![]() When war broke out with Germany in 1939, MacKenzie was called up. MacKenzie was born in Belfast in 1916 and in 1932 he joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. On the European front, we find the record of Pilot Officer Kenneth MacKenzie. Their names can be found on war memorials in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Irishmen not only served with the British forces, but with armies around the world. There were also a large number of Irish men and women who had emigrated from Ireland and now fought for their new adopted homeland. These numbers are conservative estimates as exact numbers are not known. ![]() Of those 130,000 about 60,000 were from the Irish Free State and 64,000 were from Northern Ireland. It is estimated about 130,000 Irish fought with the British forces. Those who wanted to join the war left Ireland to fight with the armies of other nations. In Ireland, the war was known as the Emergency. During the Second World War, the Irish Free State remained a neutral state. They fought in every major land campaign in Europe, in the jungles of Asia and the deserts of Africa. The story of the Irish who fought in the Second World War is not widely known. Click here to get a special half price subscription, and discover your Irish roots today! Findmypast is working in partnership with IrishCentral to share fascinating insights into your Irish ancestors.
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