Irish Men And Women In The Second World War

The story of Irish involvement in the Second World War is one that has been in danger of being overlooked. This book seeks to ensure that the role of Irish men and women in the forces of Great Britain, Australia, United States and other Allied nations is not forgotten. Using a variety of sources, including personal interviews, published material and archives in Britain, Ireland, the USA and Australia, the author outlines the achievements of Irish soldiers, sailors and airmen in many theatres of war.

This volume of essays on the social, political and military history of Ireland during the Second World War explores the Irish contribution to the Allied cause, in particular the role and experience of Irish men and women who served in the British armed forces during the war. Also covered is the history of Northern Ireland during the war period, as are apsects of the post-war historiography of Irish involvement in the Allied struggle.

Over 130,000 Irishmen and women served during the Second World War despite Ireland's neutrality. Seven thousand five hundred never returned. Illustrated with over 130 photographs and memorabilia, Dark Times, Decent Men gathers dramatic first-hand stories from Irishmen who went to war:

The First World War had an enormous impact on Ireland. Over 240,000 Irish men and women volunteered to serve with the Allied forces, suffering almost 40,000 casualties. The Irish contribution to the air war remains overlooked, not just in Ireland, but also by historians generally. Although just 6,000 Irish served with the Allied flying services at a cost of 500 casualties, their impact was out of all proportion to their numbers. The contribution of Irish aces of the RFC and RAF to the Allied cause was enormous, just over thirty of whom accounted for 400 enemy aircraft. Irishmen such as Mannock, McElroy and Hazell were among the highest-scoring pilots of the war. Some were revered by their men, others were controversial figures – reckless with their own lives and those under their command – but many of their stories remain untold. This book seeks to restore all those who were written out of Irish history, while also providing for their achievements to be considered in the overall context of the first air war. Illustrations: 24 black-and-white photographs

Éire seceded from the United Kingdom in 1922 and simultaneously established its own National Army (known as the Free State Army, later as the Irish Defence Forces). Regardless of this historic national step, the centuries-long tradition of Irishmen joining the British military did not cease. Rather, the custom continued, and during the Second World War, despite Éire's official neutral stance, tens of thousands of Irishmen joined the British military. Within this number, there is a unique sub-group of soldiers who took a personally greater risk by enlisting - those that deserted from the Irish National Army. The author has established that over 7,500 men deserted from the Irish Defence Forces during WWII out of an established strength of 42,000 between 1939-1945. Of this number approx. 50% would join the British military. It is the 'why' of their decision that the author has sought answers to. An analysis of this 'why' and not a judgment of it acts as the centrifugal force within the narrative of this book and the key motivation of the author.

Based on interviews with over thirty Irish women, this book covers their experiences during the Second World War years and how the war impacted on them in terms of their public and private roles. Themes such as class and income, employment, health, and housing are covered, arising from the women's recollections and international research into women and war. The women, from a variety of family and social backgrounds, mainly lived and worked in Belfast and Dublin between 1939 and 1945, but some of them went to Britain to take up war work. The women's own stories are compared with contemporary observations from a number of sources, including the Mass-Observation diary of Belfast woman, Moya Woodside. Other comparisons are made with newspaper commentaries and the files of government and other public bodies responsible for shaping social policy. The book shows that despite the many restrictions that the interviewees faced, in terms of access to education, employment opportunities, and to equal treatment in a number of spheres, most of them overcame the obstacles in their way, some of which were considerable. Although the research demonstrated that in economic, political, and social terms the war did not make any significant impact on Irish women, the evidence of the individuals who contributed their memories showed that it offered them opportunities to 'spread their wings', as one of the women described her activities. The book also compares the position of Irish women with their contemporaries in other western countries. While there has been a lot of research on the topic of women and war in other countries, no comparable work has yet been carried out here. Ã?Â?Ã?Â?

This volume describes the contributions of Irish volunteers during WWII. Doherty (affiliation not cited) recounts the experiences of infantry soldiers, sailors with the merchant marine, artillery gunners, pilots, civilians, and prisoners of war. Coverage extends to the stories of those few who allied themselves with Hitler, including Edward Joyce (Lord Haw Haw). The volume is illustrated with 60 bandw photographs of people and places. It is distributed by Taylor and Francis. c. Book News Inc.