Non-White Soldiers/ Black and Tans in Ireland

Boomkid

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if it has ever been documented that there were non-white British soldiers involved in occupational force in Ireland? (Prior independence and Northern Irish troubles).

You here a lot about people of different nationalities and being a part of British forces in other parts of the world, including some Irish. (Makes sense with the reach of the British empire at its peak).

but did it ever happen in Ireland? We’re there Indian or Black soldiers on the ground fighting in the name of the crown?

if this is in the wrong section, apologies in advance!

cheers

riffmongous

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058298542/non-white-soldiers-black-and-tans-in-ireland

Hm never heard of it to be honest, and I would imagine it was quite unlikely. Up until and during WW1 attitudes towards non-white soldiers in combat positions were still very racist and imperialist, I think there might have been a ban on units at least being posted to the frontline on the Western Front? In other theatres they were used in combat roles but even then it was generally only out of necessity (look at the history of the King's African Rifles in German East Africa for example). And then after the war these contributions tended to be downplayed officially. I'm sure there would have been some individuals who ended up in the trenches though, but they would have been quite exceptional cases.

Here is an article on the recruitment and composition of the Tans which might be of general interest

https://www.historyireland.com/who-were-the-black-and-tans/

I did some googling and here's an article about a man who was believed until recently to be the first black police officer in the UK.. and he signed up in 1967 (!)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwell_Roberts

Peregrinus

Ireland was part of the UK at the time, and the flow of troops from the UK was always one-way - units of the British army went out to occupy and hold India and other colonies, and British officers were sent out to officer units in the Indian Army and other colonial forces, but the reverse never happened; it would not have been politically or culturally acceptable. Small numbers of colonial troops might occasionally be brought to the UK for ceremonial purposes — to take part in jubilee parades, for example — but never for active defence or to act in support of the civil power.

The Black-and-Tans and the Auxiliaries were technically police, not army, and they were recruited in the UK mostly from demobilised ex-servicemen. It's possible that a non-white ex-serviceman might have been recruited, but it seems unlikely and I've never seen any reports of it. But there certainly wouldn't have been non-white or colonial units serving in Ireland.

Mick Tator

I never heard of a non-white soldier serving with Crown forces during the Irish WoI. As said above, the attitude to all non-whites, including troops, was very racist in that era. The colonial powers divided their subject races into ‘warlike’ and ‘non-warlike’, most falling into the latter category. During WW1 in Europe Britain generally used coloured troops in non-combatant roles, as labourers, collecting the dead, digging trenches, porters, etc. There were a few exceptions, notably the Gurkhas and Punjabis, who were presumed to be ‘warlike. France was different, but only slightly, and it too had some non-white troops in non-servile roles,e.g. Spahis, but the attitude was equally racist, all French colonial troops usually referred to as ‘Turcos’ somewhat dismissively.  The 45th Colonial Infantry Division, which was a combination of French territorial and Algerian troops held part of the front line at Ypres early in the war and suffered major casualties in the first gas attack in 1915.