The Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary

The official British Army "Records of the Rebellion in Ireland" written in 1921 just after the Truce was signed

Abstract

The stereotype of the average Auxiliary as a drunken lout, released from a British gaol, in order to run riot in Ireland appears to have been little researched. Stories which were put out as "spin" by both sides at the time, have not been properly checked, and have been "cut and pasted" ever since on the basis that "everyone knows that....". Having researched the ADRIC in some depth, I would go along with the pronouncement by J C Reynolds , a T/Cadet who was an IRA spy and later joined the Irish Army, who said in notes that are included in Collins Papers, that among the the Auxiliaries "some were very good and about 10% were bad eggs" . The vast majority of the Auxiliaries were in the middle, and were men who had only become British officers because of the need for more officers as WW1 progressed. These men who joined the ADRIC were the sons of shopkeepers and tradesmen, and they needed a job post war. They were attracted by the money that the ADRIC offered

This analysis sets out to answer the question "Who were the Auxiliaries?". Most of the records of the Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary (ADRIC) were destroyed when the British left Ireland. What is available today boils down to two registers, one alphabetic and one numeric , which disagree on men's ADRIC service number in many cases, and even on essentials like initials or regiment. The handwriting is bad, and they are difficult to transcribe. These registers are available in the British National Archives (HO184) and they contain few other scraps of information on the ADRIC, but basically it comes down to the two registers. As the ADRIC's time in Ireland went on, the registers became scrappier and even less information was given on recruits. By the time the last 10% of recruits arrived in Ireland, it was virtually impossible to pinpoint who they were because of the paucity of information on them in the registers. So it is not surprising that it has been difficult to get a complete list of recruits to the ADRIC.

In additon there is an RIC Register which should have recorded all RIC recruits, including ADRIC, but not all are recorded in that register: when a record is available on the RIC Register it gives date and place of birth, it does not give Regiment

To produce a decent list of ADRIC recruits, one has to cross check all three registers to get agreement on his name. Then one has to try to get any other information on him using a combination of the ADRIC Registers, the RIC registers, the list of British Army officers in WO338, the Medal Index Cards, any surviving service records (Ancestry has a number and all RAF officers are now online), the London Gazette (also online), and the ubiquitous Google searches, local newspapers. There are also a limited number of diaries - I found 4 of T/Cadets. And I have found David Leeson's book "The Black and Tans" and Ernest McCall's book "Tudor's Toughs" extremely useful.

On establishing his identity, one can then try to get his background using the censuses and other genealogical records. Plus any newspaper reports (British or Irish) and any National Archive information on him. IRA Witness Statements (online) can also fill in some information. As can British records for military inquiries in lieu of inquests in Ireland.

The result is a separate page for each recruit and an attempt to analyse the make up of the ADRIC. Past researchers have had to use just a sample of the recruits (for example using men who joined in a given month, or within a range of service numbers: an approach that has various statistical weaknesses)

I would not claim that I have found the correct answer to every recruit's identity, but this analysis does give a reasonable basis for more research into the ADRIC. The web format and hyperlinks makes it easier to follow the cross indexing of men and events.

Although 2214 service numbers were used, with double issuing my estimate is that 2131 men actually joined the ADRIC. There was constant "churn" with about one third of the men leaving before the British withdrawal. So the maximum size of the ADRIC was just under 1500 men in the field at any one time.The Auxiliaries were then stationed in areas of high IRA activity. They were deployed in companies of about 80 men in each

This paper explores who the recruits were: - their family backgrounds, their age, their medals (most claimed medals were in fact correct, but a small number did claim medals that they never were awarded), their rank on leaving the army, their date of birth, their age at death, what happened to then after leaving the ADRIC, and that vexed question of criminal records.

They certainly saw a lot of action between September 1920 nd the truce in July 1921. I have drawn up a list and descriptions of all the major incidents that the ADRIC were involved in. These incidents include a reasonably full analysis of the Kilmichael Ambush, the Burning of Cork by K Coy and the Trim Looting by N Coy.

It also examines the "officer corps", the men who made it to DI1, DI2 or DI3.

