Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research 85 (2007), 62-78

Humour and Defiance, by Nicholas Dunne-Lynch ( nicholas.dunnelynch@free.fr ) This article may be used for academic purposes. It must not be republished or made available on or through any website without the permission of the author and/or The Society for Army Historical Research.

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HUMOUR AND DEFIANCE: IRISH TROOPS AND THEIR HUMOUR IN THE PENINSULAR WAR
NICHOLAS DUNNE-LYNCH

even in that dreadful business, their lightheartedness kept up the spirits of many men who would have been brokenhearted. Such a tribute to three brothers might easily be describing the entire Irish contingent during the Peninsular War,1 in which Irish troops were popular for their physical and mental resilience, and irrepressible good humour. In battle, their performance was confident and disciplined, and they were justly proud of their fierce reputation, obliterating the eighteenthcentury slander that Irish troops were unreliable.2 From Wellington down, officers seem to have taken the greatest pleasure in the humour and defiance of the Irish, aware that they were not only an indispensable fighting asset, but also a rich source of entertainment, a valuable boost to morale in the long campaign, often surcharged with mirth and glee when others were desponding.3 Scope This article examines the various facets of humour that may be grouped under the heading of Irish humour, examples of which appear in the literature emerging from the Peninsular War.4 These include humour that, today, would be seen as typically Irish, humorous incidents involving Irish troops and officers, and humorous stories told about the Irish. Examined also are the various functions of that humour, for example, humour as a means of self-protection, humour to ease tension, humour to raise morale, humorous and defiant defence to avoid or mitigate punishment, and, by way of contrast, failed attempts at humour. Also examined is the constructive employment of all categories of Irish humour by officers in times of stress to raise the morale of their men, and to entertain other officers, boosting their morale. Under scrutiny also is the employment of Irish humour and defiance in memoirs by authors of all ranks to create variety and to amuse the reader, demonstrating a genuine appreciation of the Irish, even a positive stereotyping, which is discussed. Also examined is the exploitation of reports and anecdotes by later historians and biographers. A few examples of the above categories from the large number of reports available are critically examined and their authenticity evaluated. Beyond the scope is the provenance Irish humour, as this extends far beyond the period in question. Also, beyond the scope is any in-depth discussion of the humour of non-Irish
Benjamin Harris, A Dorset Rifleman, ed. Eileen Hathaway, (Swanage, 1995), pp.126-8. Concerning the discipline of, for example, the 88th (The Connaught Rangers), see Sir Arthur Bryant, The Great Duke (London, 1974), p.193. Also, William Grattan, Adventures with the Connaught Rangers, (London, 2002), pp.87-8. 3 George Bell, on Dr Maurice Quill, Irish surgeon of the 34th. George Bell, Soldier's Glory: Being Rough Notes of an Old Soldier, (Tunbridge Wells, 1991), p.104. 4 See Introduction to E. Summerville and Martin Ross, Experiences of an Irish RM, (London, 1984), p.xii-xiii.
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contingents of the British Army. Firstly, the military and demographic background is summarised.

Background
The main conflict examined, the Peninsular War (1807-14) stands as one of the longest campaigns in British military history. Many units spent the entire six years of British involvement (1808-14) in all extremes of climate.5 Indeed, weather and disease claimed two and a half times more casualties than did battle.6 Wellington was reluctant to send reduced battalions home until absolutely necessary, and his Fabian tactics kept British battle casualties to about 10,000, which pales into insignificance against the French losses from all causes of nearly 500,000.7 The cohesiveness of Wellington's forces resulting from the same group of battalions campaigning together for a long period made interaction between of different nationalities an everyday event, and laid the foundations of mutual respect.8 Though there was a certain rivalry between battalions within a brigade, units were fiercely loyal to one another, the Third Division being an excellent example of international mix and a dynamic balance of rivalry and loyalty. Overall, English, Irish, Scots and Welsh battalionseven German and Portugueseblended to produce an unprecedented synergy. Fortescue and others hold that a balance of the different characteristics of the different nations made the most effective units, and Wellington engineered such a balance in his brigades and divisions, exploiting to best effect the talents of each nationality. 9 Jackson believes the combination of nationalities produced the highest possible military excellence of which man is capable.10 Very significant was the Catholic Irish proportion of the British non-commissioned officers and rank and file,11 and Wellington held that a high proportion of his infantry was Irish and Catholic.12 In addition to at least six Irish infantry battalions continually present in the peninsula,13 we can estimate the Irish contingent at a minimum of 35% of the infantry, varying, in non-Irish regiments, from 8 per cent to 50 per cent.14 The 57th (West Middlesex) had 34% native Irish in 1809, many of whom had been recruited in the London area. 15 The
For example, 1st Battalion, 27th (Inniskilling) Fusiliers. Allied losses were about 9,000 in or as a result of battle, and 24,000 from other causes. For Wellingtons estimate, see Philip Henry, Earl of Stanhope, Conversations with Wellington (London, 1886, reprinted 1998), p.64. 7 National Army Museum (NAM), London, Cat.no.7512-116. Some French estimates are as low as 300,000. 8 D.A. Chart, Irish Levies in the Great French War, The English Historical Review, 1917, xxxii, No. 127, 417516. 315. 9 Sir John Fortescue, The County Lieutenancies and the Army, (London, 1909), p.290. Chart, Irish Levies in the Great French War, p.516. Bryant, The Great Duke, p.300. 10 Robert Jackson, View of the formation and discipline of armies, (London,1845), p.221. 11 Terence Denham, Hibernia officina militum, Irish recruitment into the British regular army 1660-1815, The Irish Sword, 10/80 (Winter 1996), pp.148-66. Also Thomas Bartlett, Counter-insurgency and Rebellion, A Military History of Ireland, ed. Thomas Bartlett and Keith Jeffrey, (Cambridge, 1996), p.248. 12 It is mainly to the Irish Roman Catholics that we owe our proud pre-eminence in the military career. (Attributed to Wellington.), J.Muller Jnr, Sayings by and about Irishmen at War, The Irish Sword, xi, no.42 (1971), 3-4. 13 Concerning the Irish in the British Army during this period, see Michael Glover, The Peninsular War, (London, 1969), p.37; Peter Karsten, Irish Soldiers in the British Army, 17921922: Suborned or Subordinate? Journal of Social History, xvii, no. 1 (1983), 31-64, p.36. R. B. McDowell, Ireland in the Age of Imperialism and Revolution, 1760-1801, (Oxford, 1979), p. 568; Henry McAnally, The Irish Militia 1793-I8I6: a Social and Military Study (Dublin, 1949), p.289. Chart, Irish Levies in the Great French War, pp. 417-516. Arthur H. Gilbert, Some I8th Century Army Recruiting Records, JSAHR, liv No.217 (1976), 46-47. 14 The national composition of a battalion would have varied from year to year. 15 Gilbert, I8th Century Recruiting, pp.46-47. English and Scots Militia regiments had a proportion of Irish recruits. Also, The National Archives, Kew, WO 27/106-8.
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29th (Worcestershire) had 19% in 1809, rising to 37% in 1811, the 73rd (Highlanders) had 30%, while the 28th (North Gloucestershire) had 40%,17 perhaps the highest percentage of Irish, a figure reputedly shared by the Royal Artillery. The 94th (The Scots Brigade) contained what was perhaps the highest percentage of Irish, with just over 51%.18 Elite Light Division units, the 43rd (Monmouthshire), the 52nd (Oxfordshire), and the 95th (Rifles), 19 also had a high proportion of Irish. The size of the Irish contingent is out of proportion to Irelands share of the total UK population, especially as most Irish troops were drawn from Irelands Catholic population of about four million, or about 28% of the UK population. The proportion of Irish officers, which may be as great as one third of the officer corps, came mainly from Irelands Anglican community of less than one million, or about 7% of the total UK population. Though there had been many clandestine Catholic officers in the army from the 1770s, the proportion grew steadily after the Catholic Relief Act of 1793, though the majority of Irish officers would continue to be Anglican.20 Overall, Ireland contributed much more than its share in terms of population.21

