British Voices: From the Irish War of Independence 1918-1921

by William Sheehan

The Irish war of Independence has generated a wealth of published material but very little from a British perspective. Many British soldiers, sailors and airmen who served in Ireland from 1918-1921 left accounts of their service. Most describe military operations, views on the IRA, the Irish, the actions of their own forces, morale and relationships with local communities. Secret contacts between the British and the IRA and the use and abuse of intelligence are described. The author has delved deep into British military archives to unearth never-before published accounts.

Genres: Ireland, Nonfiction, Military History

210 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Dr. William Sheehan is a military historian, and the author of British Voices from the Irish War of Independence (2005), Fighting for Dublin (2007) and Hearts and Mines: the British 5th Division in Ireland (2009), A Hard Local War: The British Army and the Guerrilla War in Cork, 1919 -1921 (2011) and The Western Front: Irish Voices from the Great War (2011). He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Higher Education Academy. He has lectured in Griffith College Cork, UCC, Maynooth University and with the Open University. He is a member of the Ferguson Centre for African and Asian Studies at the Open University.

Reviews

[Rachel Wesson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a difficult book to read with me being Irish and proud of it. But to understand history, you should try to educate yourself from both sides of the argument. Sheehan published accounts from the archives from people who were there - being in the British Amy they are hardly pro Irish but most of them are just ordinary men sent over to do a job. Some were understanding and considerate of the Irish who just wanted to get on with their lives - it was difficult to stay out of the troubles - some of the Irish groups viewed you as either with them or against them. Some of the servicemen show a complete lack of understanding for what it is like for an occupying force to be living in your country (The British Army was the occupying force back in this period.). Several including some well known officers make demeaning comments about the locals - who in fairness just wanted to be free to live in their own country. (One officer in particular could have been just as easily talking about the "natives" in any of the countries he was stationed - he seemed to despise everyone who wasn't "English.") This period of time in Irish history is not easy reading and it's not as simple as they were the occupiers and the Irish were right to fight back. Yes we deserved our freedom but what we did in the name of that freedom, well... suffice to say there was bad deeds done by both sides. ps the stories are from those times so not politically correct or reworded not to cause offence. They come mainly from private diaries or officer reports. PPS this relates to the 1920's in Ireland.

[Nick Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most interesting books I have read on the Irish War of Independence. It was refreshing to read the voices of the British in this war. Some of the accounts were a bit redundant and samey, but it kept me hooked and informed.

[Sam Mueller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy and interesting read! I didn’t know much about the Irish War for Independence before my research and there is very little from the perspective of the British soldiers. These journals, autobiographies, and interviews offer a unique and interesting viewpoint.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good to read the thoughts and experiences of the ordinary soldier. Interesting contrast with the officer accounts especially the ones whose priorities appeared to be winning the inter service games.