Who joined the ADRIC? My analysis shows that the typical recruit was

• Demographically drawn from the range of parts of the UK that statistics would normally dictate. In other words no part of the UK was over-represented or under-represented in recruits
• The medals they earned were what one would have expected from any random selection of 2000 officers in the British Army. In other words they were no more or no less brave than any other group of officers. There were fewer DSOs because the ADRIC were mainly drawn from subaltans
• Their regiment - it is very difficult to analyse their regiment, as most served in more than one, and in more than one Service. For this reason, I have not offered such an analysis.
• It struck me as perhaps significant that the ex-RAF officers in ADRIC numbered 426, about twice the number thay would would have expected statistically (the statistically expected number being 235)
• And not unreasonably fewer than statistically expected, joined from the Navy - 113 ex-navy officers. 65 RNR, 29 RNVR, 16 RN, 3 Other. Reflecting the fact that merchant marine officers jobs were difficult to acquire post WW1.
• The majority have been commissioned in 1917 or later (61% of recruits) having served about 2 years in the ranks before commissioning
• Very few had not been commissioned - 21 were Merchant Marine Mates or Masters taken on for Q Coy for maritime work. Another 16 had not been commissioned for a variety of reason.
• 126 men had received "commission on discharge". In other words they had never actually served as an officer, and got the commission the day of their demobilisation. The real number is certainly higher as commissions on discharge are difficult to find
• 17 had resigned or lost their commissions during WW1.
• The average recruit was born around 1892. And 81% were born between 1885 and 1899.
• The expected average number had been POWs - 56 ADRIC had been Prisoners of War, against an statistic expectation of 46
• The average recruit had been a Lt in the British Army (59% were Lts, 22% were 2nd Lts) and only 17% had held the rank of Captain or higher.
• The average ADRIC recruit was more likely to have come from a family where his father had been a shopkeeper or a tradesman, than from one where his father was well off. Only 31% came from a professional or higher managerial family
• The average age of death was 63. However 59 men were to die before the age of 30, mainly through violence. But 64 lived into their 90s and one man reached 101
• Very few had criminal records when they joined the ADRIC, it is a myth that they did - I only found 4 men with criminal records before joining the ADRIC. An analysis shows that a number did pick up convictions, usually for fraud, after leaving the ADRIC. I could find 109 men who had received a criminal sentence. Again the real figure will be higher than this as it is more difficult to see if a "R Smith" had a later criminal conviction, than say an "RW Waage-Mott". It has been impossible to determine whether this is "average" for any group of WW1 officers. I was unable to find any defrocked clergymen.
• Their suicide rate was roughly three times the male UK suicide rate in the years 1920 to 1939. At least 38 ex-ADRIC men committed suicide - against a statistical expectation of 12 to 15. Again there is no comparative figures for WW1 officers' suicide rates.
• 59 T/Cadets died during their deployment in Ireland, of these 44 were killed by the IRA
• Many were wounded ( a list of 145 instances of wounding - not all "in action")
• Wounding and death led to compensation. They or their relatives received compensation for their injuries (At least £206,000 appears to have been paid to ADRIC men as a result of injuries, being equivalent to about £8 million in 2017)
• They took part in a great many incidents - where I have attempted to record all incidents and those involved
• And for readers wanting just the colourful characters 190 Interesting ADRIC men A personal selection of interesting lives among the men who joined the ADRIC. Equally there were many bland men who came and went without a story.
• They were divided into Companies stationed mainly in southern Ireland, and there is an analysis of each company, its movements, its men, its actions, its commanders.
• Apart from the regular ADRIC companies there was "The Police Advisor's Office", of which I was not satisfied that I have solved the question as to what they did and how Z Coy of ADRIC fitted with the PA's Office
• In 1922 I found 158 men who transferred to British Gendarmerie in Palestine and a number went to Ulster Constabulary (my list of 48 individuals is, I suspect, only a portion of those that transferred - Ulster research is "difficult".
• Serving the needs of the ADRIC were the Vets and Drivers Division. I have not attempted to analyse these men

You could conclude that the average recruit was an Lieutenant in the British Army, aged about 30. He had been commissioned fo less than 2 years. Not drawn preferentially from any part of the UK. And that his father was a shopkeeper or tradesman. He was probably not what the British Government thought they were recruiting as "ex-officers" with a vision of upper class Sandhurst men. They got instead mainly men who had been born into upper working class or lower middle class homes, and who had spent a considerable time in the ranks before being commissioned. They appear to have joined the ADRIC because they could not get any other work in post war Britain, and the ADRIC money was good. Those who survived Ireland mainly lived until their 70s or 80s

The Auxiliary Division of the RIC

Perhaps in theory a solution to the policing problems in Ireland but an interview with Crozier soon after his resignation from ADRIC, pinpoints the problem of bad discipline and bad company commanders as hindering their work

The Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary was a para-military police unit, which with very few exceptions, accepted only ex-officers from the British Army (or one of the Empire armies). They served as separate units from the RIC and the RIC had little control over them. The ADRIC Company Commanders reported to the Commandant of the ADRIC. And he reported to Gen HH Tudor, the Chief of Police in Ireland.. The ADRIC should not be confused with the "Black & Tans", which was made up of ex-British Other Ranks and served as part of the RIC, being used to bolster normal RIC numbers.

Little has been written about the men who served in the ADRIC. The only way I could see to open Pandora's Box on the ADRIC and research them properly was to examine the backgrounds of all the men who signed up for the ADRIC and arrive at a proper searchable, alphabetic, index of them all. Where possible I have taken their lives from birth, through the censuses, their war records, commissioning, and medals; to their eventual death. I have not published these conclusions as a book, as I believe that to be accurate and up to date, the presentation of the information needs the flexibility of a web site. I am happy to accept corrections or other changes. I believe that the details I have presented on individual recruits to the ADRIC are the "best fit" to the clues on name, rank, regiment, age found in the ADRIC registers; but my solutions will need to be amended over time.

2214 (mainly) ex-officers signed up for the Auxiliary Division of the RIC, in as much as the service numbers of the ADRIC go up to 2214. However some men attested, but never arrived in Ireland; some have two numbers as a result of leaving and rejoining the ADRIC (like the Trim Looting men). I estimate that 2131 men joined ADRIC (arrived at by taking 2214 numbers issued , then taking into account men with 2 service numbers (50) , men with no service number (3) , men who had a service number but never became operational (36)) .