Sources an d their reliability

The main sources examined are memoirs, regimental histories and court-martial reports. These sources vary in credibility, reports appearing in court-martial transcripts being the most reliable, since the military-legal system demands accuracy. First-hand accounts in memoirs are next on a descending scale of credibility, as they are sometimes not as first-hand as they claim. Finally, accounts in regimental histories, quite understandably, are inclined to slant the story towards enhancing the reputation of the regiment, while such accounts might have been transmitted orally many times before being written into the record. Though more immediate, wartime personal journals lack reports of humour, though it can be assumed that many memoirs were written with the aid of journals. Letters written home by Peninsular combatants do not hide the grimness, and seldom show humour. Most reports of humour emerged in memoirs long after the war, and the possible reasons for this are explored later.

Humour in the army

A strain of stoical humour ran through the army, as it does in most armies in most wars, the soldier's way of dealing with the hardship, reducing to a human and seemingly manageable
Richard Holmes, Redcoat, The British Soldier in the Age of the Horse and Musket, (London, 2001), p.56. The 74th (Highlanders), the 1st battalion of which was part of Third Division in the Peninsula, received 700 Irish militiamen in 1809-10. The 73rd (Highlanders) received 400 in one draft in 1809. Charles Dalton, The Waterloo Roll Call, (London, 1890), p.189 18 An Account of the Scottish Regiments, with Statistics, to 1861 (1862). See also the website of the Scottish Military History Society at www.btinternet.com/~james.mackay/dispatch.htm. 19 E.M.Spiers, Army Orginization and Society, in A Military History of Ireland, ed. Bartlett and Jeffrey, p341. Also, John A. Hall, A History of the Peninsular War, VIII The Biographical Dictionary of British officers Killed and Wounded, 1808-1814, (London, 1998). Bartlett, Counter-insurgency and Rebellion, p.248. 20 Regarding the commissioning of Catholic officers, see Michael Glover, Wellington's Army in the Peninsula, 1808-1814, (London, 1977), p.38. 21 For Irish population figures, see L.A.Clarkson, Irish Population Revisited, 1687-1521, Irish population, Economy and Society, ed. J.M.Goldstrom and L.A.Clarkson, (Oxford, 1981), pp.14-35, esp. p.26. Also, Fortescue, The County Lieutenancies, Appx. vii, p306.
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terms, forces over which the individual has no control. As film-producer and comic actor, Mel Brooks, puts it Laughter is a protest scream against death.22 An English soldier reports, In spite of their hardships, the English soldiers were light-hearted and full of rough wit. 23 However, if he is referring to the English only, rather than the British in general, very few similar examples appear in written accounts. Though his regiment is replete with Irishmen,24 it appears that hilarity has infected his entire battalion. It was astonishing to see the cheerfulness of the men: I have known them sing songs, and crack their jokes when it was uncertain whether they would see another day ...25 We can assume that the term English embraces all nationalities of the United Kingdom. A certainly rivalry of humour existed, and one Irish officer, perhaps poking a little fun, dismisses any claim that troops of specifically English provenance had a sense of humour at all, finding the few Englishmen in his Irish regiment deficient in humour, never having heard one of them to attempt a joke.26 The Scots, according to others, tended to stand back from it all, having their own private jokes. However, a Scots officer of the Coldstream Guards on Wellingtons staff, Lieutenant-Colonel Dan McKinnon, became a legend for his humorous escapades.27 Judging from written accounts, there seems to have been a continuum of extravert humour, with the extravert Irish at one extreme and the Germans at the other, with the English, Scots and Welsh somewhere between the two. If the English appear a little reserved at times compared with the more extravert Irish, they seem to have been hilarity itself when compared to the Germans, according to an English officer in the Kings German Legion a German moves on silently but mechanically, but an Englishman is all sarcasm, laughter and wit.28 Doubtless, however, there were many hilarious English, Scots, Welsh and Germans, and, without question, there were many dour Irishmen, none of whom seems to have attracted the slightest attention for such a quality. If history is based on what is written, it is the Irish humour that gets the best of the writing.

