‘We’ll have roast Peeler for breakfast’: A 1920 Constabulary Medal (Ireland) awarded to Constable P. C. Watson, Royal Irish Constabulary, one of the first Black and Tans, for his gallantry during the defence of Hollyford Barracks against a most determined I.R.A. attack led by Ernie O’Malley, Seamus Robinson and Sean Treacy on 11-12 May 1920, using gelignite stolen in the famous Soloheadbeg ambush Constabulary Medal (Ireland), 2nd type, ‘Reward of Merit Royal Irish Constabulary’ (Constable Peter C. Watson 70461. 1920) lacking integral top riband bar, edge bruise and contact marks to reverse, very fine £2,400-£2,800 Footnote Provenance: Sotheby’s, October 1987. Constabulary Medal awarded 29 May 1920. Peter C. Watson was born in mid/east Lothian, Scotland on 12 July 1893, and joined the Royal Irish Constabulary at the age of 26, on 25 February 1920. He described himself as a Presbyterian who had worked as a law clerk, and an ex-soldier. After just a fortnight of police training, he was assigned to serve in Tipperary (South Riding) from 9 March 1920. Irish Republicans had long recognised that ‘The R.I.C were the eyes of the British army’ and since 1916 they had mounted a steadily increasing campaign of intimidation, ostracism and then violence to diminish the R.I.C.’s ability to recruit and retain manpower and to break its morale, especially in rural areas. The smaller R.I.C. posts, usually composed of a mere handful of men in a rented house with no fortification whatsoever, had become sitting ducks for Republican attacks. On 9 November 1919, orders were issued to abandon as many stations as were needed to bring the remainder up to a minimum of six men (later increased to over 10). On 27 December 1919, the R.I.C. Inspector-General authorised the recruitment of ex-servicemen on the British mainland. The first men recruited as a result appeared in the R.I.C. General Register six days later. For reasons of expediency and economy, Watson and the other mainland recruits were initially issued with dark green R.I.C. uniform items and war-surplus military khaki tunics, trousers and coats. They wore these in varying combinations, the most popular being R.I.C. cap, tunic and belt, with khaki trousers and coat. This mix ’n’ match look caused them to be dubbed ‘Black and Tans.’ Just a few weeks after joining, Watson was serving in ‘bandit country’ - the R.I.C. barracks at Hollyford, co. Tipperary. As in any contemporary British military unit, the Tans lived and worked alongside their Irish colleagues, although their accents, religion and multi-coloured uniforms set them apart. Their lack of police training meant that they tended to be assigned a greater share of quasi-military tasks such as raids, searches, guard or escort duties. The Attack on the Hollyford Barracks, 11-12 May 1920 Hollyford barracks was a well-built, isolated, two-storey house, situated on rising ground which commanded the town, river and roads below. It had a garrison of 10-12 R.I.C. men, and had just been fortified by British army engineers, who cut loopholes into all its external and internal walls, protected the windows with steel shutters and installed armoured doors. The R.I.C. Sergeant in command at Hollyford was especially skilful at leading joint R.I.C. and military raids to identify and capture local I.R.A. leaders. The ‘big men’ of the Munster I.R.A., especially those who had killed two R.I.C. constables who were guarding a consignment of gelignite at Soloheadbeg in January 1919, were determined to mount a large-scale attack using some of the stolen gelignite. Their aim was to eliminate Hollyford barracks as a base for the R.I.C. Sean Treacy was particularly keen on this, as he had previously passed the barracks twice a day on his way to-and-from his mother’s house to attend school. The Soloheadbeg assassins were supported by Ernie O’Malley, who in February 1920 had led the first successful I.R.A. attack on an R.I.C. barracks – at Ballycurtain, where explosives h
‘We’ll have roast Peeler for breakfast’: A 1920 Constabulary Medal (Ireland) awarded to Constable P. C. Watson, Royal Irish Constabulary, one of the first Black and Tans, for his gallantry during the defence of Hollyford Barracks against a most determined I.R.A. attack led by Ernie O’Malley, Seamus Robinson and Sean Treacy on 11-12 May 1920, using gelignite stolen in the famous Soloheadbeg ambush Constabulary Medal (Ireland), 2nd type, ‘Reward of Merit Royal Irish Constabulary’ (Constable Peter C. Watson 70461. 1920) lacking integral top riband bar, edge bruise and contact marks to reverse, very fine £2,400-£2,800 Footnote Provenance: Sotheby’s, October 1987. Constabulary Medal awarded 29 May 1920. Peter C. Watson was born in mid/east Lothian, Scotland on 12 July 1893, and joined the Royal Irish Constabulary at the age of 26, on 25 February 1920. He described himself as a Presbyterian who had worked as a law clerk, and an ex-soldier. After just a fortnight of police training, he was assigned to serve in Tipperary (South Riding) from 9 March 1920. Irish Republicans had long recognised that ‘The R.I.C were the eyes of the British army’ and since 1916 they had mounted a steadily increasing campaign of intimidation, ostracism and then violence to diminish the R.I.C.’s ability to recruit and retain manpower and to break its morale, especially in rural areas. The smaller R.I.C. posts, usually composed of a mere handful of men in a rented house with no fortification whatsoever, had become sitting ducks for Republican attacks. On 9 November 1919, orders were issued to abandon as many stations as were needed to bring the remainder up to a minimum of six men (later increased to over 10). On 27 December 1919, the R.I.C. Inspector-General authorised the recruitment of ex-servicemen on the British mainland. The first men recruited as a result appeared in the R.I.C. General Register six days later. For reasons of expediency and economy, Watson and the other mainland recruits were initially issued with dark green R.I.C. uniform items and war-surplus military khaki tunics, trousers and coats. They wore these in varying combinations, the most popular being R.I.C. cap, tunic and belt, with khaki trousers and coat. This mix ’n’ match look caused them to be dubbed ‘Black and Tans.’ Just a few weeks after joining, Watson was serving in ‘bandit country’ - the R.I.C. barracks at Hollyford, co. Tipperary. As in any contemporary British military unit, the Tans lived and worked alongside their Irish colleagues, although their accents, religion and multi-coloured uniforms set them apart. Their lack of police training meant that they tended to be assigned a greater share of quasi-military tasks such as raids, searches, guard or escort duties. The Attack on the Hollyford Barracks, 11-12 May 1920 Hollyford barracks was a well-built, isolated, two-storey house, situated on rising ground which commanded the town, river and roads below. It had a garrison of 10-12 R.I.C. men, and had just been fortified by British army engineers, who cut loopholes into all its external and internal walls, protected the windows with steel shutters and installed armoured doors. The R.I.C. Sergeant in command at Hollyford was especially skilful at leading joint R.I.C. and military raids to identify and capture local I.R.A. leaders. The ‘big men’ of the Munster I.R.A., especially those who had killed two R.I.C. constables who were guarding a consignment of gelignite at Soloheadbeg in January 1919, were determined to mount a large-scale attack using some of the stolen gelignite. Their aim was to eliminate Hollyford barracks as a base for the R.I.C. Sean Treacy was particularly keen on this, as he had previously passed the barracks twice a day on his way to-and-from his mother’s house to attend school. The Soloheadbeg assassins were supported by Ernie O’Malley, who in February 1920 had led the first successful I.R.A. attack on an R.I.C. barracks – at Ballycurtain, where explosives h
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