"The Bold Black and Tans" is an Irish song from the Irish War of Independence, a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-military Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) and its paramilitary forces the Auxiliaries and Ulster Special Constabulary. The Black and Tans (Irish: Dúchrónaigh) were constables recruited into the Royal Irish Constabulary. Recruitment began in Great Britain in January 1920, and about 10,000 men enlisted during the conflict. The majority were unemployed former British soldiers from England, Scotland and Wales who had fought in the First World War. Some sources count Irish recruits to the RIC from 1920 as "Black and Tans". The Black and Tans had a reputation for brutality; they committed murder, arson and looting and became notorious for reprisal attacks on civilians and civilian property. The melody is another variation of "Villikins and His Dinah", a music hall song of the 1850s (and in America as "Betsy from Pike"). It is also the melody for "The Old Orange Flute" and the bawdy song "The Thrashing Machine". It is related to the jig tune "Paddy Whack".