3-021-912 - British Pathe Ltd/Heritage Images

British Prime Minister David Lloyd George Inspecting Members of the Royal Irish Constabulary Special Reserve, 1920. 'With them, operating in Ireland was another force, known by the uniforms it sported as the "Black and Tans". A force of tough-minded volunteers for service, in an unhappy land. For Ireland was an unhappy land'. The Black and Tans were constables recruited into the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) as reinforcements during the Irish War of Independence. Recruitment began in Britain in January 1920 and about 10,000 men enlisted during the conflict. The majority were unemployed former British soldiers from England who had fought in the First World War. From "Time To Remember - The Plunge Into Peace", 1920 (Reel 4); events of 1920 - weddings, women's rights, industrial unrest and problems in Ireland.