St John Ambulance Ireland Archive

05/04/2026

Easter Rising 1916 - 2026

One hundred and ten years on we remember our members who turned out onto the streets during the Easter Rising to save lives. The Easter Rising was an armed insurrection by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an independent Irish Republic.

Over 600 members were reported to have turned out right across the city, with close to 450 named. Witness accounts from various sources which many authors have picked up on, recall those stories and the treacherous conditions faced by members as they moved throughout the city, pulling people to safety before stretchering them off to local ambulance and dressing stations.

Our leader, Deputy Commissioner Dr John Lumsden was out of the city at the time of the uprising and the senior officer available was Dublin man, Corps Superintendent Holden Stodart. Stodart engaged with the British military offices in the city, who at this stage took control of the access to and around the city. He offered the services of the St John Ambulance (SJA) which initially was not accepted. This changed some hours later when the death toll and destruction across the city became out of control.

The Dublin Fire Brigade ambulance was in constant use throughout this time and the death toll and injuries increased rapidly, requiring extraordinary resources. When Lumsden arrived back into the city, he contacted the Irish Automobile Club and together with SJA they provided up to 15 ambulances to serve across the city.

The SJA also put emergency measures in place by establishing an emergency hospital and a number of auxiliary hospitals in the city. The decision was made by Lumsden’s deputy Dr Ella Webb who saw the need to alleviate pressure on the city hospitals. William G. Smith, also Lumsden’s deputy began to make strategic decisions in moving members across the city.

Smith and Webb both met with Lumsden and arranged to send their ambulances to hospitals including Sir Patrick Duns and the Royal City of Dublin Hospital where the surge had gone well beyond their capacity. They removed casualties who could not be treated there some of which required surgical operations in makeshift theatres back at the auxiliary hospitals. This included a child who was shot in the chest and a young man who required amputation.

A week before the Rising over a hundred members received advanced first aid training, including the management of traumatic wounds resulting from explosion and gunshot. Little did they know the skills learnt for wounds sustained at war in the front would soon be put to use at home. No organisation existed on the island that could counter such an operation to sustain pre hospital care and follow through in providing a full medical team of doctors ready to treat and operate on what came through the door.

Up to 500 in total were killed including a member of St John Ambulance, Corps Superintendent Holden Stodart who was shot in cross fire while attempting to rescue a casualty. Five other members of SJA were also injured, with one member who suffered debilitating injuries.

The British Red Cross Society in Ireland was a smaller organisation at the time and operated under the direction of Lumsden since the beginning of World War 1. They too worked alongside SJA and volunteered across the city and one member was shot and wounded.

It is important to mention that members both men and women recall the respect shown by both the British soldiers and Irish republicans did not deliberately fire upon them and in some cases a cease fire was given to collect the wounded. One volunteer said 'I must say the rebels respected the Red Cross and never fired on us - even accepted help from our fellows for their own wounded.’ (see source in comments). Isolated events did occur where ambulances were fired upon even with the Red Cross symbol.

The Red Cross symbol was officially adopted by SJA since the beginning of WWI and it was used for protective reasons at home during the Easter Rising as such numerous sources from the time and as recent as the centenary have mistakenly recorded some events as BRCS and not SJA.

A year following the Easter Rising over 100 life saving awards were presented by the Order of St John, the parent organisation of SJA. The majority of the life saving medals and certificates were awarded to member of St John Ambulance. Others too were issued to BRCS, Dublin Fire Brigade Captain Thomas Purcell and civilians who turned out to assist in saving lives.

This short article gives you the lesser told story of the insurrection and a glimpse into a very dark week for Dublin city. While the Rising lasted for just under a week, the work for our members and all healthcare workers continued for months and in some cases years after the Rising in treating those affected.

05/01/2026

Can you spot the members of St John Ambulance on duty at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in 1918?

Members were providing first aid cover at the Grand Witsundite Fair, Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin. Lord French officially opened this event and was attended by members of the social elite such as Lady Talbot de Malahide along with business owners who came together to champion the cause of raising much needed funds to support hospitals and provide aid to alleviate suffering to injured soldiers at home and abroad.

The video is owned by the Imperial War Museum and the full video is available here https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060023214

04/01/2026

In recent months, we had the absolute pleasure to welcome Caroline Hamilton, granddaughter and Nicola Cunningham great granddaughter of our founder Sir John Lumsden KBE MD.

A joyous occasion to share the medal collection and memorabilia revealing in some cases new information to Lumsden’s relatives.

We look forward to hosting more relatives of past members and other visitors in 2026!

04/01/2026

This is a rare video clip of our founder Sir John Lumsden KBE MD inspecting the annual review of both ambulance (men) and nursing members at Merrion Square in 1932. For more info see comments below.

