Retired naval officer who revealed 'Raj' mentality in parts of Defence Forces speaks out 

'If someone made a complaint it was viewed as though they were going against the grain and were disloyal to the military'

Ken Holland: "If somebody made a complaint it was viewed as though they were going against the grain and were disloyal to the military." Picture: Denis Minihane

A vastly experienced former member of the Defence Forces who once described some senior officers as acting “like they’re still living in the British Raj” era has spoken for the first time without anonymity about how a few of the so-called 'old guard' treated subordinates almost like slaves while routinely ignoring and covering up complaints of inappropriate behaviour.

Former navy senior petty officer Ken Holland, who is retired after 42 years unblemished service to the State, told a PDFOrra conference for enlisted personnel a couple of years ago that some of the older officers across the entire Defence Forces acted as though they were still living the Imperialist lifestyle of the British superior military class.

In other words, they thought they could do whatever they liked to whoever they believed subservient to them in India, including abusing their own lower-ranked soldiers as much as the indigenous poorer classes..

At the time of the PDforra conference, the Irish Examiner was constrained from identifying him as the man who made these comments — which caused some consternation in senior ranks — because under military protocol only the general secretary of PDforra and its president can be quoted as speaking on behalf of the association at its annual conferences.

However, Mr Holland, who lives in Carrigaline, Co. Cork, has now volunteered to be publicly identified and provide an insight into what he claims went on with “a small powerful minority of senior officers in the Defence Forces” — and not just in the navy — “who saw those who complained about mistreatment in a worse light than the people they were complaining about.” 

Mr Holland said:

If somebody made a complaint it was viewed as though they were going against the grain and were disloyal to the military. 

"Proper procedures and policy (for such complaints) weren’t there. There was very little, if any accountability. This allowed ‘bad eggs’ to thrive. People who stood up were picked off.” 

He said he wasn’t officer-bashing across the board, but some were intent on protecting the 'institution' as opposed to the individual. He stated some senior officers saw this as their duty “so sticking your head above the parapet was a no-no.” 

“Importantly, some senior officers’ priorities were to the institution (Defence Forces) and that meant the welfare of soldiers, sailors and airmen and women came secondary.” He’s at pains to stress that it was just a few officers who behaved like gods, and the “Raj mentality” wasn’t evident among the younger ones, in the main.

However, he said some powerful officers “wanted a barrier between them and subordinates to such an extent that "it was them and us”. “They (senior officers) were made aware of bullying incidents, harassment (including sexual), unwarranted verbal abuse etc, but often ignored it and if complaints were made against officers they were investigated by officers. 

"So, you see where that was going. If you (as a subordinate) went against them (senior officer) it could career-ending for people,” Mr Holland said. “It was a case of don’t rock the boat, because if you do it won't help you to progress with your career.” 

He claimed even junior officers were often afraid to question the “old guard views” when it was patently apparent a senior officer had got it wrong. “If you were dressed in a certain uniform (very senior) it gives you fierce privilege and power," he said.

Ken Holland: “Vitally needed recruitment into the Defence Forces will fail if family-friendly policies aren't properly implemented." Picture: Denis Minihane

Mr Holland was for years a stalwart member of PDForra — the representative body for personnel — and on its national executive until he retired. But despite this he still felt vulnerable to retaliatory measures by some senior Defence Forces officers if he had to question their attitudes/orders etc. on behalf of his own members.

When PDForra was founded 40 years ago military intelligence personnel were ordered by their own management and senior politicians to spy on people like him. It was suspected they were linked to subversives, which they patently weren’t. “To shout and roar at subordinates was encouraged (by certain senior officers),” he said.

After a lifetime in the navy, he said it’s a great career for young people, despite the revelations from the ‘Women of Honour’ campaign and he would encourage young people to join up.

But he’s fuming that these women, who had serious complaints, were ignored for years by the system.

“I commend them for their stance, but why is it they had to wait until they’d left and come out of uniform to have these complaints addressed. How can that be right? The Defence Forces have to recognise where they went wrong. There’s a duty of care and compassion that was missing and that needs to be addressed now,” Mr Holland said. 

When women were first admitted to the Defence Forces they slept in male accommodation blocks. The women felt powerless to complain about this and anything else.

Some ‘Raj-type’ senior officers would insist that they were not going out on patrols (be it navy or army) unless they had a subordinate steward (navy) or batman (army) to look after their every need. These subordinates are now known as Log Ops.

"They made officers’ beds, cleaned their boots, served their meals and even had to bring a cup of tea to them even though the kettle was just feet away from the officer,” Mr Holland said. “Some officers refused to go out unless there was a steward onboard to attend to them. This had been custom and practice,” Mr Holland said.

In recent years, successive Defence Forces chiefs have advocated family-friendly policies. Mr Holland said they need to adhere to this ethos, rather than spin-doctoring such ambitions.

“Over the years we were rarely asked about how we or our families were. It [from some senior officers] was just get up in the early hours, work all day and night and do the job, no matter what your family commitments were. They didn’t care. They didn’t have family-friendly policies and as far as I’m concerned, despite all the spin, they don’t,” he said. 

“The Raj mentality they had was you do everything without question.” 

“Vitally needed recruitment into the Defence Forces will fail if family-friendly policies aren't properly implemented. It can’t be achieved if the Raj mentality isn’t removed and officers continue to conduct investigations into fellow officers accused of inappropriate behaviour,” Mr Holland said.

“The biggest asset we possess in the Defence Forces are the people who serve, be it officer, NCO or private and that's something which should always be cherished,” he added.