Irish "Volunteers" in the British Army WWII

Belfast

as far as I know Irish citizens of military age resident in Britain during WWII were given a choice of leave Britain in 48 hours or Volunteer for British military service.

does any one have any information about this?

Fuinseog

Belfast wrote: »

as far as I know Irish citizens of military age resident in Britain during WWII were given a choice of leave Britain in 48 hours or Volunteer for British military service.

does any one have any information about this?

sounds like a load of blarney. what about the thousands of Irish who worked in the munitions factories?

Belfast

Fuinseog wrote: »

sounds like a load of blarney. what about the thousands of Irish who worked in the munitions factories?

People who working in munitions factories and reserved occupations http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reserved_occupation were exempt from from military service.

xflyer

Don't know where you heard that but it's obvious nonsense. My uncle was of military age but didn't join the forces. Actually he was one of those who deserted the Irish army. Any Irishman of military age was as liable to conscription as any British born man. Plus many thousands of Irish worked in factories and built many of the airfields later used by the USAAF.

Besides judging by the numbers who did join up most hardly needed to be forced into it.

Belfast

xflyer wrote: »

Don't know where you heard that but it's obvious nonsense. My uncle was of military age but didn't join the forces. Actually he was one of those who deserted the Irish army. Any Irishman of military age was as liable to conscription as any British born man. Plus many thousands of Irish worked in factories and built many of the airfields later used by the USAAF.

Besides judging by the numbers who did join up most hardly needed to be forced into it.

I am sure many joined because they wanted to.

As I have siad before people doing vital war work (Reserved occupations these would have included people working in war factories and building airfields) were not expected to join up British or Irish

Irish citizens could not be conscriptioned under British law. But they could be deported.

I assume the thinking was if you were living in Britain that you were benefiting for the protecting given by the military and you should join up or leave the country.
I can understand, why should they feed people who were unwilling to defend the country they were living in.

A Crown subject would not be given the choice to leave the country.

strange things happen during a war.

a very small number of British POW joined the Waffen SS during the war.

"When the war ended, men known to have been in the British Free Corps were arrested. However, they were seen as little more than a joke who had fallen prey to the Nazi propaganda machine. A few were given light jail sentences - others were simply released after they had been questioned."
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/british_free_corps.htm

Many European countries occupied Germany and some not occupied Germany had people Join the Waffen SS to fight what they were told was the "evil Bolsheviks"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waffen-SS_foreign_volunteers_and_conscripts

William Joyce was hanged for Treason even though he was not a British citizen or a crown subject.
He had American, Irish, and German Nationality.

He did have a British passport obtained by fraud. for which the normal penalty was a fine of 10 shillings.

marcsignal

Had 2 uncles in the RAF and an aunt in the WRNS (all from Ireland), all went over mid war to England. Although under executive order 18b any 'aliens' thought to be a threat to the crown, could be arrested (if an alien of Germany or Italy) or kicked out (if from anywhere else) if they were known to have pro axis sympathies. Lord Haw Haw, for example, just about managed to get out of England on a steamer to France, the night before the police called to his flat to arrest both him and his wife.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defence_Regulation_18B

edit:

Belfast wrote: »

a very small number of British POW joined the Waffen SS during the war.

"When the war ended, men known to have been in the British Free Corps were arrested. However, they were seen as little more than a joke who had fallen prey to the Nazi propaganda machine. A few were given light jail sentences - others were simply released after they had been questioned."
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/british_free_corps.htm

check the documentary 'The Brits who Fought for Hitler' below

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=68304337&postcount=28

LATE EDIT:

OP, relating to your original question, you might find something in the Wiki piece below, or among its references. It relates to the IRA bombing campaing in England in 1939/40. There might have been extra covert security measures put in place, under the umbrella of the 18b order, pertaining to surveillance, or expulsion of, Irish people living in England as a result of it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-Plan

.

xflyer

Irish citizens could not be conscriptioned under British law. But they could be deported.

Well I know an Irishman who was conscripted for National service in the RAF and another conscripted into the army, that was after the war though. As for Irishmen deported most I would have thought they were either IRA men or known sympathisers. They certainly would not have been wanted in the British forces.

That isn't to say it never happened. Maybe someone up before the judge for some reason being told to go home or join up.

As for William Joyce, he made a habit of betrayal. He had to flee Galway because he was working for the British during the war of independance. His fate is rather ironic considering.

marcsignal

Intersesting personal story here posted by boardsie "tac foley", in another thread, regarding the experience one of his relatives working in the UK during WW2