Royal Irish Constabulary

[PrueM]

Does anyone have access to the registers of members of the Royal Irish Constabulary?  I believe these are held at Kew and also at LDS centres...am looking for my hubby's g-grandfather who, according to his daughter on her marriage cert 1943, was a Police Constable in the RIC (but was deceased by 1943).

I have looked at the partial index available on Ancestry.co.uk, but he doesn't appear, unless his daughter had his name wrong - she has written Laurence STRATFORD.  There are a few Laurences but no Stratford.

I know that I could purchase a book listing all the RIC men but as I only have this one family member who was involved I can't justify spending over $100 on the book, so I was hoping that someone out there might be able to look up Laurence for me.

Would be grateful for any and all help at all! 

Thank you
Prue

[liverpool annie]

Hi Prue!

Have you tried this site??

http://www.psni.police.uk/index/pg_police_museum/pg_geneology_information.htm

Annie 

[PrueM]

Thanks Annie!!
I'll give that a go and see what turns up.
Much appreciated 
Prue

[KarenM]

Hi there,

I used that site before to obtain a record and they were quick to respond and emailed me the certificate.

Karen

[Richardx]

Prue,

I have the bookThe Royal Irish Constabulary A Complete Alphabetical List of Officers and Men 1816 -1922 by Jim Herlihy .

For your info the force disbanded in 1922.

There are 7 Stratfords listed but no one called Laurence. There is Andrew, John William, Mark, Michael J, Patrick, Samuel J and William.

Regards

Richard

[PrueM]

Hi Richard,
ahhhh...the plot thickens!
Unfortunately the only name I have at present is the one the fellow's daughter Margaret put on her marriage certificate (Laurence) and by that stage her father was deceased.
The daughter was married once before, so perhaps if I get hold of that certificate it might show a different name - worth a gamble.
Thank you so much for looking up those names for me.  I might even be able to read them out to Margaret's daughter (my mum-in-law) and see if any of them ring a bell.

As an aside, mum-in-law did say that her grandfather was in the RIC and was killed while on duty, and she also said something about the Black-and-Tans - not sure whether that helps to narrow down the Stratfords a bit or not (as I don't know how extensive the info in the book is).

Thanks all for helping me sort this out.

Cheers
Prue

[Richardx]

Prue,

The book is really only an index (but its a very big book!) and contains names and the officers number. That info can then be used to either check out the files at The National Archives or by contacting the website given in a previous posting.

Jim Herlihy has produced a number of books and indexes relating to Irish police forces and is an ex-officer himself.

Richard

[Christopher]

The Royal Irish Constabulary was disbanded in the early 1920s and replaced by An Garda Síochána and the men of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. In October 1920 the USC (Ulster Special Constabulary) also known as the B Specials was formed to support the Royal Ulster Constabulary. A number of men who had served in the RIC left Ireland to start a new life. Some of these men, including Patrick Kennedy, a former RIC constable, settled in Australia. The employment prospects there in 1922 were pretty grim and in a letter published in the Weekly Irish Independent on 2nd September 1922 he said "some of us are thinking of going back to Ireland, as we might as well be shot there as die here in Australia" 

Kent Fedorowich wrote an article "Reconstruction and Resettlement: The Politicization of Irish Migration to Australia and Canada, 1919-29" The article mentions that little is known about Irish emigrants who embarked upon a new life in the United States, Britain and her far-flung empire between 1919 and 1939. There was some ealy research done on this migration but most of the research has been done within the past twenty years and much of the Irish emigration has been ignored.

[gustav]

Dear Richard,

My Gt Grandfather was in the RIC in 1850, his name was Daniel Gilbride and I was hoping you could give me any info as to where he came from in Donegal. All I know is that he married Isabella Craney in Co Down and then came to Manchester England around 1876.
Any information would be gratefully received.

Best regards

Isabel