The images below are scanned from an original copy of the Illustrated London News from January 1921. They show Hamar Greenwood, Chief Secretary for Ireland, inspecting R.I.C Auxiliaries in Dublin at Beggars Bush Baracks.As D.M Leeson has noted in his study of The Black and Tans, Greenwood ‘described the Irish insurgency in almost hysterical terms’ when he noted that “For years past now Sinn Féin extremists and their Soviet colleagues in Ireland – their Sovietism in a marked degree in Ireland- have conspired to smash the empire.”
Greenwood was one of those who essentially endorsed a policy of reprisals at the height of the War of Independence. Greenwood had famously told the House of Commons that “things are very much better in Ireland” only days before Michael Collins obliterated what he called the ‘Dublin Castle Murder Gang’ on a November morning in 1920.
Below these images the page contains a quote from Greenwood, telling the men he inspected that:
You are here to rescue Ireland from the assassin, to save her from the small minded misguided minority of her people. You are here to maintain the United Kingdom intact, and to break up that conspiracy which has for its object the smashing of the British Empire!
This is an interesting example of British war propaganda during the Irish War of Independence, and this is also the first time I’ve seen several of these images myself.
From: Illustrated London News, Jan 29 1921.
This second image is interesting, as it shows how the British armed forces attempted to deal with the guerrilla warfare tactics of the IRA, with new “protection against bombs” in the field.
From: Illustrated London News, Jan 29 1921.
This full body snap shows a young R.I.C man clutching a Winchester Buckshot Gun, “the latest weapon used” in the war.
From: Illustrated London News, Jan 29 1921.
However great the provocation, never forget that you are officers of His Majesty’s Army, again serving the old flag in this distracted country. You are policeman, whose first duty is to prevent crime and maintain order, and I hope before the last auxiliary man leaves Ireland the people of Ireland will realise, and from your conduct and courage and chivalry will appreciate, that fact.
From: Illustrated London News, Jan 29 1921.
Lady Greenwood is also shown talking to the R.I.C at the inspection.
From: Illustrated London News, Jan 29 1921.
(I’ve watermarked the images, but only slightly and in a way that I feel doesn’t take away from them. As I’ve mentioned on the site before there’s been a real problem in recent times with images from sites like this being sold for profit on eBay and such sites as copies of historic prints. If you’re one of the people doing that, please stop.)
Click on the book for more.
Click on the book for more.
Donal
Ciarán
Sam
Come Here To Me! 
my uncle used to rub tea bags over pictures of collins and dev, and have them drying on the cloths line making them look old and sell them on to pubs around the country. say he would have loved the internet and ebay.
Hamar Greenwood was a very nasty piece of work
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