moonstreet
Guests
Today marks the 90th annerversary of the end of World War One and all this week there have been rememberance servises and everyone wears a poppy as a mark of repect for the dead.
This is one event I can not take part in. Poppy Day and the wearing of the Poppy celebrates the honour and bravery of The British Army and that is something I cannot do.
The British Army occupied my country for approx 400 years and during the same time as World War 1, 1916 to 1921, my ancesters began a rebellion against British rule which lead to our country becoming a Republic.
On Easter Monday 1916, the rebellion began at The General Post Office on Dublins main street.18 to 20 thousand British soldiers crushed the rebellion and the leaders were caught and excuted. Then in 1918, The British army sent more soldiers to Ireland, who became know as The Black and Tans.The Black and Tans were mostly former soldiers brought into Ireland by the government in London after 1918 to assist the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) in their work.
In 1919, the British government advertised for men who were willing to "face a rough and dangerous task". Many former British army soldiers had come back from Western Europe and did not find a land fit for heroes. They came back to unemployment and few firms needed men whose primary skill was fighting in war. Therefore, there were plenty of ex-servicemen who were willing to reply to the government’s advert. For many the sole attraction was not political or national pride – it was simply money. The men got paid ten shillings a day. They got three months training before being sent to Ireland. The first unit arrived in Ireland in March 1920.
Once in Ireland it quickly became apparent that there were not enough uniforms for all those who had joined up. Therefore they wore a mixture of uniforms – some military, some RIC. This mixture gave them the appearance of being in khaki and dark police uniform. As a result, these men got the nickname "Black and Tans", and it stuck. Some say that the nickname came from a pack of hunting hounds known as the 'Black and Tans'.
The Black and Tans did not act as a supplement to the RIC. Though some men were experienced in trench warfare, they lacked the self-discipline that would have been found in the Western Front. Many Black and Tan units all but terrorised local communities. Community policing was the preserve of the RIC. For the Black and Tans, their primary task was to make Ireland "hell for the rebels to live in". Over 8000 Black and Tans went to Ireland and while they found it difficult to cope with men who used classic guerrilla tactics against them, those who lived in areas where the Black and Tans were based, paid the price.
The same soldiers who are honoured at Poppy day are the peers of the soldiers who were sent to my country to crush the rebellion and were responsible for the murder, and massacre of my ancesters
Yes this was all many years ago but what happened then is still relevent today.
This is one event I can not take part in. Poppy Day and the wearing of the Poppy celebrates the honour and bravery of The British Army and that is something I cannot do.
The British Army occupied my country for approx 400 years and during the same time as World War 1, 1916 to 1921, my ancesters began a rebellion against British rule which lead to our country becoming a Republic.
On Easter Monday 1916, the rebellion began at The General Post Office on Dublins main street.18 to 20 thousand British soldiers crushed the rebellion and the leaders were caught and excuted. Then in 1918, The British army sent more soldiers to Ireland, who became know as The Black and Tans.The Black and Tans were mostly former soldiers brought into Ireland by the government in London after 1918 to assist the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) in their work.
In 1919, the British government advertised for men who were willing to "face a rough and dangerous task". Many former British army soldiers had come back from Western Europe and did not find a land fit for heroes. They came back to unemployment and few firms needed men whose primary skill was fighting in war. Therefore, there were plenty of ex-servicemen who were willing to reply to the government’s advert. For many the sole attraction was not political or national pride – it was simply money. The men got paid ten shillings a day. They got three months training before being sent to Ireland. The first unit arrived in Ireland in March 1920.
Once in Ireland it quickly became apparent that there were not enough uniforms for all those who had joined up. Therefore they wore a mixture of uniforms – some military, some RIC. This mixture gave them the appearance of being in khaki and dark police uniform. As a result, these men got the nickname "Black and Tans", and it stuck. Some say that the nickname came from a pack of hunting hounds known as the 'Black and Tans'.
The Black and Tans did not act as a supplement to the RIC. Though some men were experienced in trench warfare, they lacked the self-discipline that would have been found in the Western Front. Many Black and Tan units all but terrorised local communities. Community policing was the preserve of the RIC. For the Black and Tans, their primary task was to make Ireland "hell for the rebels to live in". Over 8000 Black and Tans went to Ireland and while they found it difficult to cope with men who used classic guerrilla tactics against them, those who lived in areas where the Black and Tans were based, paid the price.
The same soldiers who are honoured at Poppy day are the peers of the soldiers who were sent to my country to crush the rebellion and were responsible for the murder, and massacre of my ancesters
Yes this was all many years ago but what happened then is still relevent today.