"Brilliant Black and Tan painting guide?" Topic

I remember a few years ago I came across someone who had written a brilliant guide to painting Black and Tan troops from the Irish War of Independence. It included quite a bit of history of how the uniform came about as well as a primer on the troops as well.

I think it was linked to from the Musketeer Miniatures site, possibly.

Does anyone have knowledge that might help me track this down?

I appreciate any leads.

First take two tins of paint; one black and one… I've forgotten…

;o)

There are two or so great sites on the RIC in the era but I don't know of a painting guide specific one. The uniform was a very dark green, some figure painters call it "bottle green" others "rifle green". The Auxiliary Division wore khaki Scottish Balmorals at first, but soon they had the dark green ones commonly seen in photos. I think I remember something about a blue uniform late in the war, but I'm not sure of that.

Wait! Check out this site on British badges: they have a color image of the uniform. link

According to Amazon, there is an Osprey title in the pipeline on British Crown forces in Ireland, 1916-21. Hopefully it will cover the RIC, Auxies and Tans as well as British regulars.

I was very disappointed in the Irish Volunteer volume by Osprey. The plates were not very good and the text had a good many errors that were, quite frankly, surprising. I've heard some complaints regarding their Easter Rising book, but most of those were ideological rather than material. There is a forum for RIC buffs that has great photos and detailed info on the Tans and the Auxies.

I kind of like some of the Irish Volunteer plates, especially the panoramic one of the mountainy cottage, with some of the lads departing on a raid, and some, I think, attending Mass, and plenty of activity going on here and there.

The convoy ambush plate does look a little daft, with a rather simplistic-looking Auxie vehicle in flames.

Regarding the Easter Rising, which direction were the ideological complaints? It's too pro-Brit or too pro-Rebel?

The convoy ambush plate does look a little daft, with a rather simplistic-looking Auxie vehicle in flames.

Yes, that was a bit poor.

I'm not sure that the ADRIC at the Kilmichael Ambush would have been wearing the very snazzy blues that were shown in that plate. Mix of dark green RIC dress, GS uniforms and the distinctive headgear.

Regarding the Easter Rising, which direction were the ideological complaints? It's too pro-Brit or too pro-Rebel?

I wouldn't say that it's particularly pro-British or Irish, but:

(1) The writer constantly refers to the Volunteers as "rebels" or "insurgents". The book was published in 2007, when "insurgent" was a word heard quite frequently on the TV. I was disappointed with that terminology, not because I think the reader should automatically agree with the Volunteer's cause, but use of the correct term might have led to a better understanding of the Irish motivation in 1916. I'd love to know whether this was a decision made by the author or the editor.

(2) Backgrounds and bios are given on the British commanders, but nothing on the leaders of the Rising. Again, difficult to understand the motivations of the individuals in question.

(3) The tone sort of changes at this point to being a bit too pro-Irish. It's difficult to convey the extent to which this happens, but there were definitely moments while reading which made me think "That's a bit OTT and unhelpful".

(4) Once the Rising ends, the author pretty much just mentions the execution of Pearse & Co. and leaves it at that. Now, if the reader is Irish, he knows what happened next, and all the rest of it. For the non-Irish reader, more detail on the political after-affects of the Rising and the execution of the leaders would have been a good thing. He could also have put across the fact that Pearse and others were actually out to martyr themselves – and that's never really brought across. That's a bloody important thing to leave out if you're writing about 1916.

Overall? I'd give it a 5 out of 10. Maybe a 6 if I was in a good mood. I have a sense that there is (or was prior to some dodgy editing) a cohesive narrative in there somewhere, but the whole book comes across as quite muddled.

Thanks very much, Mericanach.

Just on the Volunteers as "insurgents", in 1966, the 50th anniversary of the Rising, RTE produced a drama-documentary called "Insurrection" (I must check if it's available on DVD; I have only a childhood memory of somebody firing a Mauser automatic pistol from a window).
Would this have meant the term "insurgent" would have been considered ok then?

Would this have meant the term "insurgent" would have been considered ok then?