The Humour of the Irish Troops

The Irish soldier had in the paramount degree the rich humour of his own country, which is nowhere else to be found.29 The genre of humour that today would be considered Irish, mainly Irishisms, playing fast and loose with logic, is a misunderstanding by non-Irish people of the nature of Irish humour, and what appears to be a disregard of logic is often an adroit handling of it. Many commentators refer to a specific Irish humour, and we must assume that it is to this genre they refer. Yet, such Irish humour displays nothing unique, and the various patterns of typically Irish anecdotes parallel models found in other cultures.30
Laughing all the Way to the Bunker, The Sunday Times, 14 Nov. 2004, p.19. John Green, The Vicissitudes of a Soldier's Life or a Series of Occurrences from 1806 to 1815 (edition: Wakefield, circa 1965), pp.97-98. [68th (Durham Light Infantry) Regiment]. 24 For example, ibid, p.14 and p.16 25 ibid, pp. 97-98 26 Grattan, Adventures, pp.84-85 27 Eliabeth Longford, Wellington: The Years of the Sword, (London, 1960), p.314. Lady Longford confuses this officer with Maj-Gen Henry McKinnon, also of the Coldstreams, killed during the storming of Ciudad Roderigo (19 Jan.1812). Wounded at Waterloo, Dan McKinnon lived to continue his pranks, and to become the historian of the Coldstreams. 28 Edmund Wheatley, The Wheatley Diary, ed. Christopher Hibbert, (London, 1964), pp. 8-9 29 Grattan, Adventures, pp.84-5
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The Irish humour treated here is much more than archetypal Irish jokes to while away the hours around the bivouac fire. It is a persistent good-humour, a cheerful disposition in adverse circumstances, a hilarity, a rich humour and spontaneous wit. Overall, Irish humour in all its aspects seems to have been outstanding, as one memoirist comments, Neither do you find elsewhere the lively thought, the cheerful song and pleasant story, to be met in an Irish regiment.31 Anecdotes told about the Irish made them an entertainment factor even in their absence. What seems to have been exceptional is the persistent, ubiquitous and extravert nature of Irish humour, recorded by scores of commentators, a humour more outrageous, more public and, therefore, more noticed. The extent to which it appears the literature is, therefore, hardly surprising, as scores of commentators single out the Irish for special mention. For example, recalling a later conflict, the Crimean War, an English nurse reports that, among her patients, There were none so winning as the Irish, with their quick feeling and ready wit. 32 This impression is widely expressed in memoirs of the Peninsular War, and examples include a loyal Irish Anglican ensign who seems to have regarded the overwhelmingly Catholic Connaught Rangers in breathless admiration and writes of them being merry as larks. singing and cracking their Irish jokes,33 and a Suffolk workhouse orphan, commissioned from the ranks, who confesses, I do love to be on duty on any kind of service with the Irish. There is a promptness to obey, a hilarity, a cheerful obedience, and a willingness to act, which I have rarely met . 34 The ready wit, and spontaneous and persistent hilarity and cheerfulness, even in adversity, are the qualities that typify the Irish in the minds of commentators.

A positive stereotype
In the recording and presentation of the anecdotes and reports, a reflection of an attitude of appreciation of the Irish can be seen. Even if the entire corpus of reports of Irish humour is a fiction, the very existence of such a large corpus demonstrates the presence of a very positive attitude towards the Irish. The stereotype that developed seems to have been cheerfully accepted by the Irish, who played a major part in perpetuating it, because it was in their interest to display what was already in their nature and to draw the maximum benefit from it. The stereotype also seems to have been universally recognised throughout the British contingent. The Irish were expected to manifest their defiant humour whenever possible, and, recognising their own entertainment value, and the benefits to themselves, they complied. Unusual was the very positive character of the stereotype, which almost eclipsed negative characteristics. Even the sternest officers seemed eager to overlook the many shortcomings of the Irish. The foremost of these, a fondness for alcohol, which may have been no worse than that of many other nationalities, will be examined on another occasion. Such a proclivity is more often asserted than demonstrated, and examples and even references to it are far less frequent in the literature of
30 Sigmund Freud, Humour and the Unconscious, (London, 1904), chapter entitled The Techniques of Humour. 31 Grattan, Adventures, pp.84-5 32 Sarah Anne Terrot, Nurse Sarah Anne. With Florence Nightingale at Scutari, ed. Robert A. Richardson, (London, 1977), p.105. Also Holmes, pp.62-63. 33 George Bell, Soldiers Glory, p.65. Also, Fitzmaurice, Recollections of a Riflemans Wife at home and abroad, (London, 1851), p.20. 34 John Shipp, Memoirs of the Extraordinary Military Career of John Shipp, late a Lieutenant in His Majesty's 87th Regiment Written by Himself (London, I829), p.178-9.

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the war than references to, or examples of, Irish humour. It may be that Irish drinking was more noticeable for the same reasons as their humour. The positive stereotype did not diminish, but was exploited and even enhanced by memoirists, novelists and playwrights as a fictive device to give variety to their works, counterbalancing the grimness of war and increasing reader acceptance and, thus, the sales of their works. Perhaps it is because readers long after the war were considered less stoical than wartime families, the grimness of war had to be ameliorated with humour, and what better to provide that than the ready stock of Irish anecdotes. Even when book sales were not the issue, the entertainment factor was very attractive, and many 19th-century journal articles include Irish anecdotes to provide variety.

