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Black and Tans
Black and Tans. The failure of the Royal Irish Constabulary to combat IRA raids in 1919 convinced the government that the police needed to be reinforced. From January 1920 British ex‐soldiers and sailors were recruited and, by November 1921, some 9,500 such men had joined the RIC. A shortage of RIC uniforms meant that recruits were issued with khaki military trousers and dark green police tunics. Although full RIC uniforms were soon substituted, this mixed dress gave rise to the new policemen's distinctive sobriquet, the Black and Tans.
Hurriedly and inadequately trained, recruits were posted to RIC barracks, mainly in Munster, west Connacht, and Dublin. Thus strengthened, the RIC from mid‐1920 was encouraged to pursue the IRA more vigorously. The government, at first tacitly and then openly, condoned reprisals by the police (see anglo‐irish war). The leading role of the Black and Tans in some of these incidents may have been exaggerated, as British‐born and Irish‐born policemen were difficult, when in full uniform, to tell apart. Nevertheless, the Black and Tans gained a fearsome reputation for brutality, which only helped alienate the population from the RIC as a whole. Of policemen recruited in 1920–1 over one‐third died, were dismissed or discharged, or resigned: a very high wastage rate indeed, attesting both to the difficulties of service and to the inadequacies of recruits. But 63 per cent went on to secure government pensions when the RIC was disbanded in 1922. Elizabeth Malcolm |
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"Black and Tans." The Oxford Companion to Irish History. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Black and Tans." The Oxford Companion to Irish History. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O245-BlackandTans.html "Black and Tans." The Oxford Companion to Irish History. 2007. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O245-BlackandTans.html |
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Black and Tans
Black and Tans An auxiliary force of the Royal Irish Constabulary, comprising of British ex-soldiers. It was established in January 1920 to supplement the regular force, which was under increasing pressure from the activities of Irish republicans. It gained its name from its distinctive uniforms which, owing to a shortage of police uniforms, included items of army clothing. The Black and Tans adopted a policy of harsh reprisals against republicans, killing many people in raids, and destroying property. In December 1920, they burnt down the County Hall in Cork, in retaliation against IRA terrorism, and earlier in the year, on 21 November, twelve people had been killed when they fired into a football crowd. They were often accused of brutality, and were withdrawn after the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921.
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JAN PALMOWSKI. "Black and Tans." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAN PALMOWSKI. "Black and Tans." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-BlackandTans.html JAN PALMOWSKI. "Black and Tans." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-BlackandTans.html |
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Black and Tans
Black and Tans was the nickname, derived from a Limerick hound pack, or the colour of the uniform, for an auxiliary police force recruited in Britain 1920–1 from ex-servicemen to reinforce the hard-pressed Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC). The ill-disciplined force was associated with drunken brutality and reprisals against the Irish community following Irish Republican Army (IRA) atrocities. It is frequently confused with auxiliaries formed from army officers, established several months later. The Black and Tans soon became synonymous with talk of British oppression, and in the Irish Republic the conflict 1919–21 is often called ‘The Tan War’.
Michael Hopkinson |
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JOHN CANNON. "Black and Tans." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Black and Tans." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-BlackandTans.html JOHN CANNON. "Black and Tans." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-BlackandTans.html |
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Black and Tans
Black and Tans was the nickname, derived from a Limerick hound pack, or the colour of the uniform, for an auxiliary police force recruited in Britain 1920–1 from ex‐servicemen to reinforce the hard‐pressed Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC). The ill‐disciplined force was associated with drunken brutality and reprisals following Irish Republican Army (IRA) atrocities.
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Black and Tans." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Black and Tans." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-BlackandTans.html JOHN CANNON. "Black and Tans." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-BlackandTans.html |
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