British Voices: From the Irish War of Independence 1918-1921

ISBN-13:
9781905172375

The words of British servicemen who were there: many British soldiers, sailors and airmen who served in Ireland from 1918-21 left accounts of their service. The author has delved deep into British military archives to unearth never-before published accounts.
Ireland's War of Independence generated a wealth of published material but little from a British perspective. Yet many British servicemen left fascinating accounts of their time in Ireland from 1918 to 1921. These eyewitnesses describe military operations, the IRA, the Irish, their own forces' actions, morale and relationships with local communities. Secret contacts between the British and the IRA and the use and abuse of intelligence are also detailed. It will surprise readers to learn many servicemen felt they were let down by British politicians agreeing to a truce and treaty. Others are outspoken in their dislike of war and the campaign. The author has gone deep into British military archives to unearth their stories.
List of Illustrations vii List of Acronyms and Abbreviations xi Preface xiii Introduction 1 Private Swindlehurst 7 Brigadier Frederick Clarke 30 Brigadier F.H. Vinden 46 Commander B. De L'Faunce 53 Flying Officer F.C. Penny 58 Vice Admiral H.T. Baillie Grohman 74 Captain R.D. Jeune 83 Lieutenant General A.E. Percival 92 Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery 145 Lieutenant Colonel Evelyn Lindsay Young 153 Major General Douglas Wimberley 166 Lieutenant Colonel Hughes-Hallett 193 Major Reginald Graham 207 Major Gerald Stone 220 Major General Hawes 230 Further Reading 239 Index 241
'A welcome counterbalance to the accepted view in all those books on what followed after 1916' Irish Independent 'More than a useful addition to the growing research on the period' Sunday Business Post 'Fascinating new book' Magill
DR WILL


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20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; Military history; Ireland; c 1918 to c 1939 (Inter-war peri