- 2nd Lieutenant Green of the Staffordshire Regiment. Was at the Battle of Mount Street Bridge.
By Mike Vearnals:
- A photo taken in Macroom in May 1921. Black & Tans.A photo taken in Macroom in May 1921. The reverse of the photo reads: 20:5:21 To my dearest Mother and all at home From your true and ever loving Son With fondest love and wishes yours for ever Harry ” A few of the Black and Tans”
By James Langton:
- Auxilaries
- Black and Tans inspection
- Black and Tans
By James Langton:
By James langton:
- At the gates of the Castle
By James langton:
- Two British Soldiers on duty. I think this is at the back of the Castle, maybe the Ship Street entrance. By the way lads, you know the famous pic of Dev captured 1916 with hands behind his back and a soldier either side of him? Well I’ll have the names of those two soldiers soon for ya, for those interested. For the record, I think naming people in, and discussing the photos is very important. Like headstones, behind each one is a story. James
By P O Neill:
- British Army Cooks
By James langton:
- An armoured car in Dublin, c1921
- At the rear of the Castle. WOI
- By James langton: British Troops mann the rooftops in Dublin. I sure this is the Four Courts folks
By James Langton:
- A very rare one of Hamer Greenwood inspecting guns.
By James Langton:
- Auxies with a prisoner at Richmond Barrack
By Terry Fagan:
- 1922. Member of the British Army waiting outside City Hall Dublin to see the remains of Michael Collins.
By James Langton:
- black & Tans at work
By James langton:
- photograph of General Lowe, who took Pearse’s surrender in 1916
By James Langton:
- 1920, Dublin. British Troops guarding the Hibernian Bank on the corner of O’Connell Street and Abby Street during the War of Independents
By James langton:
- This is General Percival of the Essex Regiment. This is the man who burnt down the family home of Michael Collins. He is also the same General Percival who surrendered his army to the Japs in Singapore during WWII. In later years he sent a request to meet Ernie O’Malley and Tom Barry for lunch and coffee. O’Malley accepted but later turned it down when Barry informed him that the only way he wanted to ever see him would be down the barell of a gun. Good man Tom.
- Lord French
- Lord French and General McCreedy
- Maxwell
- The 20th Lancashire Foot leaves Dublin Castle 1922
- British soldiers in Ireland
- Captain A. Dickson. He commanded the firing squads at Kilmainham Jail
- Rare one of Maxwell
By Mike Vearnals:
- From Dublin to Hollywood Did you know that one of the British officers who took the surrender of Padraig Pearse went on to become a famous Hollywood actor, who numbered among his five wives the even more famous Hedy Lamarr? Maj John Lowe is present in one of the most famous and commonly reproduced photographs taken during the Rising – the moment of Pearse’s surrender as captured on Saturday April 29th. The picture shows Commander of Dublin Forces in Ireland, Brig Gen WHM Lowe, (Maj Lowe’s father) facing a clearly un-humbled Pearse, who is offering his surrender. On Pearse’s right is Elizabeth O’Farrell (a nurse with Cumann na mBan), who carried the subsequent surrender dispatches to rebel commandants. On the left of the photo, to Brig Gen Lowe’s right, is his aide-de-camp and son, Maj John Lowe. Pearse subsequently surrendered unconditionally, and Maj Lowe escorted him to Kilmainham Jail. John Lowe’s army service didn’t end in Ireland;
By Terry Fagan:
- 1920, Ireland. An RIC officer inspects members of the Auxiliary’s a special force of volunteer British ex-servicemen sent to Ireland to backup the RIC during the war of independents.
By Terry Fagan:
- R. I. C. Armoured cars under inspection. Location and year unknown.
By James langton:
- Two British officers surnamed Lawson and Adams with Brigadier General H. R. Cumming in Kenmare County Kerry shortly before their deaths at the hands of the IRA in 1921
- Great shot her of an RIC Officer in the Pheonix Park
- Aerial snap of a Tan checkpoint outside City Hall on Dame Street. Note one looking up and spotting the photographer.
- A tan scuffle on the street
By Terry Fagan:
By James langton:
- British soldiers on Butt Bridge
By James Langton:
- Another search at City Hall. Note the lane where the tram is positioned. Those buildings are now gone and a square there now. This was the lane that Dick McKee and the boys were brought down and into a door at the very end where the plaque is today.