Various manifestations of Irish Humour A resilient humour One of the main functions of humour in war is self-preservation, which applies to most armies in most wars. The Irish certainly employed their humour to protect themselves and their comrades against hardship, and many commentators hold that this spirit was impossible to break.
Typical were the Hart brothers from Dublin, of the 95 th (Rifles), who possessed irrepressibly high spirits, only to appear more like the rakings of hell, in their own words, after the retreat across the merciless Gallician highlands in the midwinter of 1808-9 and their deliverance to the south coast of England, where they arrived, their feet swathed in bloody rags, and their clothing hardly covering their nakedness cracking jokes upon the misery of our situation. Their light-heartedness often boosted the morale of others, keeping up the spirits of many men who would have been broken-hearted.35 In the same corps was Patrick MacLauchlan, a good specimen of a thorough Irish soldier, whose good humour and high spirits, nothing could disturb, and whose Irish humour was always, upon his tongues end, inspiring his comrades and officers on that disastrous retreat. When he collapses from exhaustion, his comrades will do for him what they will not do for others: halt and heave him up. However, one dark night, Harris tells us with regret, MacLauchlan fell, and we could not again raise him. 36 However, a Patrick MacLauchlan made it back to England, so, if he was reluctantly abandoned by Harris, he might not have been by men further back.37 Thus, a defiant and humorous response to hardship helped the Irish to help themselves and their comrades to survive; it increased their popularity and made them stand out, so that help was more likely in a crisis, and comrades would do for them what they omitted to perform for others. 38

A humour to diffuse tension

There are scores of anecdotes that demonstrate a spontaneous humour employed to diffuse tension, and two will suffice as examples. The first concerns a young soldier of the 88th (The Connaught Rangers) who, when fighting the French 88e Ligne, exclaims Sun burn me, but the
Harris, Recollections, p.26-8. Ibid, pp.95-6. 37 There might have been more than one Patrick MacLauchlan in the 95th. 38 Harris, Recollections, p.96.
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French have Connaught Rangers too, a spontaneous remark to ease the tension at a critical moment, perhaps. However, the 88th had opposed the 88e Ligne many times, and we can be sure the Rangers knew very well the regiments they fought. Discussing campaigns was a popular topic with off duty soldiers.40 Indeed, some months previously, the two regiments had clashed, the 88th having taken some prisoners. It is, therefore, probable that this anecdote originated for entertainment as, with its inverted logic, it follows one formula of Irish joke. Authentic or apocryphal, it illustrates a type: a naive Irishman puts two facts together and draws a preposterous conclusion, inverting logic or dispensing with it altogether. Secondly, when some army wives were taken prisoner by the French, an Irishman of the 45th (Nottinghamshire) commented, Faith, boys, I would not have cared a straw about it all, but Jenny had my pipe with her. Though it is always the possibility the man was being sincere, he was probably masking his true feelings with humourbut let us hope the pipe was restored with the lady.41 42

A defiant humour
The maxim certainly applied to the Irish that Men can be bought and their allegiances swayed (but) no dictator in the world can successfully interdict personal laughter.43 Though most had volunteered to fight for the British cause, and their allegiance was certainly swayed, many Irish saw nothing contradictory in singing Irish rebel songs. Indeed, the 32nd (The Cornwall), replete with Irishmen, incorporated into its regimental song the Irish rebel slogan, Erin go Braugh.44 In a sense, then, the good humour of the Irish had a subversive or rebellious quality, which helped preserve the national identity. Many humorous anecdotes show the Irish in conflict with authority, usually when caught red-handed purloining edible plunder. There are sometimes no first-person accounts of these, suggesting they might have been invented, thus reflecting a stereotype that became embedded in the lore of the war, growing into the literature and a form of popular history when eventually written down. At the battle of Sabugal,45 an Irishman named Flynn, of the 95th, shoots a hare in preference to a Frenchman, pleading to his officer when rebuked, Shure, your honour, I can shoot a Frenchman any day, but it isnt always I can bag a hare for supper.46 Few junior
39 Harry Ross-Lewin, With the 32nd in the Peninsula and other campaigns, ed.John Wardell, (London, 1904), p.232. For the Irish character of the 88e Ligne, see Samuel Scott, The Response of the Royal Army to the French Revolution, The Role and Development of the Line Army 1787-93, (Oxford, 1998), p.230. Also Mary OConnell, The Last Colonel of the Irish Brigade, (2 vols., London, 1892), ii, 193. 40 For example, Joseph Donaldson, Recollections of an Eventful Life of a Soldier, (London and Glasgow, 1856), pp.260-1, p.31. 41 John Green, Vicissitudes, p.9. Edward Costello, Adventures of a Soldier, ed.Antony Brett-James, (London, 1967), p.273-9. William Green, A Brief Outline of the Travels and Adventures of William Green (late Rifle Brigade) during a period of 10 years in Denmark, Germany and the Peninsular War, (Leicester, 1858), p.9. 42 For examples of pipe stories in later wars, see Edward John Hardy, The British Soldier, his courage and humour (London, 1915), p.143. Also, William P. Harvey, Irish Life and Humour in Anecdote and Story (Stirling, 1904), pp.120-1. 43 Edmund Berger, Laughter and the Sense of Humour, (New York, 1956), p.xii. 44 Normally translated as Ireland forever. Holmes, (London, 2000), p.64. It is only fair to add that the Englishman of the 32th saw nothing contradictory in singing a regimental song containing the Irish Republican slogan. 45 3-5 Apl.1811. 46 Douglas Bell, Wellingtons Officers (London, 1936), p.59. Bell cites no source, but the story lived on in the tradition of the 95th. See Fitzmaurice, p.178.

