Book Description

In 1922, just after the end of the Irish War for Independence, the British Army's 'Irish Command' drafted an official four-volume historical record of their experiences and their understanding of the war in Ireland, titled The Record of the Rebellion in Ireland, 1919-1921 and the Part Played by the Army in Dealing with It. Ground Truths, an annotated collection, is based on the first of those four volumes and is edited to include material that was missed, was incorrect, or was deliberately changed by the original authors before final drafts had been concluded. Largely a defense of the perception that the British army 'lost' the war in Ireland, this collection of original documents features aspects of everyday warfare, such as military intelligence worries and rebel press propaganda, as well as the more intense key moments of the War of Independence, including the arrest and death of Terrence McSwiney, the murder of Thomas MacCurtain, the hunger-strikes of 1920, the murders of British Army officers that subsequently led to the Croke Park massacre on November 21, 1920, and the arrests of Arthur Griffith and Eamon De Valera. Essentially, Ground Truths contains the testimony of the British Army officers who lead the fight against the Irish republicans. The book is a unique, exciting, and original insight into the experiences and operations on a side of the War of Independence rarely studied in Irish history - the British side.