With men leaving and new men arriving, nothing like that number were serving at the same time. I found 769 men who left early for one reason or another - resigned, dismissed, medically unfit either from war service or from RIC service, killed in action, murdered, died. So out of every 3 men who signed up for the ADRIC, 1 will have left before demobilisation in January 1922. The maximum size of the ADRIC at any one time was just under 1500 men . There were at a maximum 17 "normal" ADRIC companies in the field with about 81 men each. Therefore there were 1377 Temp Cadets in the field, plus around 100 in a combination of Depot Coy, HQ Coy, Z Coy and S Coy

The monthly ebb and flow of recruits can be followed

A "normal" company was made up of 81 men per company in 9 sections of 8 men including Section Leader, which is 72 men plus Company Commander, Second in Command, 3 Platoon Commanders, 1 Intelligence Officer, 1 Transport Officer, 1 Quartermaster, 1 Assistant QM. Originally there were 4 Platoons per Company, but by Nov 1920 this was rationalised down to 3 Platoons per Company, and it then remained at 3 per company until the withdrawal in Jan 1922

Looking at the make up of the ADRIC by researchable factors

Birthplace

It turns out that the make up of the men themselves was a reasonable cross section of the British Army at that time. Their origins were much what one would have expected if one analyses their country of birth. The detailed analysis on those workings shows for the 90% of men whom I have a place of birth, their origins were roughly what one would have expected, if one removes the international births and reworks the percentages. Apart from the high number, 8.5%, of entrants with non-UK births (International Births) which is due to factors like the fact ADRIC accepted ex-officers from Allied countries armies, plus the fact that men from overseas were more likely to tarry in Europe after the war. Of the 168 born outside the UK, 50 were in India, 26 in Africa, 21 in Europe, 15 in USA, 13 in Australia, 12 in Canada, 11 in West Indies, 7 in New Zealand and the remaining 12 from a variety of countries

If we look at the men born in Ireland who joined the ADRIC, they are weighted towards Ulster and Leinster born, and perhaps not surprisingly towards Protestants. The conclusions of a fuller analysis of Irish born recruits shows that of 182 (probably) Irish born members of the ADRIC.

• 73 born in Ulster - that is 40% of the ADRIC Irish recruits, and Ulster had 36% of the population of Ireland
• 32 born in Munster - that is 18% of the ADRIC Irish recruits, and Munster had 24 % of the population of Ireland
• 71 born in Leinster - that is 39% of the ADRIC Irish recruits, and Leinster had 26% of the population of Ireland
• 6 born in Connaught - that is 4% of the ADRIC Irish recruits, and Connaught had 14% of the population of Ireland

• 69 % Protestant (70 men C of I., 31 men Presbyterian, 9 men other Protestant)
• 31% Catholic (49 men)

Social Class. If one takes the job of their father in the census just after their birth, one can get an idea of their economic/educational background. I have this data from nearly 1800 men. The full analysis is here . Only 31% came from what one would consider the traditional backgrounds of the old officer class in the British Army - that is the professions (law, medicine, etc), higher managerial, landed gentry. The average ADRIC recruit was more likely to have come from a family where his father had been a shopkeeper or a tradesman.

Medals won

There is a full analysis of medals that men had won before they entered ADRIC. One would expect that ex-officers joining the ADRIC would include many with decorations. There are 439 men in the ADRIC with medals in the table below. The figures are roughly what you would expect for a group who had mainly fought part of the war as Officers and part as Enlisted Men.

• The only notable exception is the relatively low number of DSO, where one would have expected to see about 50 to 70 DSOs, but only 19 ADRIC men held DSOs - the ADRIC was not attracting ex-senior officers in proportion.
• Of those that joined the ADRIC 228 had MCs - an average of 1 in 10, which was true also of all WW1 officers as a group.
• Note also that 81 men had fought in the Boer War .

I have not accepted what men stated their medals to be, but have tried to substantiate what medals they did actualy win.

• 439 recipients of medals
• VC - 3 men
• DSO - 16 men
• DSO and bar - 2 men
• DSO and 3 bars - 1 man
• MC - 208 men
• MC and bar - 17 men
• MC and 2 bars - 3 men
• DCM - 55 men (of whom 3 had 1 bar)
• MM - 71 men (of whom 3 had 1 bar)
• 31 C de G (various)
• QSA - 81 men plus one who fought as a Boer (note, I have used QSA to cover both QSA and KSA)
• Albert Medal - 3 men
• RHS Medal - 3 men
• OBE/MBE - 10 men
• CMG - 1 man
• DSC - 2 men
• DFC - 3 men
• AFC - 2 men

Commissions It is commonly believed, that with few exceptions, that they were all officers. To a certain extent it depends on what you mean by an officer. Of the 2131 men that actually joined the ADRIC, we can make a number of observations

• There is a list of the commission dates for over 1900 of the men who joined ADRIC from these one can get the spread of commission dates