You'd have to ask RTE. Or watch some of the clips on the RTE website, and make up your own mind:

link

The Kilmichael ambush plate is not good at all. If we use Tom Barry's Guerilla Days In Ireland as the source, which the artist clearly did, we read that the IRA man used as a decoy wore an "IRA officers tunic" wich was open collared in the manner of the Brit officers uniform. Yet the illustration shows the figure in a standing collar tunic resembling a Free State uniform. All the column men are mere heads and rifles on the hillside like some sort of armed branch of the cherubim. The book has mistakes that are rather embarassing as well. The ideological issue I was refering to was the almost seamless blending of the Irish Volunteers of 1913 with the Free State army of the 20s. The photos mix images from this whole period with photos of a pre-1916 unit alongside the Free Staters. I'm of the opinion (and it is just that, an opinion) that the Treaty and split should have ended the book and a new book on the Free State army up to, say, the Emergency. There is a VERY Republican reply to that Osprey book: The Volunteer by James Durney. The layout is identical to an Osprey including plates (which are awful) but it includes some great photos of Vollunteers I have never seen before. His book follows the Republicans from 1913 to 1997 and he blend photos from 1916 era with Provos and armalites.

Slightly off topic there is some archive film footage shot presumably as propaganda by the IRA during the War of Independence using actual volunteers in which they recreate an ambush something like Kilmichael. It was rediscovered in the 1990s and screened at a number of festivals. It may be online if anyone wants to have a look maybe the Irish Film Archive would be where to look.

It is well worth seeing.

Slightly off topic there is some archive film footage shot presumably as propaganda by the IRA during the War of Independence using actual volunteers in which they recreate an ambush something like Kilmichael.

I believe this may be the film you're thinking about:

link

Good man, that's the one. I see I was wrong about when it was made. Have you seen it?

Mericanach,

Thanks for the Insurrection link. I had forgotten it was done in the style of a "happening now" news report. I remember Maurice O'Doherty reading the news when I was young.

Have you seen it?

Only once. I don't own a copy of it. I wouldn't mind having a copy of it but I'm sure the 2006 DVD is now OOP, though.

As it's not in colour, it's not much use as a painting reference, now is it?

As films on/set in the period go, there are relatively few:

Irish Destiny
The Informer
Shake Hands with the Devil
Ryan's Daughter
Michael Collins
The Last September
The Wind that Shakes the Barley

There's also the British drama "Rebel Hearts", and the Irish TV production "The Treaty" (which was very, very good), but neither of these have ever been released on DVD (as far as I know).

TG4 (an Irish language channel) has been producing excellent – and objective – documentaries on 1916, the War of Independence and various related personalities since it first went on the air. I try to catch these via their online player whenever I can, both for the subject matter and as a means of ensuring the oul' cϊpla focail doesn't disappear. Virginia is a bit short on Gaelgoiri for a decent live fire exercise.

I'm of the opinion (and it is just that, an opinion) that the Treaty and split should have ended the book and a new book on the Free State army up to, say, the Emergency.

There is an Osprey on the Irish Defence Forces since 1922 which is sort of along those lines. It finishes up around the year 2002 or thereabouts – maybe a little later. It's not bad.

I remember Maurice O'Doherty reading the news when I was young.

I don't. I wasn't around until a bit later. Were you able to view the clips?

I suggest the Jack Yeates colour scheme.

I've been trying to get a copy of Rebel Hearts for some time; I heard they are around online but I'm still looking. There is film footage of the Tans -I've seen them on youtube. Again, black and white, but it is someting to see!

There is film footage of the Tans

Those aren't "Tans". Those are Auxies. Tans don't wear the same headgear as the RIC or RIC Special Reserve.

The Tans arrived in Ireland and became operational before the Auxies did, and were the first to be seen in the mix of RIC dark green and GS khaki uniform – hence the name. That switched to exclusively dark green (full RIC uniform) as more uniform stocks became available. The one thing that wasn't in short supply at the time were RIC hats and bets – RIC hats are peaked, not berets.

The Auxies are the only ones with the berets. There's no actual evidence of them being centrally issued with a distinctive or separate uniform (there are certainly many photographs of men on Dublin streets with berets in dark uniforms, but I'm inclined to believe that these were RIC dark green, as opposed to blue or black). However, even in late 1921, there are still Auxies wearing berets with various GS uniform items in places outside of Dublin.

