Ulster Special Constabulary - Recruitment

Recruitment

The composition of the USC was overwhelmingly Protestant and unionist, for a number of reasons.

• Several informal unionist "constabulary" groups had already been created, for example, in Belfast, Fermanagh and Antrim. A number of these groups were absorbed into the new Ulster Special Constabulary.

• There was a willingness to arm or recognise existing Protestant militias. Wilfrid Spender, head of the Ulster Volunteer Force, encouraged his members to join. There was an immediate and illicit supply of arms available to these Protestant organisations; especially the UVF. Charles Wickham, Chief of Police for the north of Ireland, favoured incorporation of the UVF into "regular military units" instead of having to "face them down".

• Recruitment of Catholics was not encouraged by officialdom.

• Nationalists also boycotted the force from the start. The Nationalist Party, Sinn Féin and the Ancient Order of Hibernians discouraged Catholic recruitment. The IRA targeted for assassination those Catholics who did join. Joe Devlin, nationalist MP said, "you are going to arm pogromists to murder the Catholics...we would not touch your Special Constabulary with a 40 foot barge pole".