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officers would have rebuked Flynn. However, without the rebuke from the figure of authority, there is no anecdote. It is the straight man versus 'the funny man' of Vaudeville comedy, Charlie Chaplins clown versus the baton-wielding policeman. In a more serious case, Robert Craufurd, the much feared and respected Black Bob, commander of the Light Division, overtakes a rollicking Hibernian strolling along, a pig trailing behind him tied by a rope to his cartridge box. Peninsular pigs were obviously better trained than their cousins in Ireland, who were not normally taken for a walk on a lead. Where did you steal that pig, you plundering rascal? bellows the general. The soldier stops and replies with an air of feigned innocence, What pig is dat, Giniral? This exacerbates the Generals ire, Why, that pig you have got behind you, you villain! With that, the soldier wheels round, appearing shocked, Well then I vow and protest, Giniral. Tis scandalous to think what a wicked world we live in. Some blackguard, wantin teh git me inta trouble, has tied dat baste to my cartouche-box. At this, a glimmer of a smile brightens the stern countenance of Craufurd and he spurs on, while the soldier continues with his ill-gotten pig, which is blissfully unconscious of its imminent destiny.47 The anecdote seems apocryphal as it is based on the Irish gamekeeper-poacher genre, where, caught red-handed, the Irish poacher tries to persuade the gamekeeper, that enduring symbol of authority and over-lordship, with an outrageous protest or a feigned demonstration of innocencea contest carried on in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in Irish popular literature. The conflict has its roots in the oppressed existence of the Irish peasant, who had only mastery of language and dramatic skill for self-defence when apprehended, wresting a temporary triumph. According to the literature, the Irish simply continued their 'old tricks' on campaign.48 Another anecdote has the very epitome of credible witnesses. On the retreat into Portugal after Talavera,49 Wellington comes upon a Connaught Ranger making his escape, a plundered beehive on his head, and his greatcoat around his face to shield him from the angry bees. As with a pig on a lead, this is the donn of the story. Wellington had recently delivered a warning against all plundering, 50 so such a case would certainly have earned an exemplary flogging, even a summary hanging should the offender have fallen into the hands of the bloody Provosts. Wellington calls out, Hillo, sir, where did you get that beehive? His vision obscured by his greatcoat, the Ranger is unaware that he is speaking to his commander-in-chief as he replies, Just over dat hill dere, and, be Jasus, if ye don't make haste deyll all be gone from yiz. In comedy terms, the feed line of the straight man, Wellington, is perfect in eliciting the amusing riposte from the funny man, the Ranger. It is very valuable to have had such an obliging straight man, but it is always possible that The Chief embellished the tale to enhance its effect. Certainly, in 1844, more than thirty years after the event, he told above version, perhaps originally embroidered by himself, commenting, I dont know if it was all
Alexander H. Craufurd, General Craufurd and his Light Division, (London, 1895), p. 227. Concerning the Irish penchant for poaching in 19th century Irish literature, see Summerville and Ross, Experiences, (London 1899), p.9. 49 27-8 July 1809 50 This event is alleged to have occurred soon after Wellingtons first beehive order (Jaraicejo, 16 Aug. 1809) Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, The General Orders of Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington in Portugal, Spain and France, from 1809 to 1814; in the Low Countries and France, in 1815; and in France, Army of Occupation, from 1816 to I818, ed. Lieut.-Colonel John Gurwood, (London, 1837), p.xxxi. Also, Sir Charles Oman, Wellingtons Army, (London, 1809-14), p.246.
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quite true, but that dont signify. In other words, as a film mogul is reputed to have said, When the facts contradict the legend, print the legend. The amused Wellington, latest victim of Ireland's defiant humour, pursued the matter no further. A short time later, however, two men of the 53 rd (Shropshire) regiment, guilty of the same offence, each received 700 lashes, and earned their regiment the nickname of The Honeysuckers. It might be said that Wellington had a bee in his bonnet about beehives, since several of his General Orders deal with the plundering of them. In one case, he detailed the punishment of the entire Fourth Division until the culprits came forward.52 A beehive was a valuable asset to a Spanish peasant, and Wellington worked tirelessly to protect the people, thus avoiding a backlash against his troops. All this makes Wellingtons failure to punish the Ranger very strange.53 There is an imbalance somewhere, perhaps exploited by the talent of the Irish to break the severity of life on retreat, although it is fair to say that the Connaught Rangers received far less sympathy from the Provosts than they did from their indulgent compatriot and commander-in-chief, whose patience they often tried. A very doubtful version of this tale appears in 1915, in which Wellington surprises an Irish soldier making off with many plundered chickens hanging over his shoulders and a pig tethered by the leg. 54 When Wellington threatens to have the man shot, the soldier responds by threatening to shoot him if he will not give his word as a gentleman to take the matter no further. Under such duress, Wellington concedes. The story has no humour, an excess of defiance and is without parallel. Though Wellingtons authority is claimed, no source is cited. In any case, a gentlemans word given under duress would never have been binding. The story derives once-again from the poacher-gamekeeper genre and, possibly, an amalgamation of reports, such that of Schaumann, in which a soldier escapes the wrath of a general by defiantly smashing the beehive on the ground, releasing the angry bees among a generals staff, the funniest thing I ever saw.55 Unfortunately, Schaumann does not mention the soldiers nationality. Schaumanns soldier had wrapped his greatcoat around the stolen bee-hive, which was certainly more efficacious and is, indeed, more credible, than the offender in the Wellington tale, who wrapped his greatcoat around his face obscuring his own visiona key factor in the story. Other stories have significant variations, and one of these concerns Robert Picton, fiery commander of the fighting Third Division, of which the Connaught Rangers were the shock troops. Picton spies one of his Rangers making off with a plundered goat. Protected by a conveniently impassable river, this Ranger is totally unrepentant, mixing his humour with a mockery of his ferocious commander.

