British Forces Structure
Throughout the Irish War of Independence, the national police force of Ireland - the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) - were a common target of both political campaigns and violent attacks aimed at weakening the force’s morale.
Shortly after the declaration of independence, Sinn Féin called upon the Irish population to boycott the RIC as agents of a foreign power. The campaign led to the social exclusion of many officers in communities around the country.
Later in 1919, volunteers of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) began to stage increasingly powerful attacks against the constabulary. RIC barracks where commonly raided, resulting in the death of many officers.
Due to the threat of violence, resignations from the force began to rise and recruitment started to fall. This resulted in a force - who were not trained for war – to become increasingly ineffective in their duties to police the country, especially in the rural south where the IRA were taking a stronghold.
Following the decline in RIC numbers, the British government advertised for men who were willing to join a force of temporary constables who were ready to face rough and dangerous tasks while suppressing the rebellion in Ireland.
After the First World War, British soldiers returned home to a land void of employment opportunities. Due to the high wage of the time - 10 shillings (50p) per day - many ex-servicemen replied to the governments advert.
Recruitment began in late 1919. Following three months of training, the first unit of the Royal Irish Constabulary Special Reserve - also known as the “Black and Tans” - arrived in Ireland in March 1920. The main purpose of the Black and Tans was to increase the strength of police posts and to assist the RIC in the battle against the IRA.
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Once in Ireland, it quickly became apparent that there was insufficient uniform for all those who had joined up. Therefore, the men wore a mixture of RIC and military uniforms which led to the force adopting the nickname the “Black and Tans”.
During the summer of 1920, the IRA’s guerilla campaign against the RIC and the British forces was reaching its highpoint. The British government attempted to reinforce the RIC and the Black and Tans by creating a group comprised of former military officers to act as a mobile striking force. This new organisation was called the Auxiliary division. The Auxiliary division were commonly confused as the Black and Tans, but the Auxiliaries were a much more elite force.