So:

Peaked RIC hat + full police uniform = an RIC constable, or an RIC Special reservist in full uniform (late 1920 or afterwards)

Peaked RIC hat + mix of dark and khahi uniform = an RIC Special Reservist (an actual "Black and Tan" as they first appeared in early 1920)

Beret + full police uniform or GS uniform items or mix of dark uniform and GS items = Temporary Cadet, Auxiliary Division, RIC (an Auxie)

The name "Black and Tans" was first mentioned in print by Christopher O'Sullivan, a journalist who encountered some of them at Limerick Junction train station in March 1920.

It was intended as a term of ridicule, not of fear or awe as is sometimes written. I have O'Sullivan's description somewhere and I'll dig it out. He remarked on the fact that they were all small, physically unimposing men. This was particularly noted by him because the RIC had a height requirement – these men did not seem like typical policemen. Quite the opposite, in fact.

While "Tans" is frequently used to refer to all police forces operating in Ireland at the time, "Black and Tans" is a specific nickname given to the RIC Special Reservists as they first appeared. "Tans" is sort of perjorative, "Black and Tans" is more specifically descriptive.

If a few Crossleys full of Auxies were sighted, people weren't yelling "Tans", believe me. The ADRIC were far more dangerous.

So far not exactly the thread I expected, but a great read. Thanks to all the contributors.

So Mericanach, to summarize (for those of us just beginning to look into the period),

RIC – Regular cops that are taking the brunt of the fighting. Issuing traffic citations (not exactly, but you know what I mean) and investigating fraud, theft, and murders. They come under attack. Then…

Black and Tans – They come in to help out the regular RIC officers. Officially part of the RIC, but temporary members to boost the police numbers. They held mundane tasks to free up regular RIC officers, guarding, escorting, and crowd control.

Auxillary Division – A separate, temporary force to continue to boost the police numbers. But these lads were to take the fight to the IRA. They acted in large companies in the country side primarily? I'm foggy on whether they were "officially" part of the RIC?

Of course these are generalities, there are always the "actually in Dec, 3 1922 there is a photo of and Auxiliary in Dublin, blah blah.." type stuff, but I'm trying to understand the Crown forces at the time in General terms to help guide my research. I imagine knowing the Crown forces and their peculiarities is akin to knowing about the different types of German troops in the AWI. Most assume they are Hessians and leave it at that.

Okay.

RIC – Regular cops that are taking the brunt of the fighting. Issuing traffic citations (not exactly, but you know what I mean) and investigating fraud, theft, and murders. They come under attack. Then…

More or less, yes. Many of them are killed or injured in 1919 and early 1920, and their families are boycotted (won't be served in shops, shunned by the local populace etc). Many men resign, and the reduced force is pulled from smaller stations (they haven't the manpower to hold them all), and concentrated in larger and fortified barracks. Most of the smaller abandoned stations are burned by the IRA. As the RIC do not have the presence (boots on the ground) that they once had, many rural areas come under effective Republican control absent a significant show of mobile police and military strength.

Remember that the RIC at the outbreak of hostilities are predominantly Irish. They weren't attacked because they're "British" (they were pretty much all Irishborn), or "Protestant" (70-80% of them were Catholics, representative of the island's population at the time – in the north, they were mainly non-Catholic, because that's what the majority of the population was there). They were attacked because they were the most visible Crown presence in Ireland at a local level. Remove them and you remove the rule of law, making it easier for the IRA to operate unchallenged in many areas.

Black and Tans – They come in to help out the regular RIC officers. Officially part of the RIC, but temporary members to boost the police numbers. They held mundane tasks to free up regular RIC officers, guarding, escorting, and crowd control.

Yes and no. They weren't really there for "mundane tasks". Brought in to bolster police numbers in the hopes of regaining the ground lost during the winnowing of RIC numbers and installations. Mainly unemployed ex-soldiers from Britain. No affinity for the locals. Technically intended to perform police duties, but little or no actual police training. Issued military weapons (SMLE .303 rifles, grenades, Lewis guns etc), transport (Crossleys etc) and deployed throughout the country where RIC numbers are lowest. The regular RIC are similarly upgunned at the same time. Kit shortages lead to the hybrid uniform until regular police uniforms become available. First encountered in approximately March, 1920. Quickly gain a bad reputation among the Irish population. Tactics are more suited to tench raids than policing. Many regular RIC men don't like them. Of course, the IRA are on the offensive, so the police action breaks down and turns into guerrilla war. Reprisals are taken (sometimes on the civilian population, sometimes on local businesses) by the RIC and the Reservists after attacks. Attitudes harden on both sides.

