others rushed them and he got away’.

The situation quickly degenerated, and PC Munro was savagely punched to the ground before he could do very much to defend himself. The commotion attracted the attention of other officers and one of Munro’s assailants ran into the YMCA in an attempt to escape but was arrested. Another was arrested by PC Stewart who ‘…got him on a tramcar, but only after a great struggle.’

PC Munro was helped to his feet but collapsed again. He was taken to the Glasgow Royal Infirmary where he died on the 7th August from a fracture of his spine.

In all, 9 men (said to be miners) were arrested on various charges in connection with what became known as the ‘Wishaw Riot’, including the Murder of PC Munro. They later appeared at the High Court in Glasgow in front of Lord Sands.

Their defence rested on the assertion that ‘…the police about Wishaw are naturally very strong against people whom they suspect to be Sinn Fein’. The accused insisted that they had been doing nothing wrong and had in fact been attacked by the police for no reason other than suspected Irish Republican sympathies.

Lord Sands seems to have been concerned there may have been a political motive to the crime, but the police witnesses told the court that sectarian chanting was often used towards the Wishaw police, ‘…for the fun of it’.

Defence Advocate, Mr Aitchison, tried to shift the blame suggesting the incident would never have occurred if the officers had not attempted to deal with the disturbance (This attitude bears a striking resemblance to the death of Indianapolis PD Officer Perry Renn in the United States in July 2014. Officer Renn was shot and killed when he left his police vehicle to investigate a disturbance and report of ‘shots fired’. The accused’s family stated that the officer would not have been shot had he stayed in his car).

At the conclusion of the trial, one man was convicted of Culpable Homicide of PC Munro and sentenced to 5 years penal servitude. Three others were convicted of Mobbing and Rioting & Police Assault, receiving sentences ranging from 4 – 12months, whilst the remainder were found not guilty or had the charges withdrawn.

PC Peter Munro was 21 years of age and was from Banffshire where his father was a farm servant. He was a single man and had been residing in ‘Police Barracks’. His name is inscribed on the Scottish Police Memorial and will never be forgotten.

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