War disablement pensions post 1922

[Chris_Baker]

I would be grateful if anyone could explain the administrative arrangements for the continued payment of war disablement pensions after Irish independence in 1922. Were former soldiers still paid from Britain or did the Free State government take them on? Is there anywhere in Ireland that would have records of post-1922 payments to old soldiers?

[sw63]

What an excellent question.

You could try an enquiry to the National Archives of Ireland:

http://www.nationala...s.ie/index.html

This may be of interest too, it applies to RIC Pensions until 1925:

http://www.nationala...6&CATREF=PMG+48

I'm afraid I do not have the answer for you but, if it is any help, I've just finished "We will remember them" which is a collection of recollections by Great War Soldiers. Almost to a man they tell of their pensions being reduced or stopped after 1920.

I would suggest that:

1. The British government would not agree to continue pension payments to Irish nationals when they were ducking out of their obligations to British subjects. Pensioners had to attend an annual Medical Board where their disability was reassessed (and very often downgraded). Failure to attend would lead to the pension being stopped. I imagine it would be very difficult for Irishmen to be able to afford to attend these boards.

2. The Irish government would not recognise British War pensions as their responsibility.

This is only my supposition and may be completely wrong....

Simon

[Ken Devitt]

Hi Chris,

As far as I'm aware the pensions continued after 1922, as was the case with my grandfather. The only ex soldiers paid a pension by the Irish Government were those of the Connaught Rangers who mutinied.

Ken

[corisande]

As far as I'm aware the pensions continued after 1922, as was the case with my grandfather. The only ex soldiers paid a pension by the Irish Government were those of the Connaught Rangers who mutinied.

My grandfather was in Dublin Fusiliers, and moved to Belfast after 1922. He continued to get a war disablement pension for another 40 years in Belfast.

I don't know enough about how often the medical had to take place, but if a disablement pensioner needed on and the British Army were not prepared to use Dublin doctors (I don't know) then the man could have gone to Northern Ireland for it

I do not think the medicals were annual, but needed to be done. The fact that the man was living in the Republic would not in itself have been enough to stop a pension.

I think the reason that the Irish Government took on Connaught Rangers pensions was because the British stopped their pensions.

Oddly the Irish Government refused to pay any pensions to the men of Casement's Irish Brigade, even though a number of them (but not all) had their British pensions similarly stopped.