• Therefore about 61% of the men who served in ADRIC were commissioned 1917 or later., and only 4% had been commissioned before the outbreak of WW!
• At least 126 men who joined ADRIC received "commissions on discharge". In other words they benefited from a scheme, under which they never served as offers, but became officers in the reserve on the day of their demobilisation. Before that they had been Other Ranks, and got the upgrade on demobilisation thanks to AO 42 . Army Order 42 of 1919 states as follows: Whereas We deem it expedient to regulate further the future grant of commissions to officer cadets during the period of the present war, Our Will and Pleasure is that such cadets as, on or after January 1, 1919, have completed a satisfactory course of training, may be granted Special Reserve, Territorial Force, or temporary commissions, but that they shall not be entitled to any outfit allowance, gratuity, pay or any other emoluments as officers in respect of the grant of such commissions.  On leaving the Army, or on being demobilised, they shall receive such gratuities as they would be eligible for as warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and men had they not been granted a commission. My figure is an under-estimate, as commissions on discharge are harder to find in the London Gazette, than "normal" commission
• 21 Merchant Marine men who joined the ADRIC. They held MMR sailing qualifications and were not commissioned RNR officers
• 16 various other non-commissioned men. Some were RAF flight cadets who were not commissioned (though others did apply for commissions on discharge with much the same qualifications, and received a commission)
• The earliest commission was for E L Lowdell in 1878 . There is a list of all pre WW1 commissions on this page.
• The latest commissions were 136 post war commissions (including the 126 commissions on discharge)

Ages

There is a wide range of ages in the ADRIC .

• The full calculations are shown on this link. The weighted average gives the average recruit was born in 1892. And the bar chart shows the makeup of recruits by year of birth (very few of the year of birth were unknown, as the RIC (as opposed to ADRIC) kept fairly good records
• The oldest men were CB Fitzhardy b1857 and EL Lowdell born 1858
• And the youngest was Toller LIM b1905, who joined ADRIC when he was 16, and could probably never have held a commission.

Ranks held in the Armed Forces. A working sheet on ADRIC Ranks

• Lt was the rank that had been held by the majority of ADRIC men. Promotion from 2nd.Lt to Lt was automatic in the British Army after 18months as a 2nd.Lt
• Only 17% of ADRIC recruits had held the rank of Captain or higher
• Crozier and Wood are the 2 Brigadiers

How long did they live for? Analysis of 1744 death dates gives an average age of ADRIC men at 63 years old. The group is atypical of WW1 survivors in that 51 of them died before the age of 30, the majority violent deaths. But on the other hand many lived to a ripe old age, 50 were over 90 when they died, and one man was 101

Were they criminals ? Very few had either any criminal record or had been cashiered before they joined the ADRIC, I could only find 4. An initial analysis shows 108 men who served in the ADRIC were convicted of criminal offences after WW1. As I have not been able to get details of men with very common names, this figure would be higher if that could be factored in.

• 4 murders
• 8 Trim looters
• 1 man got 10 years for espionage
• 1 man got 7 years and a flogging for armed robbery
• 1 man got 10 years for sex offences
• The majority were for fraud (or similar offences) and received under 12 months goal

So how did it all start?

Nothing in researching the ADRIC is straight forward. Most of their records were destroyed when they left Ireland, and records that remain are difficult to read, incomplete, and generally not "professionally" kept. There was no complete, searchable record of the men who served. I had to construct that in order to slot the random collection of facts (often rambling, but usually with a semblance of truth) that emerges from Irish newspapers, English newspapers, IRA "Witness Statements", National Archive material, genealogical material, contemporary books. Once I had that list in place, which I do now, then it became easier to place the right information in the right places.

It all began with a Cabinet meeting on 11 May 1920, the Secretary of State for War, Winston Churchill, suggested the formation of a "Special Emergency Gendarmerie, which would become a branch of the Royal Irish Constabulary." Churchill's proposal was referred to a committee chaired by General Sir Neville Macready, Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in Ireland. Macready's committee rejected Churchill's proposal, but it was revived two months later, in July, by Major-General H H Tudor, the Police Adviser to the Dublin Castle administration in Ireland . In a memo dated 6 July 1920, Tudor justified the scheme on the grounds that it would take too long to reinforce the Royal Irish Constabulary with ordinary recruits. Tudor's new "Auxiliary Force" would be temporary: its members would enlist for a year: their pay would be £7 per week (twice what a constable was paid), plus a sergeant's allowances, and would be known as "Temporary Cadets". A 2nd Lt in the Army would have got 16/- a day in comparison. The pay in the ADRIC went up to 21/- a day in late 1920. On top of the pay they got allowances, one months leave a year on full pay, and a return rail warrant. Allowances included rent allowance (11/6d per week for married man), boot allowance 1/6d per week, separation allowance (married men got 2/- per day if separated from their wife), 5/- per week plain clothes allowance - the effect was that a married man got an additional £83-6-0 per year on top of his salary of £546 per year.

Recruiting for the ADRIC began in July 1920 Applicants had their military records and police references checked. This appears to have been conscientiously done, in as much as one finds letters on officers files in The National Archives showing that it had been carried out. There extremely few examples of underage men, or bogus medals. Once a Cadet was then interviewed and approved, recruits were sent twice a week in groups to the depot in Ireland. The majority were recruited in Scotland Yard Headquarters, London by Major Cyril Francis Fleming, County Inspector, RIC and Captain Francis Jackson, District Inspector, RIC.

