Heroic Option

It is a curious paradox that, while for many centuries there has been deep antagonism between the British and the Irish, the latter have fought the former's wars with exemplary courage and tenacity. This has never been better demonstrated than when, as a result of the Irish regiments' superb service in the South African War (Boer War) at the end of the 19th Century, Queen Victoria ordered the formation of the Irish Guards in 1900 as a mark of the Nation's gratitude. Even after the trauma of Partition, Irishmen continued to serve in Irish regiments in large numbers and the tradition continued today. Indeed during the Second World War a very significant number of the most influential generals were of Irish extraction.

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Some books that may interest you

The Bloody Road to Tunis By: David Rolf	The War of the Motor Gun Boats By: A J Chapman	The Berlin Airlift By: John Grehan
Sea Battles in the Age of Sail By: Bob Carruthers, James Grant	Prisoner of the Gestapo By: Tom Firth	The Dawn of the Drone By: Steve Mills
British Warships of the Second World War By: John Roberts	ShipCraft 18: Titanic and her Sisters Olympic and Britannic By: Peter Davies-Garner	The 1916 Battle of the Somme Reconsidered By: Dr Peter Liddle