Joseph Aloysius Byrne
Encyclopedia
Brigadier-General Sir Joseph Aloysius Byrne, GCMG
, KBE
, CB
(1874-1942), was the Royal Irish Constabulary
's Inspector-General from 1916 until 1920. He later served abroad in Sierra Leone, The Seychelles and Kenya
.
. He joined the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
in 1893 and served in the Boer War
, where he was wounded at the Siege of Ladysmith
. He later served as Assistant Adjutant-General at the War Office and was made Deputy Adjutant-General, Irish Command, on 27 April 1916, during the Easter Rising
as Brigadier-General. He was appointed Inspector General of the Royal Irish Constabulary
on 1 August 1916. Byrne held the position of Inspector-General until March 1920.
Following his police service he was called to the Bar, Lincoln's Inn, London, in 1921. He later was appointed the Governor of the Seychelles (from 1922-1927). He served in Sierra Leone from 24 September 1927 to 1929, and again from 1930 to 23 May 1931. His last known posting was Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Kenya
(1931-1937).
Byrne married in 1908, Marjorie, daughter of A. F. Joseph, of Cairo. She died 19 November 1960.
Sir Joseph Byrne died on 13 November 1942 in Surrey, England.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(1874-1942), was the Royal Irish Constabulary
Royal Irish Constabulary
The armed Royal Irish Constabulary was Ireland's major police force for most of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. A separate civic police force, the unarmed Dublin Metropolitan Police controlled the capital, and the cities of Derry and Belfast, originally with their own police...
's Inspector-General from 1916 until 1920. He later served abroad in Sierra Leone, The Seychelles and Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
.
Biography
Byrne was born on 2 October 1874, the son of Dr J. Byrne, Deputy Lieutenant for County LondonderryCounty Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
. He joined the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was a Irish infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment of Foot...
in 1893 and served in the Boer War
Boer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
, where he was wounded at the Siege of Ladysmith
Siege of Ladysmith
The Siege of Ladysmith was a protracted engagement in the Second Boer War, taking place between 30 October 1899 and 28 February 1900 at Ladysmith, Natal.-Background:...
. He later served as Assistant Adjutant-General at the War Office and was made Deputy Adjutant-General, Irish Command, on 27 April 1916, during the Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
as Brigadier-General. He was appointed Inspector General of the Royal Irish Constabulary
Royal Irish Constabulary
The armed Royal Irish Constabulary was Ireland's major police force for most of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. A separate civic police force, the unarmed Dublin Metropolitan Police controlled the capital, and the cities of Derry and Belfast, originally with their own police...
on 1 August 1916. Byrne held the position of Inspector-General until March 1920.
Following his police service he was called to the Bar, Lincoln's Inn, London, in 1921. He later was appointed the Governor of the Seychelles (from 1922-1927). He served in Sierra Leone from 24 September 1927 to 1929, and again from 1930 to 23 May 1931. His last known posting was Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
(1931-1937).
Byrne married in 1908, Marjorie, daughter of A. F. Joseph, of Cairo. She died 19 November 1960.
Sir Joseph Byrne died on 13 November 1942 in Surrey, England.