Antony Brett-James, Wellington at War 1794-1615, (London, 1961), p.167n. The details correspond with Gurwood, General Orders p.xxxi. 52 Orders concerning beehives include those from Jaracejo, 16 Aug 1809, Badajoz, 9 Sept 1809, 12 Sept. 1809, and 14 Sept 1809. 53 For Wellingtons opinion of the Connaught Rangers, see Sir James MacGrigor, The Autobiography and Services of Sir James MacGrigor, (London 1861), p 259. Also Jourdain i, p43. 54 Hardy, The British Soldier, p.131. For details of which offenders were executed by firing squad, see Oman, Army, p.243. 55 August L.F. Schaumann. On the Road with Wellington: the Diary of a War Commissary in the Peninsular Campaigns, Trans and ed. A.M Ludovici. (Edinburgh 1924), p.202.
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Ah, you villain, you are at your old tricks, are you? I know you, though you dont think it! And I know you, sir, and the bhoys of Connaught know you too, and I'd be sorry to do anything that would be displaising to your honour; and, sure, if you'd only let me, I'd send your sarvent a leg iv him to dress for yer dinner, for, by my soul, yer honour looks cauld and angryhungry I mane.56 In passing on this story, Oman and others omit a telling comment by Picton, which shows that he was very amused, even impressed, by the Ranger. Well, that fellow has some merit. What tact and what humour! He would make a good outpost soldier, for he knows, not only how to forage, but to take up a position that is unassailable.57 True, invented or embellished, this story and the beehive tale illustrate both the reputation of the 88th and their character, and even that of the Irish in general: persistent plunderers with a powerful sense of humour, not a little of defiance, and an unbreakable spirit, an object of admiration, and a rich source of some entertainment. Oman held that the Rangers were the most Irish of all Irish regiments, but, most importantly, that ...no one with any sense of the ludicrous can profess any lasting feeling of indignation against these merry if unscrupulous rascals.58 Humour, wit and naivet, real or feigned, and defiance, triumph over stern authority almost every time. The guardians of discipline find entertainment in the spirited and humorous defiance of it, and proclaim this openly. The perpetrators of these breaches of discipline, the Irish Lords of Misrule, carry the day by raising the morale of everyone on the one hand, and getting away with petty plundering on the other. It is a world turned upside down.

Humour to deflect justice and retribution

Some well testified reports show humour employed to support a defence in courts-martial, which are a matter of record, and therefore more reliable. The perpetrator of a serious breach of Kings Regulations is apprehended, but his spirit for offering a humorous and even innocent defence is not dampened, as with Irishman Paddy Murphy,59 a captured rebel of the 1798 Rebellion, drafted into the army with thousands of his comrades. While waiting at Chatham for transfer to a regiment, Murphy decides to take a stroll outside the barracks, in ignorance of military discipline. An Irish member of the court recounts his spirited self-defence as he describes how a sergeant of the guard tried to arrest him. You'll walk wid me to de guard-house, says he.- I owe you no discourse, sir, says I: an wid dat he lays hoult a me. Take ov me, sir, says I, if you plase; an wid dat what does he do, but draws his soord, an makes an offer at me? So I jest raises up my hand, an gives him a pat wid de backs of my nails, an down drops de honest man. Get up, sir, says I thin, for I'll take you to de barracks, an complain you for tryin to kill me wid de soord: I puts himself an his soord under my arm, an brins him up all de way to de gate . 60
Grattan, Adventures, pp.20-2. Bryant, The Great Duke , pp.299-300. The statement is echoed in the words of Wellington in the 1970 film, Waterloo (Dir. Sergei Bondarchuk. Script: Bondarchuk & Vittorio Bonicelli), regarding the Inniskilling fusilier, OConnor. 58 Oman, preface to Grattan, Adventures, p.vii. 59 The archetypal Irish name, Paddy Murphy, might be an invention in this and other anecdotes.. 60 Ross-Lewin, With the 32nd., pp.41-2
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Though amused, the court is resolute and Murphy found guilty, though he seems unaware of any transgression, though it is impossible to tell whether Murphys performance is genuine. Organised crime, rather than breaches of regulations, indiscipline or plundering, offers many cases. Just after the capture of Ciudad Rodrigo,61 two Connaught Rangersyet again Smith and Riley, were sentenced for embargoing, a type of fraud involving the exchange, for a fee, of two pressed bullocks in their charge for inferior beasts. Their scheme might have escaped the attention of their officers had not the original beasts been white and well fleshed and the substitutes black and skinny. One of the unsuccessful fraudsters, Private Charles Riley, came up with a preposterous defence, which ran something like: Och plaise yer honour, wasnt dem white bastes lazy and didnt we bate until they were black. The court was again amused but unbending; the verdict guilty and the sentence as follows: Corporal Smith to be reduced to the ranks and receive 700 lashes, and Private Riley 500 lashes - severe sentences, but well below the local maximum, so perhaps Riley's defence had some effect. Wellington, however, would not countenance the flogging of his valiant stormers for such an offence. In consideration of the great gallantry shown by the 88th in recent operations, in other words, a leading role in the storming of Ciudad Rodrigo, he removed the corporal part of the sentence, and ordained that the two anti-heroes be put under a stoppages of pay to make them repay what they took.62 The spirited and amusing defence offered by an Irish defendant was not always so outrageous, but was successful none the less. Paddy Muldoon of the 34 th (Cumberland) was a brave, dare-devil soldier, and his defence seems honest and truthful. Charged with the seemingly ridiculous crime of seizing the firelock of the French sentry on the opposite side of a river as security for a jug of illicit cognac, which had been paid for but not delivered, Muldoon placed his record, without artifice, at the feet of the court martial.63 He pleaded that he had only wanted the cognac or his money back, and did not want ta be dun be any a dem frog-atin fellas. whom he had been chasing all over Spain for three years. He hoped the court would consider his good service. The court was impressed; Muldoon got off - but the brandy trade stopped. Again, it is impossible to tell whether the defendants attempts to amuse were deliberate, and how much effect they had on the court-martial.

