Sir Hugh Tudor: Churchill’s Accidental Villain & Commander of the Black and Tans in Revolutionary Ireland 1920–1922

In this exclusive 4500+ word extract and analysis from Linden MacIntyre’s groundbreaking new book An Accidental Villain – Sir Hugh Tudor, Churchill’s Enforcer in Revolutionary Ireland (Merrion Press, 2025), we explore how a career soldier with no interest in Irish politics became the architect of Britain’s brutal counter-insurgency. From the Easter Rising’s shadow to the Truce of 1921, Tudor’s 23 months in Ireland redefined repression – and his own life.

We’ll examine:

• How Churchill bypassed military opposition to install Tudor in May 1920
• The militarisation of the RIC and birth of the Black and Tans
• Tudor’s command philosophy: “The only way to treat a rebel is to shoot him”
• Internal British resistance from Macready and Henry Wilson
• Tudor’s post-Ireland exile in Newfoundland and forgotten grave

Extract: An Accidental Villain – Sir Hugh Tudor, Churchill’s Enforcer in Revolutionary Ireland

“It is unclear exactly when General Hugh Tudor first became a part of the Irish war… he left no record of his time in Ireland, even though the twenty-three months he spent there redefined his life, his career and, arguably, his personality.”

– Linden MacIntyre, An Accidental Villain

Tudor and Churchill were in frequent contact during the Easter Rising in April 1916. On April 26, Tudor wrote in his diary: “The papers are full of the Irish rebellion. We all hope that [Sir Roger] Casement will be hanged.” Churchill dined with Edward Carson on Easter Monday – the first day of the uprising. The execution of 14 rebels between May 3–12 only fueled the fire.

By 1920, Sinn Féin and the IRA dominated Irish politics. The Lloyd George government refused to negotiate. Their solution: militarize the RIC under army leadership – without declaring martial law.

“The answer was to launch a hybrid campaign in which military rules would be enforced by the police… rearmed and repurposed under new military leadership.”

General Nevil Macready refused to command a “civilian” police force. Field Marshal Henry Wilson called it “monstrous.” After rejections, Churchill personally selected Major General Hugh Tudor. Cabinet approved on May 11. Tudor accepted instantly. He arrived in Dublin on May 16, 1920.

The Churchill-Tudor Bond: From Boer War to Black and Tans

Sir Hugh Tudor (1871–1965) and Winston Churchill (1874–1965) shared a lifetime of war. Both fought in the Boer War. Both served on the Western Front. Both were imperialists to the core.

Tudor was:

• Lightweight boxing champion of the British Army (1890s)
• Polo player, golfer, horseman
• Fluent in French, Arabic, Urdu
• Decorated in Boer War and WWI

Churchill admired Tudor’s “aggressive masculinity.” Tudor admired Churchill’s intellect and ambition. Their friendship was mutual – and fateful.

May 16, 1920: Tudor Arrives in Ireland – A Nation on the Brink

Dublin in spring 1920 was a city under siege. IRA flying columns ambushed RIC barracks. Sinn Féin courts replaced British justice. The RIC was crumbling – resignations, assassinations, morale collapse.

Tudor arrived with no Irish experience. He later told a friend:

“I didn’t care a whoop in Hell about Irish self-determination.”

His brief: restore order. His method: militarize the police. His legacy: the Black and Tans.

Dublin 1920: A City in Chaos

• IRA assassinations: 18 RIC killed in first five months of 1920
• Barracks attacks: Over 300 abandoned
• Boycott of RIC: Families shunned, shops refused service

Transforming the RIC: From Police to Paramilitary Force

The Royal Irish Constabulary was once a civilian police force. By mid-1920, Tudor turned it into a counter-insurgency army:

• Re-armed with rifles, machine guns, armored cars
• Issued khaki-black uniforms (hence “Black and Tans”)
• Paid £1 per day – triple civilian wages
• No Irish recruitment – all ex-British soldiers

By December 1920, 9,000 Black and Tans and Auxiliaries (elite ex-officers) were deployed. Tudor commanded both.

Birth of the Black and Tans: Ex-Soldiers, Desperation, and Terror

Recruited from unemployed WWI veterans in Britain, the Black and Tans were:

• Traumatized, alcoholic, undisciplined
• Paid to kill – no questions asked
• Immune from civilian law

Under Tudor, they became a terror squad: burning villages, executing suspects, looting pubs. Cork, Balbriggan, Trim – all razed in reprisal.

“The only way to treat a rebel is to shoot him.”

– Attributed to Tudor, 1920

Tudor’s Reign: Reprisals, Burnings, and the Logic of Terror

Tudor believed in collective punishment. After IRA attacks:

• Balbriggan (September 1920): Town sacked, two men murdered
• Cork City (December 1920): £3 million in damage, city center burned
• Trim, Mallow, Templemore: Creameries, homes, businesses destroyed

British Cabinet minutes show Churchill defended Tudor: “The more you burn, the better.”

British Army Resistance: Macready, Wilson, and the “Police Adviser” Farce

The British Army hated Tudor’s plan:

• Macready: “I will not command a police force”
• Wilson: Called Black and Tans “Tudor’s toughs”
• Officers refused to serve under RIC

Churchill overruled them all. Tudor reported directly to Dublin Castle – and to Churchill.

Sir Hugh Tudor’s Legacy in 2025 Ireland: Villain or Scapegoat?

Tudor left Ireland in June 1922. He never spoke publicly about his role. He died in Newfoundland in 1965, buried in an unmarked grave.

In 2025 Ireland:

• Black and Tans remain a byword for brutality
• Tudor is largely forgotten – except in history books
• Churchill’s role is debated: architect or enabler?

Was Tudor a villain? Or a soldier following orders in a dirty war?

Linden MacIntyre: Author of An Accidental Villain

Linden MacIntyre is a Canadian journalist and author of The Bishop’s Man (Scotiabank Giller Prize winner). His new book is the first full biography of Sir Hugh Tudor.

Buy An Accidental Villain (Merrion Press)