Dermot O’Neill was born in 1905 in County Cork, Ireland. As a teenager he traveled to China and settled in Shanghai. In 1925, at the age of twenty, he joined the Shanghai Municipal Police. This police force made up of 9,000 active and reserve officers was tasked with bringing law and order to the International Settlement.
While in Shanghai, O’Neill immersed himself in the study of Asian martial arts. He was a devoted practitioner of Japanese judo, as well as various forms of “Chinese boxing,” including Tai Chi Chuan, Hsing Yi, and Pa Kua.
O’Neill rose through the ranks of the SMP and was promoted to Detective Sergeant and served as a member and instructor of the famous SMP “Shock and Riot Police” task force. He was also considered by many to be the protégé of William Ewart Fairbairn.
In 1938, O’Neill left Shanghai for Tokyo, Japan, as head of legation security for the British embassy there. During this period, O’Neill received the Godan, Kodokan fifth degree black belt, as well as furthering his martial arts skills by practicing the Japanese “Kempo” style. He left Japan shortly before the bombing of Pearl Harbor and headed for Australia.
O’Neill came to the United States at the behest and recommendation of WE Fairbairn, who was involved with the OSS at the time. O’Neill was scheduled to work for the OSS, but was sent to serve as an instructor with the First Special Service Force, a joint Canadian-American commando unit known as the “Devil’s Brigade”. When the 1st SSF went into action, O’Neill refused to be left behind, stating that since he was training these guys, he would fight very well alongside them. He held the rank of Captain and one of his duties included the assignment of being General Fredericks’ bodyguard. After he finished his stay in Europe, O’Neill was assigned the post of Provost Marshal of Monte Carlo.
When the war with Japan ended, O’Neill was posted to Okinawa as a liaison officer. After the war, O’Neill served as a police and security consultant for various federal agencies, including the State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency. In the mid-1960s, O’Neill settled in the Washington, DC area and began working there with the International Police Academy. This organization was funded by the Agency for International Development and was a front for CIA-led paramilitary operations and training. Church Committee hearings on intelligence activities led to the closure of this academy in the early 1970s.
O’Neill was considered a very tough man in his day and had a reputation for never backing down from anyone. His skill in judo was highly praised even at the Kodokan. O’Neill had studied under Uchijima, the renowned Kodokan judo instructor. O’Neill was especially known for his grappling ability. The hand-to-hand combat methods that he devised and taught were very effective and proved so in actual battle on numerous occasions. O’Neill was highly influential in military hand-to-hand combat for both the US Army and Marine Corps.
Dermot O’Neill had been married briefly and had a daughter. He died on August 11, 1985.
Origins of the O’Neill Method
The “O’Neill” method is a constant source of debate and speculation.
Due to the fact that most people have only been exposed to limited information about this method, many “false” opinions have been expressed about its value and/or effectiveness.
The Army 21-150 manuals offer little in the way of a “complete” method and the USMC “proposed” manual adds some information, but certainly nowhere near the complete “picture”.
In addition to the non-fictional works on the First Special Service Force that add pieces to the puzzle, there are other “technical” sources.
Other than the fairly well documented Judo background of DM O’Neill and his service with the SMP and as a WEF “protégé”, little else is really known about the elements that comprise his method.
Quotes like this: “………the improved version of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) kick and punch judo. This method of unarmed hand-to-hand combat was developed and taught by a former inspector Shanghai Police Department, British Embassy security expert and OSS contract employee named Dermot Michael “Pat” O’Neill”. Offer some more insights into the man and the method.
The system that O’Neill “developed” was born during his time in Shanghai. Charlie Nelson relates that his introduction to the O’Neill method was through a sergeant. Kelly, who learned this method from O’Neill during Kelly’s tour of duty in China. Since we know that O’Neill left for Japan in 1938, the “training” between Kelly and O’Neill must have occurred before that. So we can assume that the O’Neill method came to fruition sometime in the mid-1930s.
Many reference sources containing information on O’Neill’s method recalled by Forcemen of the 1st SSF refer to phrases similar to the one cited above. Terms like “jab and kick”, “gouge and kick”, “poke and kick” are constantly used to describe this method. We now KNOW what the elements of the “Fairbairn” system are (although even here there are many misconceptions as well) and when it would be difficult to describe the WEF approach as “kick and push”.
Although O’Neill’s method may have included elements of Fairbairn’s system (although there is documentation to the contrary), it is clear that O’Neill’s method is materially different. The difference in “needs” when it comes to hand-to-hand combat between front-line rapid-assault “shock” troops like the “Devil’s Brigade” and the nature of clandestine special operations carried out by the OSS and the SOE largely explains the dissimilarity in choice of method.
Chinese foot wrestling or Chinese boxing is mentioned in several manuals attributed to O’Neill. CHI-CHI SHU another reference to Chinese fighters is also mentioned in the AID/IPA manual. Existing World War II-era material mentions this specifically. Charlie Nelson always said that this method was based on Chinese guerrilla warfare.
So where does the O’Neill method originate from? What can be the original source of this system?
In order to fully understand the possible connections to Chinese boxing, we must FULLY understand the entire original curriculum of this method.
We will begin to discuss that aspect in Part II. Hopefully, we’ll also dispel “misinformed” opinions about the validity and combat effectiveness of O’Neill’s “method.”
P.S. Watch the video S2- O’Neill System: www.selfdefenseseminar.com
Copyright 2003 www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com©
By Ralph Grasso and Carl Cestari