Command and control of ADRIC companies was somewhat lax. Since company commanders (District Inspector 1st class) were equal in rank to senior RIC district inspectors, they took orders only from county inspectors, divisional commissioners, and their own commandant

The term "officer" applies to men who held the rank of District Inspector (class 1 or 2 or 3). Company Commanders were referred to as "Major" even though their Army rank may have been lower, and the Second in Command of a Company similarly was referred to as "Captain" even if he had only been a Lieutenant. This appears to be engineered so that an ADRIC Company Commander was only out-ranked locally by an RIC County Inspector or a Lt Col. - a fact that gave the ADRIC considerable freedom of manoevre

• Company Commanders were DI1 grade. There were 56 DI1s in the life of the ADRIC. Particularly the early Company Commanders were not very successful and left or were pushed out. 4 of these DI1s were born in Ireland. 3 committed suicide and 2 were KIA in Ireland and another murdered in Palestine in 1923.
• Company 2nd in Command were DI2. There were 66 DI2s in the life of the ADRIC. 5 of these men were born in Ireland.
• Intelligence Officers were DI3. There were 47 IOs in the life of the ADRIC. 7 of these men were born in Ireland. 2 were murdered in Ireland, and 1 committed suicide
• Platoon Commanders were DI3. 153 men who held the rank of Platoon Commander. Of these only 8 were of Irish birth.

Originally there was a nominal six-week course on policing at the RIC’s Curragh training centre, the first ADRIC Companies became operational in September 1920. As far as I can ascertain, this six weeks was cut as the ADRIC became established and men went straight to their allotted Company after 4 or 5 days in Dublin. . By September 1920 five companies were operational, each originally with a strength of about 100 to 110 (each with 4 Platoons) and by Dec 1920, the division was 1,145 strong. The rolls of the ADRIC show a total of 2214 men joined over the period of their existence, though for various reasons the total is lower than this, and with men leaving, the maximum strength never got above about 1500 men.

The Auxiliaries were nominally part of the RIC, but actually operated more or less independently in rural areas. Divided into companies (eventually 21 of them), each heavily armed and highly mobile, they operated in ten counties, mostly in the south and west, where Irish Republican Army activity was greatest. They wore either RIC uniforms or their old army uniforms with appropriate police badges, along with distinctive Tam-o-shanter caps.

They were commanded by Brigadier-General F P Crozier - in fact Crozier was in command for a surprising short part of the ADRIC's existence at only 20 weeks (he was in command 27 weeks, but away from duty, injured, for 7 weeks following a car smash during this period). Crozier resigned in Feb 1921, and Brigadier-General E A Wood took over command and ran the Auxiliaries until they were disbanded - Wood was in command therefore 55 weeks - 48 weeks plus the 7 weeks of Crozier's car injury absence.

Originally a Company was about 110 men and had 4 Platoons. In early November the number of Platoons per company was reduced to 3. According to Crozier this was to enable more companies to be put into the field quickly. One can see this changeover from a surviving fragment of strength information , and the reduction to 3 Platoons per Company takes place from 18 Nov 1921.

The monthly ebb and flow of recruits can be followed

 In changing from 4 Platoons per Company to 3, 1 Platoon was detached from A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H Companies

• 1 Platoon from A Coy was transferred on 23 Nov 1921 to J Coy - 24 men
• 1 Platoon from B Coy was transferred on 23 Nov 1921 to J Coy - 23 men
• 1 Platoon from C Coy was transferred to L Coy
• 1 Platoon from D Coy was transferred to M Coy
• 1 Platoon from E Coy was transferred on 26 & 27 Nov to K Coy- 36 men
• 1 Platoon from F Coy was transferred on 19 Nov to J Coy - 26 men
• 1 Platoon from G Coy was transferred to N Coy
• 1 Platoon from H Coy was transferred on 18 Nov to I coy - 25 men

The Timeline

1920 Jul 27. The first recruits started arriving in Dublin. There was no command structure

1920 Aug 10. Crozier wrote that initially the ADRIC organisation was chaotic. They were barracked at The Curragh and recruits had to arrange their own messing and canteens, and there was nobody in command. About 10th August the cadets were formed into 2 companies A and B. Crozier commanded A Coy and Kirkwood commanded B (Kirkwood did not stay long and resigned from ADRIC on 28 Sep 1920)

The first six Companies were A Coy, B Coy, C Coy, D Coy E Coy and F Coy as well as a Depot Company

1920 Sep 1. By now Crozier had been confirmed as commander of the ADRIC, and the depot was moved from the Curragh to Beggars Bush Barracks in Dublin

1920 Oct 13 to 20. G Coy was formed with the first intake of 93

1920 Oct 20. Brig-Gen E A Wood joined and soon after that became 2nd in command. When he was promoted to ADRIC commander in Feb 1921 following Crozier's resignation, Lt-Col F H W Guard became 2nd in command from Company commander of D Coy in Galway

1920 Oct 28 to Nov 8. H Coy formed with first intake of 60

1920 Nov 6. 20 ADRIC and 20 RIC men inspected in London by Lloyd George. ADRIC contingent were under the command of T Mitchel

1920 Nov 8 to 17. I Coy formed with first intake of 88

1920 Nov 19. J Coy formed with first intake of 26, rising ten days later on 29th Nov 1920 to a strength of 73.

Companies were supplied with Crossley tenders to enhance their mobility and their tasks included mounting raids and searches for arms, seditious literature and suspect individuals on their own initiative, or in association with other RIC or military units.

