Peter Barnes (c. 1907 – February 7, 1940) was a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and, along with James Richards (also known as James McCormack), participated the Coventry Explosion of 1939 which killed five people on August 25, 1939. One of many suspected members detained by authorities thought to be involved in the bombing, although he and McCormack had admitted to constructing the bomb which was intended to be used to destroy a power station, they claimed not to be involved in planting the bomb.[1]
Seán MacBride, a former Chief-of-Staff for the IRA and Irish barrister attempted to secure their release claiming they were being illegally held without a writ of habeas corpus.[2] However, charged with murder along with McCormack, Brigid O'Hara, Joseph and Mary Hewitt on December 12, all five pleaded not guilty before the court at Birmingham Assizes[3] (Brigid O'Hara issued statements between August 28 and September 4 to Scotland Yard and Birmingham police denying any knowledge of the bombings[4] and later provided evidence for the prosecution).[5] Found guilty of murder of December 15, Barnes and Richards were later hanged at Winson Green Prison in Birmingham on February 7, 1940.[6] Their remains were eventually flown back to Dublin on July 4.
Their trial and execution resulted in a massive public outcry in Ireland against Neville Chamberlain and the British Government as Peadar O'Donnell and other prominent Irish writers signed a petition campaigning for lieniency towards the condemned men.[7]