Irish Officers in the British Forces, 1922-45

About this book

In the last decade there has been a plethora of books about Irish soldiers in the First World War, yet the fact that recruitment to the British forces continued into the inter-war period and the Second World War has received comparatively little attention. Steven O'Connor's work addresses this gap by providing a much-needed assessment of officer recruitment of the British military after Irish independence. Based on archival research, oral testimony and a database of one thousand officers, it examines the reasons why young Irish people took the king's commission. It explores their subsequent experiences and identity in the forces, and places them within the wider context of Commonwealth recruitment to the British forces. Drawing on evidence from police reports, debates in town councils and local newspapers, this volume also offers the first comprehensive account of reactions in independent Ireland to British recruitment and the shared military past. -- Back cover.