Initially two companies of auxiliaries were stationed in Dublin : F Company in Dublin Castle; and the Division's Depot Company was at Beggars Bush Barracks.

• Auxiliary Division Company Commanders also held the rank of 1st Class R.I.C. District Inspectors. And were nominally at the level of an Army Major
• Company Second in Commands (usually the Adjutant) also held the R.I.C. rank of 2nd Class District Inspectors. And were nominally at the level of an Army Captain
• Platoon Commanders also held the R.I.C. rank of 3rd Class District Inspectors
• The Intelligence Officer, who was ranked as a 3rd Class District Inspector.
• Section Leaders also held the R.I.C. rank of Head Constable.
• The Quartermaster, who often a Section Leader on appointment, rising to DI3 or "Hon DI3" over time
• The Transport Officer who was ranked as a Section Leader. Each company had its own transport - 7 Crossley tenders and 2 Ford touring cars.
• When the Auxiliary Division was formed during August 1920 there were four platoons to each Company. In November 1920 the number of platoons was reduced to three, supposedly in order to put more Companies into the field. There were then 3 Sections per Platoon. And 3 Platoons per Company from Nov 9200 onwards
• 47 Cadets Promoted to 3rd class District Inspectors on the 1st Oct 1920. This was a major move in sorting out the command and control of companies
• Each man had a rifle, bayonet, revolver. Each company had 16 Winchester repeating rifles and 4 Lewis guns

T/Cadet Reynolds who was in the pay of the IRA and later joined the Irish Army, says in this notes that are included in Collins Papers,that of the Auxiliaries "some were very good and about 10% were bad eggs" . I believe that Reynolds was not far from the truth there

1920 Nov Kilmichael Ambush in which 16 T/cadets and 1 T/Constable died. It can be found under all incidents in which the ADRIC were involved with their dates.

1920 Nov 23. Crozier had a serious car accident on his way to Dublin from investigating the problem in Galway with D Coy and then inspecting G Coy in Killaloe. On his way back to Dublin the vehicle he was travelling in crashed, and was in Curragh Hospital for a month. He then moved to a Rest Home in Dublin, and finally returned to duty with the ADRIC towards the end of January 1921after 7 weeks absence from command. Wood was in charge of the ADRIC during Crozier's absence.

1920 Dec 9. In its Supplementary Routine Orders divisional headquarters published the names and numbers of sixty-three temporary cadets and eighteen temporary constables who had been fined over the past couple of months. The most common offence among both temporary cadets and temporary constables was absence without leave.

1920 Dec 11. Dillons Cross Ambush and the Burning of Cork

1920 Dec 11. Tudor wrote to the Times. It should be noted that only 64 of the 2131 who joined the ADRIC, actually became District Inspectors in the RIC

1920 Dec 15. Canon Magner murder by T/C Hart

1921 Jan 22. Sir Harmer Greenwood addresses ADRIC at Beggars Bush Barracks. Crozier was back on duty by now

1921 Feb 9. During a raid in Dublin, F Coy ADRIC arrested two Irishmen, James Murphy and Patrick Kennedy. Their bodies were found in a field in Drumcondra. The two IRA prisoners Patrick Kennedy and James Murphy (both men may have been on the execution squads on Bloody Sunday) in the custody of 'F' company of the Auxiliaries were shot dead with pails on their heads and their bodies found at Clonturk Park, Drumcondra, Dublin. The two prisoners had been taken from the ADRIC guard room at Dublin Castle. The dying James Murphy testified that King had taken them and stated that they were Just going for a drive. Captain King, and two of his men, one Irish, were arrested and put on trial for the Drumcondra Murders. They were acquitted by a court-martial on the 15th April as testimony from a dying man was inadmissible. O'Malley met King in the prison exercise yard, who bemoaned his fate that he was a political scapegoat, taking the blame for the government. King was transferred to Galway city as Coy Commander of D Coy.

1921 Feb 9. Trim Looting incident which led to Crozier resigning

1921 Feb 8. The state of ADRIC was shown in this document from Collins Papers

1921 Feb 19. Crozier was "permitted to Resign" over the reinstatement of the Trim Looters, that he had authorised, and Tudor had rescinded.- note that the original entry was 27 Feb, but has been altered to 19 Feb. EAA Wood took over as Commandant from this date..

