Though the Irish have been neutral in all world events since the inception of the the Irish Free State in 1922, before and after that event, Irish soldiers have played a major role in the two World Wars. In the first, men enlisted in the British army as much as to have a regular job as anything. Unemployment has been a problem in Ireland (or Eire) throughout much of its history, and military service was one way to alleviate that. One also has to consider that before WWI, Ireland in its entirety was controlled by the British and so it was natural for that to be a place to recruit soldiers. Interestingly, there was no conscription in Ireland during WWI as it was feared that doing that would cause an insurrection. Of course, the northern section of the island was and still is part of the UK, so finding troops there wasn't a problem. Even in WWII, a large number of men came to the UK and volunteered to fight.

The author, David Murphy, has done a superlative job of telling the stories of the various Irish regiments and their contribution to both of the world wars. As you might expect, it is divided into a section on WWI, and another on WWII. In each there are subsections that tell of the individual regiment's combat records. This includes territorial units and colonial units as well. Naturally, there were more of these units during the first world war, and in the aftermath of that event, several regiments were disbanded.

The book is full of well chosen period photographs and the art work of Gerry Embleton only adds to the experience. As you might expect, the illustrations are mostly those of the men in the uniform of the time; both dress and combat. It gives a well rounded look at these units and the men who served in them.

It is a book that is well researched and provides an excellent primer into these units. As with all Osprey books, it is one that you can buy with confidence, knowing you will be getting the best.

January 2007

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