British Army Inconsistency

Introduction from Chronology

Writing in his diary, Strickland says “And so this is the end of two and half years toil, a year ago we had a perfect organisation and had them beat, a short time more would have completed it thoroughly … All our labours and energy have been thrown in the gutter … It almost makes one wish one had never been concerned with the show.”

Comment

The belief that the IRA were ‘beat’ in July 1921 was common among British Army officers.

However, with regards to Strickland, he does not comment on the fact that in December 1920, he promised the British government that “would be ‘definite and decisive results in four months’ time” – See Dec-29 to 30-20/1. There were not “definite and decisive results” by May 1921 and this would have probably undermined Strickland’s (and Macready’s) credibility with the ‘Frocks’.

(‘Frocks’ was the mocking term that many BA officers used to describe British politicians.)

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