[47] The cost of maintaining the USC in 192122 was 1,500,000. These registers also provide records of transfers and dates, favourable and unfavourable records, and dates of promotions, as well as indicating if the officer served in the army or navy. The Ulster Special Constabulary was disbanded in May 1970. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal [17][18][19], The composition of the USC was overwhelmingly Protestant and Unionist, for a number of reasons. WebAbstract. This auxiliary force became known as the Black and Tans because of their uniform and were notorious for their brutality. The Ulster Special Constabulary (USC; commonly called the "B-Specials" or "B Men") was a quasi-military [1] reserve special This information will help us make improvements to the website. During the Irish War of Independence, RIC barracks were the targets of frequent attacks from the Irish Republican Army. WebWilliam McDermott, Service Number 1007187, was serving with 19 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. Member Since: color: #FFF; sfnp error: no target: CITEREFHezlet1974 (, Learn how and when to remove this template message, The Troubles in Northern Ireland (1920-1922), Timeline of the Irish War of Independence, The Troubles in Northern Ireland (19201922), Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association, Major Kenneth Wiggins Maginnis, Baron Maginnis of Drumglass, "Tit-for-tat: the War of Independence in the northern counties", "Craig-Collins Agreement text; downloaded 7 November 2010", "Why 'The Big Fellow' has little to teach political parties in modern Ireland", "Violence and Civil Disturbances in Northern Ireland in 1969 Report of Tribunal of Inquiry", "Cameron Report Disturbances in Northern Ireland (1969), Chapters 19", "Chapter 12 - The Cause of the Disorders", "CAIN: Violence and Civil Disturbances in Northern Ireland in 1969 Report of Tribunal of Inquiry", Ulster Special Constabulary Roll of Honour, Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, Belfast International Airport Constabulary, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ulster_Special_Constabulary&oldid=1152118088, Defunct law enforcement agencies of Ireland, 1970 disestablishments in Northern Ireland, Defunct police forces of Northern Ireland, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from December 2022, All articles needing additional references, Pages using law enforcement agency with local civilian police general nature, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2014, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from December 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Map of Ulster Special Constabulary's jurisdiction, A Specials full-time and paid, worked alongside regular RIC men, but could not be posted outside their home areas (regular RIC officers could be posted anywhere in the country); usually served at static checkpoints (originally 5,500 members). 2, Constabulary force funds, widows' and orphans' gratuities, Constabulary force funds, correspondence register, Constabulary force funds, subscribers: annual record of deaths and withdrawals, Constabulary lists, MS list of chief officers, resident magistrates etc, Constabulary lists, vol 22: issues 128-133, Constabulary lists, vol 23: issues 134-139, Constabulary lists, vol 24: issues 140-145, Constabulary lists, vol 25: issues 146-151, Standing orders (precursor to constabulary code). [27], Unsuccessful efforts were made to attract more Catholics into the force but these largely failed. The Centenary Historical Advisory Panel is chaired by Queen's University historian Professor Paul Bew and includes academics from Cambridge University, Sheffield University and Ulster University. A full database of all tributes is available in our Remembrance Centre. You will also discover the persons salary. A spokesperson said: "Proni will scope the cataloguing and sensitivity review of the administrative records of the USC for the 1920s. The PSNI received new badges representing the The Ulster Special Constabulary (USC; commonly called the "B-Specials" or "B Men") was a quasi-military reserve special constable police force in Northern The USC were deployed in 1969 to support the RUC in the 1969 Northern Ireland riots. The book is mainly about the 92 Topics 346 Posts Last post Irish Police Funerals by b.griffin 10:46 AM - 3 [33] 4 Problems within the Polices forces. One of the reasons for this was to enable rapid call out of platoons, via a runner from the local RUC station, without the need to issue arms from a central armoury. 'A Special' platoons were fully mobile using a Ford car for the officer in charge, two armoured cars and four Crossley Tenders (one for each of the sections). [34], By July 1921, more than 3,500 A Specials had been enrolled, and almost 16,000 B Specials. Date: 1970 Feb 13-1970 Jun 02 Held by: The National Archives, Kew: Former reference in its original department: NI 5/54/01 (9044/1/1970) Legal status: Public Record(s) Retrieved April 27, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/ulster-special-constabulary. Forty-nine Special Constables were killed during the period of the "Border War", out of a total of eighty-one British forces killed in Northern Ireland. Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), state police force in Northern Ireland, established in 1922. It was an armed corps, organised partially on military lines and called out in times of emergency, such as war or insurgency. 1, Records and services, auxiliary division, journal no. Details of their push for more official information was first revealed by the Guardian newspaper. