When war broke out in 1939 over 20,000 Irishmen were serving in the
Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force with the greatest proportion in the
Army. During the war this rose to over 120,000, suggesting that about
100,000 enlisted during the war. Nine earned the Victoria Cross; three
members of the Royal Navy, including a Fleet Air Arm pilot, four
soldiers, including a member of the Australian forces, and two RAF
pilots.
The author looks at the seven Irish regiments in campaigns across the
globe, at Irish soldiers across the Army, at Irish sailors from the
Battle of the River Plate to the final actions against Japan, and at
Irish airmen from the first bombing raids of the war to the closing days
of war. Included are outstanding personalities such as the Chavasse
brothers, who earned three DSOs, three DSCs and two MiDs, Bala Bredin,
Corran Purden, Brendan 'Paddy' Finucane, Blair Mayne and Roy Farran, the
latter pair highly-decorated SAS officers. There are also Irish
generals, such as Paddy Warren who died while commanding 5th Indian
Division in Burma and Frederick Loftus Tottenham, who commanded 81st
(West African) Division, not to mention giants such as Alexander,
Auchinleck, Montgomery and McCreery. Irish women are not forgotten in
the book which also takes a brief look at the Irish in other Allied
forces, including a most unusual volunteer for the US Navy whose
application to serve had to be approved by President Roosevelt. He was
William Patrick Hitler, a nephew of Germany's führer.