1921 Feb 25. Lloyd George’s private opinion on their conduct. In a letter ((House of Lords Record Office, Lloyd George papers, F/19/3/4) to Hamar Greenwood, the Irish chief Secretary, the Prime Minister’s hard line in private contrasted with his public assurances and also linked indiscipline in Ireland with public opinion. I am not at all satisfied of the state of discipline in the Royal Irish Constabulary and its auxiliary force. Accounts reach me from too many and too authoritative quarters to leave any doubt in my mind that the charges of drunkenness, looting and other acts of indiscipline are in too many cases substantially true ... [ This is] causing grave uneasiness in the public mind .. . It is vital that the violence and indiscipline which undoubtedly characterises certain units in the Royal Irish Constabulary should be terminated in the most prompt and drastic manner. It is weakening seriously the hands of the executive.... Public opinion, which is already unhappy, will swing round and withdraw its support from the policy which is now being pursued by the Government in Ireland. There is no doubt that indiscipline, looting and drunkenness in the Royal Irish Constabulary is alienating great numbers of well disposed people in Ireland and throwing them into the arms of Sinn Fein

1920 Apr 30. Viscount French, the departing Viceroy, inspected the RIC at Phoenix Park - 6 Officers and 212 Other Ranks of RIC plus 7 Officers and 125 Cadets of ADRIC . It was his final parade as Viceroy

A later document from Collins Papers, undated, but around mis 1921 gives Company numbers. From Z Coy I think it about 1 Jun 1921

1921 Jul 10. All recruiting for ADRIC suspended and did not resume until Oct 1921

1921 Jul 11 . The "Truce" came into effect between the British and the IRA. Hostilities (mainly) ceased

1921 Oct 10 Inspection by Lord FitzAlan

1921 Oct 25 Recruiting for ADRIC re-commenced, but only 100 men were added before the withdrawal in Jan 1922

1922 Jan 11. FHW Guard posted "to Holyhead", to oversee the demobilisation of ADRIC there. As well as FHW Guard, S Fenner , FJ Richards and AT Barker were posted to Holyhead to control the demobilisation. There were based on the ferry Galtee More, which was moored alongside at Holyhead

Galtee More used on paying off the ADRIC at Holyhead

1922 Jan 16. Withdrawal starts for the ADRIC. Companies came first to Dublin, then by boat to Holyhead, where they were paid off, handed in their weapons, and dispersed to their homes in mufti. Dispersal was not without a frisson of discontent. First in Dublin there was haggling over the terms of cessation of their contracts

Then in Holyhead

And at the end an agreement signed at Dublin Castle , by the Assistant Under Secretary, Cope, representing the Imperial Government, and six members of the Representative Body of the Auxiliary Division, duly accredited for that purpose which gave the Dispersal Terms.

• Unexpired Contracts. - One pound ( £1 ) per day (or one guinea per day where such is the contracted payment ) to be paid in respect of the unexpired portion. Lump-sum settlements to be made as soon as possible and in case not later than the 31st March, 1922.
• In the event of any Cadet accepting further employment under the Crown before before the expiration of his contract period, an appropriate adjustment to be made in the emoluments due in respect of the unexpired portion of his contract.
• Expired Contracts. - Payment to be made at the rate of one pound ( £1 ) per a day ( or one guinea per day as the case may be ) in respect of the period up to 31st March,1922. This also to apply to contracts terminating before the 31st March, 1922.
• These arrangements to be regarded as a final settlement covering all emoluments payable both in respect of expired and unexpired contracts and are framed with a view to meeting any possible hardship arising from the promulgation without Government authority of re-engagement of particular Cadets to 31st July, 1922, which was subsequently corrected.
• An advance of £30 to be made to each Cadet on dispersal, the balance payable under the arrangement for expired contracts to be paid as early as possible, ( not later than the 14th February, 1922). Income tax to be charged according to law.
• We, the undersigned, on behalf of the members of the Auxiliary Division ( being duly accredited for the purpose ) hereby signify our acceptance of the terms set out above.
  ( Signed ) Wallis Muirhead . B R Durlacher. E.M. Nicol, E Fleming, J W Hescroff, R A Maloney
• On behalf of the Imperial Government, I agree to the terms as set out above. Dated this 18th day of January, 1922. (Signed) A.W. COPE, Assistant Under-Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant. Chief Secretary's Office. Dublin Castle.

1922 Jan 24 . There were various press reports of the details of ADRIC companies dates of demobilisation. None of them agree, but the movements were something like

• 1921 Jan 13 - H Coy from Tralee
• 1921 Jan 13 - C Coy from Macroom
• 1921 Jan 14 - Q Coy from
• 1921 Jan 14 - N Coy from
• 1921 Jan 15 -
• 1921 Jan 15 -
• 1921 Jan 16 - R Coy from Dunmanway
• 1921 Jan 16 - O Coy from Mountjoy Jail
• 1921 Jan 17 - Auxiliaries stationed at William St, Limerick left
• 1921 Jan 17 -
• 1921 Jan 18 - E Coy from Westport
• 1921 Jan 18 - A Coy from Kilkenny
• 1921 Jan 19 - G Coy from Corofin
• 1921 Jan 19 - M Coy from Longford - 12 companies had now left
• 1921 Jan 20 - C Coy from Cobh
• 1921 Jan 20 - D Coy from Donegal
• 1921 Jan 21 - J Coy from Macroom
• 1921 Jan 24 - P coy from Tobercurry - 75 men, and were last ADRIC coy to leave Ireland