A defiant humour in the face of the enemy

The Irish soldier was often indifferent to danger and a playful humorist in the face of the enemy.64 One case of this type of humorous defiance stands out, and appears in regimental records. Just before the battle of Fuentes d'Ooro in 1811,65 Lieutenant Frederick Love of the 52nd (Oxfordshire), became concerned when Irish Private James Tobin disappeared from his picket.66 Knowing Tobin to be a reliable soldier, Love posted him as missing rather than as a suspected deserter. Days later, Tobin showed up, reporting casually that he had been on a visit to a French ginneral. Pursuing the matter, Love prised out of him that, between the
19 Jan. 1812 General Order, Freneda, 30 Jan. 1813. Wellesley, General Orders, P.164. The story appears in Gurwoods introduction. See also Oman, Army, p 247, and Glover, Peninsular, p.179. 63 See Antony Brett-James, Life In Wellington's Army, (London, 1972), Ch.18, Fraternization, pp.292-310. 64 Jackson, A view of the formation, p.220 65 3-5 May, 1811. 66 Only one Tobin, James, appears on the pay list of 1/52nd at the time in question.
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Allied and French lines, there was what would be described in Ireland as a 'sheebeen, an illicit drinking house, where the pickets of both sides used to drink and fraternise. Having fallen asleep there, Tobin was taken by a spoilsport French patrol not party to the illicit confraternity. However, he had escaped and all was well, but the story does not end there. During the days that followed, an Irish officer on the staff of Marshal Massena, rode up to the 52nd picket under a white flag, asking to see Tobin, whom an astonished Love summoned. The Irish officer handed Tobin a dollar and extended Massena's most sincere compliments, quoting his commander in saying that, had he 20,000 men like Tobin, he could rout an army of twice that number. The officer then proceeded to inform a dumbfounded Love that, recognising the captured Tobin as a fellow Irishman, he had presented him to the Marshal as a defector, no doubt hoping he would defect. To test Tobin, the Marshal inquired about the current strength of the Light Division, of which the 52nd was a key component. Desiring to present his unit in the best possible light without giving away intelligence, the captured Irishman replied laconically, Tin tousand, at which Massina exploded in a tirade.67 The Irish officer explained that the Marshal knew that the Light was less than four thousand strong. Cornered, Tobin shifted his logic adroitly, as only the Irish can, declaring Och thin Tell him thin to attack thim next time he meets thim with tin tousand men, and see if they don't give him a good licking. On hearing the translation, an impressed Massena offered Tobin the rank of sergeant, but the latter, winning a day to consider, cannily befriended a cook, stuffed his haversack with provisions and beat a retreat in the night back to the 52nd. The French had tasted the sharp side of Irish wit, quick thinking, inverted logic and defiance, and seem to have appreciated very well enough. Though it was not in his character, it would be nice to think that, in the final fling of the illustrious Massena as a Peninsular general, he reflected with chagrin upon the defiant words of Tobin, and even upon his own prophetic observation. At Fuentes de Onro, only a few days later, thousands of his crack troops failed to make the slightest impression on the Light Division as it pulled off one of the most dramatic manoeuvres of the war in rescuing the 7th Division, isolated by the forced withdrawal of the Spanish irregulars under Sanchez.68 Some Irish humorous defiance directed against the enemy was reckless in the extreme. An English NCO of the 22nd, John Shipp, reports a bizarre incident in Bhurtpore, India, when an infantryman named Murphy exposed himself to relentless enemy fire. Some of us remonstrated with him (but) Paddy coolly replied, Never fear, honey; sure, I have got my eye on them, and, if they kill me, bad luck to them if I dont be after paying them for it when I get into that same fort. In all the shooting, Murphy sustained only a tiny wound on the finger, protesting outrageously that was just because he was looking another way at the time.69 Back in India in 1815 as a lieutenant in the Irish 87 th, Shipp reports a bizarre interview between his commanding officer and a couple of Irish infantrymen who had wandered beyond the picket. After chastising them for disobeying orders, the CO asked what they had seen. Nothing at all, your honour, but a great big piquet; and sure they were not there, but all gone, adding that All their fires were alight, because we saw them burning. Are there hills and valleys on the other side?
William Leake, The History of Lord Seatons Regiment at Waterloo, (2 Vols., London, 1886), i, pp.325-6 William Napier, History of the War in the Peninsula and the South of France from the year 1807 to the year 1814, (6 Vols., London, 1828-40), iii, p.153. 69 Shipp, Memoirs, pp.100-1
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Neither, your honour, only a mighty mountain, as big as the Hill of Howth. 70 Did you see any men? Divil a one, your honour, except one poor old woman in one of the huts, and she was after goin when she saw me and Pat Logan coming near her. 71 It is to his credit that the CO was able to decode the soldiers acute Hibernian remarks, because, on hearing that the enemy picket had been withdrawn, he ordered an immediate attack.

An inappropriate humour
The compulsion of the Irish to joke and laugh defiantly in the face of hardship and danger in an attempt to raise morale was sometimes not quite so palatable. Grattan's servant, Dan Carsons, tries to cheer him up by comparing the wet ploughed field in which they standing to Madrid: By Jasus, Sir, theyre as alike as two paise, only that we want the houses, the dhrink, and the women! But, exceptin that, dont the jaws iv the boys with the ague, when they rattle so, put your honour greatly in mind iv the castanets.72 In another effort to raise his masters spirits, the incorrigible Carsons, aided and abetted by his wife, Nelly, almost kills Grattan as he lies recuperating from a wound received in the assault on Badajoz. (They) made me laugh so immoderately, that a violent discharge of blood from my wound nearly put an end to my career in this world ... had it not been for the arrival of Dr Grant 73 Though he otherwise enjoys the humorous banter of the Irish, and faithfully records it, Blakeney, an Irish ensign of the 28th, a regiment 40% Irish, finds it irritating on the retreat to La Corua as he vainly tries to sleep. The officers being obliged to lie down in the same apartment with the men, we were condemned to listen to their rough jokes and loud repartee, which under the circumstances were excessively unseasonable and annoying. 74