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? This was despite the Craig-Collins Agreement which was signed by the leaders of Northern Ireland and the Free State on 30 March, and envisaged the end of IRA activity and a reduced role for the USC. WebThe Ulster Special Constabulary Pensions (Lump Sum Payments to Widows) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1973 (NISRO 1973-483).pdf 872 1,395, 2 pages; 88 KB Special Constabulary Long Service Medal, Ulster reverse.png 494 526; 345 KB The journals recorded the names of members as well as their company, dates of appointment and promotion, and details about whether the member stayed in the hospital at any point. Birth, Marriage & Death, including Parish, Operated by Ancestry Ireland Unlimited Company. A member of the advisory panel, Dr Marie Coleman from Queen's University, said gaining access to all of the files from the 1920s would help to tell the story of Northern Ireland in greater detail. [81], He found some evidence of cross-membership of the USC and loyalist paramilitary organisations. "The activities of the USC are contested, shall we say, and people today might have concerns that they wouldn't want their ancestors' file open to the public, but there should be no concern about that. Unionists in Ireland's northeast were vehemently against this campaign and against Irish independence. She added: "We know that there are personnel records relating to the Ulster Special Constabulary (USC). [21] In Ballymacarrett, a Protestant rector named John Redmond had helped form a unit of ex-servicemen to keep the peace after the July riots. [82] He also remarked that although "recruitment is open to both Protestant and Roman Catholic: in practice we are in no doubt that it is almost if not wholly impossible for a Roman Catholic recruit to be accepted. Read about our approach to external linking. } WebUlster Special Constabulary, 192070. In Dungannon, they killed one and wounded two. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. font-weight: bold; WebLisburn won the Ulster Special Constabulary (South Antrim District) Cup for rifle shooting at Langford Lodge, Crumlin, on Saturday, scoring 297 points. Special Constable Thomas Sheridan from Co Cavan was shot dead by a sniper shortly before midnight on Sunday, June 6, 1922. Their skilful propaganda set about blackening the image of Special Constables, trying to identify them with the worst elements of the Protestant mobs in Belfast. Scarman concluded that it would have been very difficult for Catholics to gain membership in 1969, even if they had applied to join. However, once it became apparent that the British government was committed to implementing Dominion Status for all of Ireland outside Ulster in response to Sinn Fein's demands, which were far more radical than those of the defunct Irish Parliamentary Party, Unionists in most of the province of Ulster directed their energies into the partition of Ireland by the creation of Northern Ireland as an autonomous region in the United Kingdom. The service number will help narrow your results and you may discover records you could not find before. This did free up regular policemen who were generally more acceptable to most Ulster Catholics. Posting here for interest. We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. Uniforms took the same pattern as RIC/RUC dress with high collared tunics. [17][28] Catholic members were more easily targeted by the IRA for intimidation and assassination. The Ulster Special Constabulary Association remembrance service at St John's Parish Church in Caledon, Tyrone. B Specials generally deployed on foot but could be supplied with vehicles from the police pool. the name of the archive where they are held, and reference information to help you find the collection. Special Constable, Royal Ulster Constabulary. Encyclopedia.com. This record is held by Bedfordshire Archives. 1, Disbandment register (1922) treasury sheets, Irish recruits, miscellaneous no. Since disbandment the USC has assumed a place of "almost mythic proportions" within unionist folklore, whereas in the Nationalist community they are still reviled as the Protestant only, armed wing of the unionist government "associated with the worst examples of unfair treatment of Catholics in Northern Ireland by the police force". The Royal Irish Constabulary was disbanded in August 1922 and a new police force, Garda Sochna, took its place. The army has its Military Police Corps, the navy its Shore, Kosovo Crisis (1999). It carried out several revenge killings and reprisals against Catholic civilians in the 192022 conflict. Their pogrom is to be made less difficult. As a reserve police force, they were used in times of emergency such as the . His son had been a kidnap victim. [53][54][55], The British Army was only used in the Pettigo and Belleek actions. "[40], The Irish nationalist press was less reserved. . On the disbandment of the USC, many of its members joined the newly established Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR), the part-time security force which replaced the B Specials. Dr Coleman said the release of the documents could help formulate a clearer picture of the make-up and age profile of the force when it was formed in 1920 and how closely, or not, it mirrored the Ulster Volunteer Force which was set up during the previous decade. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Badges of rank were displayed on the right forearm of the jacket.[45]. In the following Scarman Tribunal, the findings said "the Tribunal has been at a loss to find any explanation for the shooting, which it is satisfied was a reckless and irresponsible thing to do. [56], During the Second World War, the USC was mobilised to serve in Britain's Home Guard, which unusually, was put under the command of the police rather than the British Army.[68]. They also successfully protected Catholic owned public houses in the area, many of which were looted after they were withdrawn. : Octavo. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. The 1835 Municipal Corporations Act provided for the creation of police forces on a local level, but many municipalities were slow to respond.
ulster special constabulary service records