At this point, large numbers of IRA men have "gone on the run" and are beginning to form themselves into fulltime fighting units in the countryside.

Some of these "flying columns" are the size of regular infantry companies, have secured weapons and ammunition through barracks raids and ambushes of police and military patrols, sometimes using captured machineguns and homemade mines (think IEDs). The columns in County Cork and in Longford are particularly well-armed and dangerous, and are quite prepared and able to ambush and damage Crown convoys of about equivalent size. Many parts of these counties (and others) become no-go areas for Crown troops and police unless they're moving in fairly large convoys backed up by armoured cars, and even that doesn't absolutely guarantee easy passage as several ambushes of formations of this size have shown. If the Crown convoy is too large, it's easily observed and the IRA leave it alone. If it's too small, the convoy runs the risk of being seriously damaged or even destroyed. It is not so much the extent of the IRA's military capability that is the threat here, it is the fact that any military capability exists at all that is the real danger. A leaner, more specilaized force is required, and the Auxies are introduced.

Auxillary Division – A separate, temporary force to continue to boost the police numbers. But these lads were to take the fight to the IRA. They acted in large companies in the country side primarily? I'm foggy on whether they were "officially" part of the RIC?

Temporary in the same way that the Black and Tans were temporary. Recruited from ex-officers (many decorated individuals) and intended as a high-calibre mobile striking force, to be deployed throughout the island, seek out and destroy or capture the IRA (as the RIC and Tans aren't really able to deal with them), or snatch persons of interest etc as necessary. First appeared in mid-1920.

Operated in essentially independent companies (about 14 or 15, if memory serves), very well armed, motorized, backed up by armoured cars. Probably the world's first motorized counter-insurgency troops. Again, technically policemen, and part of the RIC, but essentially a law unto themselves on the ground.

Not particularly popular with British Army troops (who didn't like the Tans much either) as they tended to get out of control very quickly, and cause a lot of unnecessary trouble even in pretty quiet areas. The IRA were very intimidated by them initially until the Kilmichael Ambush in Cork where 17 of them were ambushed and killed.

Those are the three main elements of the Crown police in Ireland. The other big player, of course, was the British Army. By the time of the Truce, the Army was really taking the lead role in COIN duties (and were doing a very good job of it) more than the police, as the Tans and Auxies had become a massive political liability both at home and abroad by that stage.

Oswald Mosley quit the Conservative Party in protest of Black and Tan attrocities! The old Republican story was (and often is) that the Tans were the sweepings of British prisons, but there is no evidence of this. Certainly they were a hard bunch. In ambush areas they were prone to firing wildly from the back of their Crossley Tenders as a crude form of suppression fire, and in one case that I know of shot a prenant woman in the fields. Turnover was high, as some left or were asked to leave. Brit Army was not as active as is often thought -Ernie O'Malley saw them as a modifying influence over the Tans (I use the term collectively) but the Essex Regiment in Cork seemed to be an exception. Mericanach, what do you think of this theory (my own): That Peter Monaghan of 3rd Cork was actually a spy?

"Peter Monaghan" was a Scottish ex-British Army Royal Engineer. He appears to have defected and joined the 3rd Cork Column about six or seven weeks before being killed. "Monaghan" was probably an alias. "Peter" may have been an assumed name too, but there's a school of thought that says it was probably his real name.

Was he a spy? If he was, he can't have been a particularly good one. He managed to get himself killed at Crossbarry. By British troops.

Thanks Mericanach, I appreciate the exhaustive answers that always seem to provide.

