Dayfield Body Shield, G Division, Dublin Metropolitan Police, 1920

Dayfield Body Shield, G Division, Dublin Metropolitan Police, 1920

The Dayfield Body Shield was manufactured during WWI for purchase, marketed at families of soldiers foghting on the front, rather than for issue by the British Army to soldiers. It consists of steel plates on the front and back, and was worn under the coat to protect the wearer from bullets. Such shields were issued to members of the Crown Forces at the end of 1919, and this shield was worn by Detective Inspector P.J. Myles of G Division, Dublin Metropolitan Police, whose duty was to protect the Chief Secretary of Ireland. He kept it as a souvenir when others were handed in after the Anglo-Irish Truce in 1921.