query regarding British Military in Ireland 1916-1922

[observer]

Was service in Ireland considered part of the great War by the British War officer only from 1916-1918? Or was additional years 1919-1922 included or not?  Was a clasp campaign Badge awarded 1916-1922?

[tullybrone]

42 minutes ago, observer said:

Was service in Ireland considered part of the great War by the British War officer only from 1916-1918? Or was additional years 1919-1922 included or not?  Was a clasp campaign Badge awarded 1916-1922?

You pose 3 questions so here re 3 numbered responses - 

1. Ireland was not a Theatre of War. It was considered to be a Home Posting for British service personnel - same as England, Scotland & Wales. If a man only served in Ireland - and was even killed or wounded there - he didn’t earn any of the 3 WW1 British medals (without additional service in a Theatre of War). My grandfather was there in April & May 1916 and the family story is that he was part of the Artillery contingent sent from the Depot at Athlone to Dublin during the Easter Rising. He had been in France for a year 1915/16 and went back again in late summer 1916 until early summer 1919.

2. Again the whole of Ireland was considered to be part of a Home posting in the period up until partition

3. Following on from answer 1 no medal so no clasp - unlike US SW1 clasps British Forces awarded no clasps - apart of from that for the 1914 Star. 

Steve
 

 

[Airshipped]

Just by way of postscript to the reply, during the 1920-1922 period there was emergency powers legislation (Restoration of Public Order etc), and initially some - then most - counties came under martial law. 

In these circumstances it might well be the case that you'd have a reference in family papers to 'active service' but it was not a continuum vis-a-vis the wartime service.

An extract below, which refers to Active Service in Ireland. (Credit TNA AIR 5/803. In this context the RAF were querying the authorities as to how they fitted into the GOC in C of British Forces in Ireland, hence their red pen scribble and attaching this to related correspondence, which wouldn't be of relevance to your query and so is not included below).