1922 Mar 28.

1922 Apr 12. So it was all over in Ireland for the ADRIC, next stop for many of them was Palestine and the Palestine Gendarmerie, with their old boss from Ireland H H Tudor now in charge in Palestine. 750 recruits for Palestine embarked on the Steamer ‘City of Oxford’ at Devonport Dockyard., arriving in Palestine on 29 April 1922. 159 of them were ex-ADRIC Cadets - the link gives their names and Service numbers. This represents about 1 in every 9 Cadets in ADRIC at demobilisation , moving on to Palestine

1922 Mar 6. Hansard. Lieut.-Colonel ARCHER-SHEE asked the Chief Secretary how many members of the Auxiliary Division, Royal Irish Constabulary, sentenced to terms of imprisonment, are still in prison; and whether these men are to be detained, though Sinn Fein prisoners imprisoned for similar offences have been released?. Sir H. GREENWOOD There is only one late member of the Auxiliary Division in prison. This man was convicted after the Truce for having falsified accounts with intent to defraud and for having obtained money by false pretences. He is now undergoing sentence for those offences. He has submitted a memorial which is at the present time under consideration. (This appears to be Joslyn CS gaoled for false accounting in Dec 1921)

At the end of the day one can now pull out various facts

• Auxiliary Companies Their history and where they were stationed
• Incidents in which they were involved apart from the major incidents like Kilmichael Ambush, Burning of Cork, and Looting of Trim, there are a great many other incidents
• Auxiliaries listed by Service Number
• Auxiliaries Alphabetically indexed
• Strength by month 2131 men joined ADRIC (after allowing for book keeping corrections). And 769 men left before the demobilisation of ADRIC in Jan 1922. They appear to have an establishment of 1500, which was never exceeded.
• Resignations, deaths and dismissals The maximum strength of the ADRIC was about 1500. Of the men who joined roughly 1 in 3 left before the demobilisation of the ADRIC
• Country of Birth I can get a birthplace for over 90% of the men who enlisted as T/Cadets. 168 men were born outside the UK, and the rest come from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales in much the proportion that one would expect from population.
• Mainly Junior officers with 81% having been Lt or 2nd Lt in the army
• 425 had served as RAF/RFC Officers, whcih was twice as many as one would have expected statistically
• 113 had served in the Navy and a further 20 had served in Merchant Marine
• Criminal convictions. An analysis of their lives post WW1 shows 108 men who served in the ADRIC were convicted of criminal offences, including 4 murders. The majority were for fraud (or similar offences). The actual number will be higher.
• Suicide. At least 38 of the ADRIC men committed suicide , probably more. Mental health was a problem with the ADRIC as the average for UK men in the same period 1919 to 1939 , shows that only 10 suicides would have been expected.
• DI1. 56 men held the rank of DI1 , most being Company Commanders. The early (less successful) appointments were made heavily on age, medals, and army rank
• DI2. 66 men held the rank of DI2, most being as second in command of companies.
• Intelligence Officer 48 men served as Intelligence Officers in the existence of ADRIC. 2 were murdered in Ireland, and 1 committed suicide (in 1939)
• Platoon Commander 153 men who held the rank of Platoon Commander.
• Compensation claims that resulted from the ADRIC men wounded in Ireland. Over £200,000 appears to have been paid to ADRIC men as a result of injuries. An historic money value calculation puts that about £8 million in modern values
• Auxiliaries wounded in Ireland I have recorded 145 reports of men wounded.
• Auxiliaries died between joining and Jan 1922 demobilisation 59 T/Cadets died during this time, of these 44 were killed by the IRA
• Awards and Medals Very few bravery awards from their time in Ireland- 8 Constabulary Medals and 1 Kings Police medal awarded to ADRIC Cadets
• 190 Interesting ADRIC men A personal selection of interesting lives among the men who joined the ADRIC
• 2 men had won Olympic Gold Medals, McArthur MJ for Rugby for Australia in 1908 and Lyle H for Lacrosse for Canada in 1904. MP Parry had been a well known Soccer player
• 439 men in the ADRIC had medals in addition to the normal war medals. The figures are roughly what you would expect for a group who had mainly fought part of the war as Officers and part as Enlisted Men. The only notable exception is the relatively low number of DSO (only 19 in ADRIC), where one would have expected to see about 50 to 70 DSOs - the ADRIC was not attracting ex-senior officers in proportion.
• By Social Class Only 31% came from what one would consider the tradition backgrounds of the old officer class in the British Army - that is the professions (law, medicine, etc), higher managerial, landed gentry, officers. The average ADRIC recruit was more likely to have come from a family where his father had been a shopkeeper or a tradesman.
• By Age 68% of the men were born after 1890. And 94% born after 1880
• Photos - misc
• Traitors - a few did give information or help to the IRA
• Palestine Gendarmerie - 158 ADRIC joined the Palestine Gendarmerie in March 1922 immediately on the disbandment of ADRIC. This is about 10% of those serving in ADRIC at disbandment
• Photos . A number of photos exist of the ADRIC. This was an attempt to catalogue the men in the photos
• Ulster Constabulary - I have found 48 ADRIC men to transferred to Ulster Constabulary (mainly USC), but I have not found original records of USC, to get a more accurate figure)
• Drivers and Vets Division - T/Constables detailed to drive and act as servants for the T/Cadets. They were administratively handled separately to Black & Tan Constables. There were about 30 such Temp Constables allocated to each ADRIC company

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