Likewise, Irishmen who had served in the British forces accounted for over half the 3,500 officers. W.R.E. Murphy, second-in-command (January - May 1923), had been a Lieutenant Colonel in the British Army, as had Emmet Dalton. Two more of the senior generals, John T. Prout and J.J. "Ginger" O'Connell, had served in the United States Army. Collins promoted fellow-members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood but was slow to put Squad members in high positions.