Almost every mine he built for them failed to detonate when needed -except the last one. In "Ireland Forever" the RIC chief wrote that he had a plant within the 3rd Cork. When Monaghan defected he came over with another fellow- who the IRA did not trust and his fate is only vaguely refered to. Just a thought. Somebody tipped the Brits off- what was to be an ambush on a RIC coulumn turned into a major encirclement that the West Cork men only escaped from by luck and pluck. A Scots deserter with a Cork grandmother is found wandering the most active IRA area. He is from the RE and offers to build mines for the IRA. He does not seem to be detered by the "loss" of his fellow deserter. He gives an assumed name. Most of his mines are duds. Most of the raids since his joining the column are heavy engagements whic might suggest they are counter-ambush ops. Anyway,I am of a conspiratal mind in most cases, but I always had a feeling in that direction.

When Monaghan defected he came over with another fellow- who the IRA did not trust and his fate is only vaguely refered to

His name was Tommy Clarke. He and Monahan/Monaghan (the spelling varies) went AWOL from Cobh and were apprehended by the IRA at a house owned by Liam Deasy's mother, where they had called asking for food and cigarettes. Yes, I do mean that Liam Deasy.

Monaghan revealed his background and a wish to join the IRA – quite possibly to avoid being shot, which was pretty much what would happen to him unless he was able to give an excellent account of what he was doing wandering around the place. There is no record of Clarke ever doing that – either expressing a wish to join the IRA, or actually joining up. And, as you say, there's no record of what happened to him.

If you watch "The Wind that Shakes the Barley", you will notice that Johnny Gogan (played by William Ruane), the red-headed young British soldier who releases the IRA men from custody and goes with them has a Scottish accent, and refers later in the film to having an Irish mother. That character is basically a nod to "Peter Monaghan".

As to Monaghan's proficiency with explosives, his roadmines might not have been brilliant, but the 400 lb bomb that he put together was used after his death in the 31 March 1921 attack on Roscarberry RIC barracks, along with two smaller ones. They all worked.

As to there being suspect individuals within the IRA in Cork, there was a former British soldier (known as Crux O'Connor, and Irish, I believe) who was regarded with a degree of suspicion by some of his comrades in 1st Cork Brigade. He manned one of the IRA's two Lewis guns during the Coolavokig ambush of 70 Auxiliaries and 7 RIC on 25 February 1921. He reportedly fired a few rounds and then abandoned the weapon, falsely stating that it was jammed. Nobody thought of checking it and it lay idle for the rest of the engagement.

O'Connor's Lewis was supposed to bottle up and sweep one end of the ambush site. However, without the suppressive fire from this weapon, the Auxiliaries were able to break out and make their way into two cottages, where they began to fort up. The IRA were preparing to close on these buildings with grenades when large numbers of RIC reinforcements approached and began encircling the area.

The reinforcements were part of a 600-man police and Army local round-up operation which – rather conveniently – just happened to be operating in the area that day.

And it just happened to be the same day that O'Connor's Lewis "jammed".

Now how do we add that to a game? If you flip the "traitor" card one figure of the other player's choice is now under his control! BTW, I loved your "false surrender" bit in the IWI rules.

What IWI rules are those?

He always has a wealth of knowledge on this topic, now if only Mericanach would publish some rules himself for this episode. I keep building up units for a game awaiting that day.

if only Mericanach would publish some rules himself for this episode. I keep building up units for a game awaiting that day.

At the risk of repeating myself, that won't be happening, Bob, and you really ought to look somewhere else. I learned my lesson on that score three years ago. Once bitten, and so forth.

Besides, there are now more books available than ever before covering this period of history (and more emerging every year), and there are three companies producing figures in 28mm, and another in 20mm. Plenty of links have been provided to scenario fodder. Plenty of good skirmish sets out there as well.

Nobody needs me to write a set of rules for them.

>>Nobody needs me to write a set of rules for them.

Can I just say – and I intend this as a compliment, with no disrespect to the decisions a man feels he has to make – that I'm sorry you won't, nevertheless?

I totally agree with Mericanach that another set of rules for this period is not necessary, there are sooo many good sets out there, and the first thing people do with rulesets is tear them down and post about how they don't address people's own perceptions of periods.

What you should be pumping Mericanach for is well written SCENARIOS! :)

Which can be applied to whatever set of rules you already use. A rifle is a rifle is a rifle. Moral is the same for any man, weather it be Spain 1812 or Ireland 1920. It's the situations and details that scenarios provide that give you the flavor for the period.

Alright, we'll try this once more.

link

Behave yourselves this time.