Sorry Fiolar - I stand corrected! Nice story though anyway - why spoil it with the facts;-)

It was my error that assumed 1919 though coz I knew he did not leave the army after WW1 and re-join - I have seen his service record. Not sure what he did that year now then! Perhaps a pre-curser to the B&T's? Perhaps he was not a 'tan but an ordinary squaddie in Ireland? Any help anyone?

Grandad Stanley was a great guy anyway. I have got his medal and certificate awarded him in France during WW1 for saving a little girl from drowning in a well. He was so proud of that and of the story he told about an officer ticking him off for wearing his medal ribbon backwards - until he pointed ot it was a French medal! He also had the back of his tongue shot off during that conflict - bullet went in one cheek and out the other. As well as loosing his sight in one eye during a gas attack. I hope to God I will never know such suffering.

I still believe - even though there is evidence that the B&T's were volunteers - that he was 'drafted' as were a lot of other people from Salford, Leeds and Liverpool because of the large Catholic poplations of those areas. This was due to the ridiculous idea that the 'brass' had that the republicans would not shoot 'at their own'!

As in any conflict there is good and bad. I am sure that there were the 'shooters from lorries'. Likewise there were the ones who wanted no more violence after the deprivation of the trenches. There have been attrocities on both sides. I will never know if the story was the whole truth, I suspect not and said as much earlier, but I did believe Grandad when he tells me he got on well with the Irish. He was that sort of bloke.

Lets leave it at that and have a good laugh with these songs over a pint of the black stuff eh?

Cheers

Dave the Gnome