Brigadier-General Sir Joseph Aloysius Byrne, (2 October 1874 – 13 November 1942) was the

Royal Irish Constabulary The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the island was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom. A sep ...

's Inspector-General from 1916 until 1920. He later served in

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Seychellois Creole: ), is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, ...

and

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

Early life and military career

Byrne was born on 2 October 1874, the son of Dr J. Byrne, Deputy Lieutenant for

County Londonderry County Londonderry (Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry (), is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty-two Counties of Ireland, count ...

. He was educated at

St George's College, Weybridge St George's Weybridge is an independent mixed Roman Catholic co-educational Josephite day school in Surrey, taking pupils from 3 to 18. St George's Weybridge is made up of St George's Junior School (3–11) and St George's College (11–18). ...

.Robert M. Maxon, Thomas P. Ofcansky, Historical Dictionary of Kenya, Rowman & Littlefield, 9 Sep 2014, p.41 Byrne joined the

Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was an Ireland, Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot and the 108th (Ma ...

and was commissioned a second lieutenant on 23 December 1893, then promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 1 June 1897. After the outbreak of war in South Africa in October 1899, Byrne was with the 1st Battalion of his regiment as it arrived in

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

for war service later the same year. The regiment soon saw heavy fighting, and Byrne was wounded at the

Siege of Ladysmith The siege of Ladysmith was a protracted engagement in the Second Boer War, taking place between 2 November 1899 and 28 February 1900 at Ladysmith, Natal. Boer invasion of Natal Outbreak of war The Second Boer War began on 11 October 1899 wh ...

, following which he returned home on the hospital ship ''Maine'' in March 1900. Promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on 11 April 1900, he was stationed at the regimental depot. He returned to South Africa, and continued to serve during the remainder of the war, but was invalided home in March 1902. He was temporary appointed to a staff appointment in July 1902. Byrne 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 The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...

as brigadier-general. He was appointed Inspector General of the

on 1 August 1916. Byrne held the position of Inspector-General until 6 January 1920.

Colonial Service

Following his police service Byrne was called to the Bar, Lincoln's Inn, London, in 1921. Later that year he entered the

Colonial Service The Colonial Service, also known as His/Her Majesty's Colonial Service and replaced in 1954 by Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service (HMOCS), was the British government service that administered most of Britain's overseas possessions, under the aut ...

and in 1922 was appointed

Governor of the Seychelles This is a list of colonial governors of Seychelles, an archipelago, archipelagic island country in the Indian Ocean. Seychelles was first History of Seychelles#French settlement and rule, colonised by the French in 1770, and captured by the Br ...

. Thereafter he was made

Governor of Sierra Leone This is a list of colonial administrators in Sierra Leone from the establishment of the Cline Town, Sierra Leone, Province of Freedom Colony by the Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor which lasted between 1787 and 1789 and the list of colon ...

from 24 September 1927 to 1929, and again from 1930 to 23 May 1931. He was briefly indisposed from late 1929 until early 1930, during which time

Mark Aitchison Young Sir Mark Aitchison Young ( zh, t=楊慕琦; 30 June 1886 – 12 May 1974) was a British colonial administrator, who is best remembered for his service as the Governor of Hong Kong at the time of the Battle of Hong Kong, Japanese invasion of t ...

filled in for him as acting governor. As governor of Sierra Leone, Byrne made a habit of appointing European-educated Africans to as many posts as possible, particularly in the city of

Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...

. The football club of East End Lions F.C. was established in

while he was governor. In 1931 Byrne was made

Governor of Kenya This article contains a list of chairmen, administrators, commissioners and governors of British Kenya Colony. The office of Governor of Kenya was replaced by the office of Governor-General in 1963 and then later replaced by a President of Kenya ...

. His time in

coincided with the worldwide depression, and his government undertook various austerity measures. Despite this, he took steps to support European settler agriculture and increased funding for African peasant production. He also oversaw upgrades to hospital and prison facilities in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

and

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

. His lack of sympathy towards the European settlers, and implementation of an income tax long opposed by many settlers, meant he was an unpopular figure in sections of the settler community. Byrne retired in 1936, and died on 13 November 1942 in Surrey, England.

Personal life

Byrne married in 1908, Marjorie, daughter of Allan F. Joseph, of Cairo. She died 19 November 1960.The Times, Thursday, 24 November 1960; pg. 17; Issue 54937; col E

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Byrne, Joseph Aloysius 1874 births 1942 deaths British Army brigadiers People from County Londonderry British civil servants Catholic Unionists Companions of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers officers Colonial governors and administrators of Kenya Inspectors-General of the Royal Irish Constabulary Members of Lincoln's Inn Governors of British Seychelles People educated at St George's College, Weybridge British Kenya people British Army generals of World War I Military personnel from County Londonderry