Humour and defiance among officers

Humour and defiance is found among Irish officers.75 Among these we see again the Irish flouting convention and regulationonce more, the national compulsion to play the joker. Maurice Quill, the Irish surgeon of the 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment, was full of adventure, and loved a joke whatever it cost. Saw-bones, as he was affectionately known in the 31st, wagered with his brother officers that he would ride his mule the twenty miles to headquarters, borrow ten dollars the Commander-in-Chief, who was ever most frugal in managing resources, and be invited to dine with The Chief himself. It was an outrageous boast and it drew in the bets. The fact that Quill was a fellow Irishman with the gift of the
The Hill of Howth, just outside Dublin city, cannot be described as 'a mighty mountain.' Shipp, Memoirs, pp.178-9 72 Grattan, Adventures, p.215. Dan Carsons, Grattans batman, may have been the model for Mickey Free in Charles Levers, Charles OMalley. Oman, preface to Grattan, Adventures, p.vii. Also see Schaumann regarding his Irish batman, pp. 143-6. 73 Grattan, Adventures, p.215-6 74 Robert Blakeney, A Boy in the Peninsular War 1808-1815 (London, 1989), pp.72-3 75 The Irish Catholic representation in Wellingtons officer corps is a subject worthy of further study. See Glover, Wellingtons Army, p38
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gab may have had some effect on Wellington, as Quill seems to have had no difficulty in achieving his aim, making a killing back at the regiment.76 Being invited to dine with Wellington carried the greatest cachet, and he was usually affable and good-humoured, despite the fact that all seemed unnecessarily in fear of him.77 To his great credit, Quill seems not to have been awed by his commander, as his humour kept the table in a roar of laughter all evening. Quill was a morale booster, surcharged with mirth and glee when others were desponding. Once more, he represents the Irish in the role that, apart from fighting, they appear to have played best. Grattan remembers the exact date he first met Quill: On the 24th of May, ... I became acquainted with Maurice Quill. It would be quite idle in me to attempt giving any very detailed account of a character so well known; one who, whenever he opened his mouth, was sure to raise a laugh.78 Oman comments, the eccentric surgeon, Maurice Quill, whose fame was so great throughout the army that the novelist, Charles Lever, in writing Charles OMalley, The Irish Dragoon, did not even bother to change his name.79 Finally, there is a story of Wellington overhearing a young Irish staff officer say he is going to dine with Wellington this evening. 'The Chief' gently rebuked the officer saying, Give me at least the prefix of Mr before my name,' to which the Irishman replied without demur, My Lord, we do not speak of Mr Caesar or of Mr Alexander, so why should we speak of Mr Wellington? 80 Such a sentiment would have been very popular among Wellingtons young officers. Irish wit had triumphed again, this time with more then a touch of sycophancy, perhaps also a product of Irelands history.

Humour in the ranks exploited by officers

Just as ordinary soldiers are confident enough to joke in the presence of their officers, often challenging discipline and good order, officers from the top down seldom fail to see the funny side, and are in their turn confident enough to encourage and exploit it, and even overlook a little resulting indiscipline. In the Pyrenees, while the 95th was on short commons, Captain Johnson suspects that his company is flouting battalion orders to conserve biscuit and, while on parade, picks on Irishman Tom Crawley, an incorrigible jester and recidivist rule-breaker. Johnson must have known that Crawleys response would be hilarious, and would provide light relief for the men. Shake the whole out, said the Captain, until I see if they are getting mouldy ... and (he) emptied out its contents, which turned out to be nothing more nor less than a few dry (wood) chips ... . What have you done with the biscuit? Have you have eaten it, Sir ? Do you know it is against orders?

George Bell, Soldiers Glory, pp.104-5. Brett-James, Life, p.125. Also Augustus Frazer, Letters of Colonel Augustus Frazer, K.C.B., commanding the Roya! Horse Artillery in the Army under the Duke of Wellington, written during the Peninsular and Waterloo campaigns. ed. Major-General Edward Sabine, (London, 1859), p.125. 78 Grattan, Adventures, p.88; George Bell, Soldiers Glory, p.35. 79 Oman, preface to Grattan, Adventures, p.vii. Oman refers to Quill as the best known humourist in the army. Oman, Army, p.299. 80 Dalton, Waterloo Roll Call, p.9.
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To be sure I do, says Tom; but for Gods sake, Sur, do you take me for a South American jackass, that carries goold but ates straw. This answer not only set the Captain, but the whole company in roars of laughter.81 The orders being changed, and the event ending well for everyone, Crawley is credited with getting the whole regiment out of a precious scrape. Thus, a little laughter and a touch of anarchy goes a long way towards attaining the greater goal. Related by an eye-witness, this anecdote tells us something about the leadership and man-management skills of many officers, especially the new breed that led the 95th.

Discussion and conclusions

Many anecdotes seem to be authentic, but others deserve little credence, though biographers and historians often quote them. Many do not seem to have come from a single reliable source, arising instead out of regimental or army lore, and it is usually impossible to trace them to an eyewitness. Many have certainly been adapted or embellished, perhaps more from a desire to tell a good story than to distort. To adapt is human, and an important feature of storytelling. Often adapted when first told, perhaps even by eyewitnesses or even protagonists, such as Wellington himself, stories were probably slightly adapted once more at each telling, and it is impossible to strip off these layers. In addition, the passage of time and the frailty of human memory often make some invention necessary. However, if it can be accepted that most anecdotes and reports were modified or even invented, no modification or invention seems to have been aimed at ridiculing or deprecating the Irish, and many may even have been adapted to make the Irish appear in a better light, or to conform to the general, positive stereotype. Certainly, if Irish humour in all its manifestations lifted the morale, there seems to have been no shortage of both Irish and nonIrish narrators who contributed to this morale-boosting by passing on the stories, even if they did modify them. Regardless of such modification, the anecdotes seem accurate in essence, and those from the least reliable sources reflect those from the most reliable. All display the humour, inventiveness and the powerful creative defiance of the Irish. They also illustrate a positive attitude of the other British troops and officers to their Irish comrades and subordinates. The native Irish facility with words, language and imagination, a talent for histrionics, and an utter disregard for conventional logic, certainly facilitated such defiant humour, which had its roots in the painful history and distinct mentality and culture of Ireland. Perhaps it is sufficient to conclude, as did Irish jurist and raconteur Jonah Barrington, that the brains and tongues of the Irish are somehow differently formed or furnished from those of other people.82 Even while they report examples of Irish humour, many historians seem to believe that it is all just archetypal Irishmen being droll yet again. Such an approach fails to consider the wider picture and evaluate Irish contribution and achievement. However, it is fortunate that such historians have been happy to recount Irish eccentricities, and thus contribute to the survival of such reports, for, without this, the Irish contribution to the Peninsular War in particular might have received far less notice.
81 82

Costello, Adventures, pp.251-253 Sir Jonah Barrington, Personal Sketches of his Own Time, (Dublin 1997), p.61.