Analysis Of The Article Scum Of London's Underworld By David Leeson

Historical perspectives are debated and no historical event can be understood on black and white terms. This point is especially highlighted in Canadian historian, David Leeson’s article, “The ‘Scum of London’s Underworld’? British Recruits for the Royal Irish Constabulary, 1920-21”. Although the immense violence perpetrated by the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) during the Irish War of Independence is recognised, Leeson shows that past portrayals of the RIC by historians are flawed in being too generalised. The recruits of the RIC, also known as the “Black and Tans”, were commonly assumed to be violent through their backgrounds as ex-convicts and demoralised World War I soldiers. Leeson’s analysis, using statistical data and case studies, enables

It is surprising how Leeson primarily relies on data from the RIC General Register to challenge past historiography about the RIC. The Register contains first-hand information about the RIC recruits and past historians have not seemed to consider this source. Many historians claim that RIC men were “predisposed to violence” because the RIC had recruited men who have previously committed crimes.(1) Leeson disagrees claiming that the RIC was not mainly consist of ex-convicts by using statistical data in the Register of recruits from London, the city where most men were joined from.(9) He reveals that and out of 337 London recruits, only 1 had been in prison before they joined the constabulary.(21) Therefore, using statistics of men from the city where most RIC recruits came from is a clear and persuasive method in demonstrating how they were not predominately made up of “the scum of London’s underworld”. (1)While 1 out of 337 is not an exact figure for the RIC as a whole, it gives historians an idea of how frequent RIC recruits were criminals and therefore, indicates how the backgrounds of RIC men were not accountable for the violence that occurred during the Irish War of

Leeson cites the circumstances of the conflict as the key factor that caused RIC men to be violent, rather than their inherent viciousness. Cases studies of recruits such as Edward Hollins were used to show how crimes were mainly committed under the influence of alcohol and would never have happened if they were sober.(26) They were also remorseful afterwards.(26) Using reports of the District Inspector, Leeson reveals how recruits “were under the influence of drink…owing to very high tension under which the police are living at the present time”, and their drinking and criminal actions were a result of stress during a time of guerrilla warfare.(29) The primary source of the report uncovers how law-enforcers present at the time justified the crimes before historians began to explain the acts with other factors. Furthermore, Leeson goes into great detail about the RIC mens’ lives outside the force such as details of their families and the ages of their children to humanise the recruits and persuade the reader to sympathise with the men who have committed crimes under a taxing political climate. Although no specific examples of the stressful circumstances the RIC had to live amidst are provided, Leeson successfully backs and opens the idea that violence perpetrated by the RIC was not due to their inherent nature