many of the division's temporary cadets did not cope well with the frustrations of counterinsurgency: hurriedly recruited, poorly trained, and with an ill-defined role, they soon gained a reputation for drunkenness, lack of discipline, and brutality worse than that of the black and tans. they were disliked by members of the royal irish constabulary, who considered them "rough." they seem to have been unpopular with the british army as well. one british officer, who served as adjutant for the 2nd battalion, cameron highlanders, wrote in his memoirs that the auxiliaries "were totally undisciplined by our regimental standards". macready wrote in his own memoirs that "those companies that had the good fortune to have good commanders, generally ex-regular officers, who could control their men, performed useful work, but the exploits of certain other companies under weak or inefficient commanders went a long way to discredit the whole force".