Major-General Emmet Dalton

[Stanley_C_Jenkins]

The TA is being "evicted" from its base at Slade Park Barracks, in Oxford, because the local authority wants to redevelop this valuable urban site. The local TA units are now being re-housed in a new building at Abingdon Aerodrome, which the army refers-to as "Dalton Barracks". However, nobody seems quite sure who Mr Dalton was - I have suggested that the facility was named after Major-General Emmet Dalton, who served with both the British and Irish armies. Does this seem feasible?

As a matter of interest, the TA part of the aerodrome site will be known as the "Brooks" building in honour of Company Sergeant Major Edward Brooks of the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, who won the VC on 28 April 1917 after single-handedly capturing the German machine gun which had just killed his batman.

[Terry_Reeves]

Stanley

The Emmett Dalton to whom you refer was a member of the IRA, before becoming a member of the Free State Army, which I think would preclude him.

I think you will find it is named after James Langley Dalton VC of the Commissariat and Transport Department who won his medal at Rorke's Drift. The link is that units of the Royal Logistic Cops were/are based at the barracks and they are successors to the Commissariat and Transport Dept.

Hope this helps.

Terry Reeves

[kildaremark]

Lt James Emmet Dalton was in the 9th Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers. He finished the war as a Major and won the Military Cross before joining the IRA in 1919-20. He became a General in the new Free State army in 1922. He commanded the forces who landed in Cork in August 1922 in a flanking move to attack the anti-treaty IRA forces.

I doubt if a British barracks was named after him but who knows!

Mark

[irishmen1916]

While Terry is correct (there is no barracks named after this man)its not the full story, before joining the IRA he served in the British Army during the great war, returning to Ireland and taking part in the war of independence, and the civil war which followed,( he was beside Michael Collins when he was shot) after the civil war ended he resigned and did a number of things including film making. During WW11 he works in London in some part of intelligence, he must have been forgiven.............Peter

[Stanley_C_Jenkins]

Terry,

I know that General Dalton had gone over to the IRA, but my understanding was that he was essentially a constitutional nationalist and, as such, would have seen no conflict of loyalties in subsequently becoming a general in the Free State Army – at that time a Dominion of the British Empire. In this context, it is my understanding that the regiment that was stationed at Abingdon when the name was introduced were the Royal Irish Rangers.

Mark,

In view of the circumstances surrounding Emmet Dalton's career, I would not be entirely surprised if the barracks were named after him – the Free State Army was, after all, the legitimate force in Southern Ireland after 1921 and, as such, its leaders thereby became "the good guys" as far as the English were concerned (Michael Collins being the supreme example of this process).

[irishmen1916]

Hi Stanley,

Sorry is just dont seem to fit .Why name a Barracks after Emmet Dalton? why not Collins or Dev ?

I think that what Terry posted is more like the real reason behind the name. Peter

[Stanley_C_Jenkins]

Michael Collins had never been in the British army, which would presumably have precluded him, whereas Emmet Dalton had served in the Great War. It is, on the other hand, inconceivable that a British Army barracks could ever have been named after Eamon de Valera.

My suggestion that the barracks could perhaps have been named after an Irish general was prompted mainly by the thought that Abingdon was the home of an Irish regiment when it ceased to function as an RAF station - and in my experience Irish soldiers in the British army invariably have a certain respect for those who might, at various times, have been on the "other" side.

[west coast]

emmet dalton had a very sad later life. because of the "who shot collins" debate , dalton was put forward by his 'enemys' as being implicated in the ambush if not the shooting. later he took 'refuge' in the bottle as a result??? . he was actually collin`s bodyguard at the time of the ambush. its only recently been revealed [claimed] who fired the fatal shot that felled collins.

mike.

[Terry_Reeves]

Hold on folks please. The question has been answered, let's not drift off into something else.

Terry Reeves

[Steven Broomfield]

On-topic: I wonder what effects will be seen on recruiting by moving the TAC from the centre of a city to an out-of-town site ten or more miles away? Yet another example of the soldier being moved away from anywhere where the local population might see him/her?

[Stanley_C_Jenkins]

When the outlying TA centre at Witney was closed the link with the army was more or less destroyed. I envisage that there will be a similar outcome in the case of Oxford. I wonder also if Oxford will thereby become one of the few historic county towns to have no TA centre - Abingdon, as a matter of interest, is still regarded locally as a Berkshire town (as it was for about 1,000 years).

[irishmen1916]

Hi Stanley, Just back from a week holidays, sorry I was been a bit devious throwing in Dev and Collins name, but having said that you did have me thinking. I wonder how many returning soldiers in 1918/19 joined the IRA or later the FreeState Army 1922/23, I can think of Dalton and Barry , any pals out there like to add to the list ? Peter

[inishowen]

Dalton won the Military Cross at Ginchy

“At the capture of Ginchy, on the 9th of September, 1916, he displayed great bravery and leadership in action. When, owing to the loss of officers, the men of two companies were left without leaders, he took command and led these companies to their final objective. After the withdrawal of another brigade and the right flank of his battalion was in the rear, he carried out the protection of the flank, under intense fire, by the employment of machine-guns in selected commanding and successive positions. After dark, whilst going about supervising the consolidation of the position, he, with only one sergeant escorting, found himself confronted by a party of the enemy, consisting of one officer and twenty men. By his prompt determination the party were overawed and, after a few shots, threw up their arms and surrendered.”

[irishmen1916]

Thanks for that info Fearghal, did I read somewhere that Dalton was ADC to Gen. Wilson at

some time before the end of the war ? Peter