- Tans outside Hynes pub on the corner of Railway Street and Gloucester Place after the shooting British spy Shankers Ryan by members of Collin’s squad for his betrayal of McKee and Clancy. I interviewed witnesses to the shooting.. Terry Fagan.
By James langton:
- The Lancers 1916 in Dublin
By James langton:
- Heading for a raid
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I am trying to unravell my fathers history,at this stage I believe he was with the Black and Tans,All I know is that he had aperiod in Ireland and was told he was a special constable,so I am assuming he was in Ireland,is there any way that I can find out,? historical site,police site, etc.
Looking through the photos on this site,eighth photo from the start,the soldier holding the rifle looks familiar.
Are you in a position to guide me?
Regards
Mike Halsey
I have also been trying to find details of my father’s service in Ireland. his army record shows no sign of him having been there, but I recollect him telling me of things that he had seen during his time there, He was most descriptive of having seen troops mounting a machine gun on the back of a truck and shooting at anything that moved as they drove down the road. Is there a policy of keeping these activities secret, even after all these years. My father joined as a sixteen year old orphan in February 1921. His regiment is given as The Royal Field Artillery.
My father was a member of the Royal Irish Constabulary (Volunteers), leaving for Ireland in early 1920 after finding it impossible to get work in England. Served in France 1917 to the end of the First World War. Ended up in Cork, the city where his father was born before he moved to England in 1861 with his parents – also seeking work. Talked very little about his time in Ireland, only that their job was made more difficult by the activities of the ‘Auxilliaries’, a bunch of ex-officers with psychological disorders he always said. I thought there was a difference in the uniforms – the ‘Black and Tans’ wearing dark green tunics, khaki trousers and peaked caps, and the ‘Auxies’ dressed in khaki tunics and trousers and wearing the caubeen headwear. If this is so, most of the photographs you list appear to show the ‘Auxilliaries’ rather than the real ‘Black and Tans’. Dad did illustrate the difference between the two groups by recounting the tale of how the Auxies always used a Crossley Tender for transport, and the RIC(V) a Bedford, and how the IRA could tell by the whine of the Crossley which one to try and blow up! . .
Interesting pics
The 5th picture with the Tans and the men with their hands up reminds me of a propaganda film called ‘The Battle of Tralee’ so it may be staged rather than real.
Is the picture titled ‘Black and Tans at work’ taken from the mass IRA surrender at the Customs House (surely the Auxies finest hour?)
Are we sure that is Percival? Every picture of him I’ve ever seen shows a skinny, practically gaunt man (especially after 3 years captivity at the hands of the Japanese!). If you read his biography ‘Scapegoat’ there’s a picture of him at a regimental dinner in the 1950s and he doesn’t look like that. Percival is one of the great heroes of the conflict, energetic and innovative and accomplishing much with his intelligence work and mobile columns. He would later deliver a series of very perceptive lectures on counter-insurgency and I suspect that’s why he might want to interview O’Malley and Barry, to get the perspective from the other side.
Interesting picture outside Hynes pub, the Auxie on the left appears to have a Winchester trench gun, I’ve seen a picture of one carrying one before (the cover of Richard Bennett’s book) but I’m not sure whether it’s an issue weapon or just a souvenier he brought back from the trenches?
I doubt anyone betrayed McKee other than Collins himself, his documents were the greatest boon to Sir Ormonde there ever was.
Im trying to find any black and tan regiment that my grandfather belonged to late 1919-1
1 9 20 i have drawn a blank with other research . I believe he was there at this time yours sincerly mrs m. Pratt
My father Herbert William Squires served with the Black and Tans. He was from the Essex Regiment having fought in Gallipoli and France as part of the 90th RGA. I am unable to find any records of his service in Ireland can anyone help me as I am trying to write his biography.
Hi. My grandfather was in the Black & Tans. he had to leave Ireland in 1921. no idea why. but the last info I received was from his son who said he was very careful when he came back . hate to think what happened. He knew nothing about the reason for him having to leave . . although it would beinteresting to find something about them. The only thing was he said his father never spoke about it . it was passed onto me when I started researching the family history.
Hi. My grandfather William Norton was in the Black & Tans. he had to leave Ireland in 1921. no idea why. but the last info I received was from his son who said he was very careful when he came back . hate to think what happened. He knew nothing about the reason for him having to leave . . although it would beinteresting to find something about them. The only thing was he said his father never spoke about it . it was passed onto me when I started researching the family history