Black and Tans
The Black and Tans (Irish: Dúchrónaigh), officially the Royal Irish Constabulary Special Reserve, was a force of Temporary Constables recruited to assist the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) during the Irish War of Independence. The force was the brainchild of Winston Churchill, then British Secretary of State for War. Recruitment began in Great Britain in late 1919. Thousands, many of them British Army veterans of World War I, answered the British government's call for recruits. Most of the recruits came from Britain, although it also had some members from Ireland. Their role was to help the RIC maintain control and fight the Irish Republican Army (IRA), the army of the Irish Republic. The nickname "Black and Tans" arose from the colours of the improvised uniforms they initially wore, composed of mixed khaki British Army and rifle green RIC uniform parts. The Black and Tans became infamous for their attacks on civilians and civilian property.
The Black and Tans were sometimes confused with the Auxiliary Division, a counter-insurgency unit of the RIC made up of former British officers. However, sometimes the term "Black and Tans" is used to cover both of these groups.
Podcasts:
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by Irish Brigade
Black & Tans
by: Irish BrigadeI was born on a Dublin street where the Royal drums do beat And the loving English feet they tramped all over us And each and every night when me father'd come home tight He'd invite the neighbors outside with this chorus
Chorus: Oh, come out you black and tans Come out and fight me like a man Show your wife how you won medals down in Flanders Tell them how the IRA made you run like hell away From the green and lovely lanes of Killeshandra
Come let me hear you tell how you slammed the great Parnell When you fought them well and truely persecuted Where are the smears and jeers that you bravely let us hear When our heros of sixteen were executed
Come tell us how you slew those brave arabs two by two Like the zulu's they had spears and bows and arrows How you bravely slew each one with your sixteen pounder gun And you frightened them poor natives to their marrow