The video is owned by British Pathé and is available here
Original title: ST. JOHN'S PARADE (AKA METROPOLITAN REGATTA - ST JOHNS PARADE) (1932)
https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/38661/

22/05/2025

In welcoming the Lord Prior to St John Ambulance Ireland headquarters, Head of Archive and Heritage Pádraig Allen, gave a presentation on the history of SJAI in Ireland and showcased some of the collection.

The theme focused on the early history, World
War 1 and a specific focus on the turbulent period where members risked their lives to save others during the Easter Rising (1916), War of Independence (1919-1921) and the Civil War (1922).

The Lord Prior was in London the previous week and had presented Roger Willoughby and John Wilson with the Order of St John ‘Certificate of Thanks’ for their outstanding work in publishing ‘For Service in the Cause of Humanity’. The book celebrates the 1,394 people who the Order has recognised for their bravery in saving lives.

For almost a decade Pádraig has collaborated with Roger Willoughby in his research considering the large number of recipients of life saving awards following the turbulent events in Ireland.

A recent addition to the archive collection in Dublin came as huge surprise to Pádraig, with the donation of William G. Smith’s collection who has been part of his research for many years. William was a long serving member who became Deputy Commissioner to Sir John Lumsden up until his departure to Liverpool in 1922. His career with Jacob’s biscuits took him to England where he also continued his volunteer career and became Commissioner of SJA in Liverpool until his retirement.

In 1951, Ireland finding it challenging to find a commissioner reached out to William in England and he returned, serving as acting commissioner until he truly retired in 1955 with the appointment of Dr. Douglas Montgomery.

It was a perfect opportunity to reflect on the Lord Prior’s recent trip to London and now share the collection of Commissioner William G. Smith OBE KStJ. Following the talk, the Lord Prior was afforded the opportunity to be the first person to view William’s collection.

Sitting alongside William’s mounted medals is the Order of St John Life Saving Medal in Silver. This was just one of four silver awarded following the Easter Rising and two are now part of the archive collection.

The Lord Prior acknowledged the incredible commitment by William and our past members who gave so willingly to treat those injured during battles and to those in need during times of peace.

22/05/2025

Today, the Lord Prior Professor Mark Compton visited the Guinness Archive in Dublin, the place where St John Ambulance Brigade in Ireland began in 1903. The Lord Prior of the Order of St John leads 250,000 across 44 countries.

2025 marks the ten year anniversary of the heritage and archive lead for SJAI, Pádraig Allen. During this time he has also collaborated with many archives and libraries but more especially with Eibhlin Colgan, Archives Manager at the Guinness Brewery.

Together we have worked on preserving the records of the very first division in Ireland, St James’s Gate Ambulance Division, which was established in 1904. The Lord Prior and his wife Elizabeth had the opportunity to view the original records and also learn about our rich history at the brewery.

18/11/2024

St John Ambulance Cork 1934-2024

This year, St John Ambulance Cork celebrates its 90th year of ambulance and first aid teaching services. The division was founded by Dr Anthony O'Sullivan and Mr. Fred White. It is important to note that the St John Ambulance Association first began teaching first aid in Dublin, 1881 and Cork 1883. The organisation then was non uniformed and classes of first aid were organised by medical doctors and instructors in first aid.

In 1932, St John Ambulance was the principal provider of first aid and ambulance services at 'The 1932 Eucharistic Congress'. Events in Dublin and the Phoenix Park saw 1 million people attend events over two days. Attending this congress was Dr O'Sullivan and many others from Cork who assisted in providing medical support to St John Ambulance.

Dr O'Sullivan very impressed by the services provided on such a scale never seen before in Ireland, he decided to gather interest in Cork and in doing so he organised first aid classes for both men and women, before assisting in the establishment of a division in Cork City.

The impact by O'Sullivan and others saw Cork rise to be the largest division of St John volunteers outside Dublin. This gave great pride and hope to our leader and founder Sir John Lumsden who made frequent visits to Cork, pictured below Sir John can be seen greeting men on parade at its first division inspection in 1934 and a later photo in 1939, a another occasion where he visited the latest class of women qualified in air raid precautions. St John took its first steps in preparing its members for the looming war as early as 1933 and communities from 1936.

Since then the Cork division has continued to grow and provides first aid and ambulance services at major events in Cork such as Páirc Uí Rinn and the Cork City Marathon.

We wish all the current and past members who contributed to the success of the division a hearty congratulations from the St John Ambulance Ireland Archive!

20/10/2024

100 years ago St John Ambulance (SJA) began bringing pilgrims to Lourdes, France travelling by road and sea. This became an annual pilgrimage for SJA up until the 1960s.

This article includes extracts from the report of that first trip in 1924!

In 1924, SJA Ireland Commissioner, Sir John Lumsden, KBE MD KStJ was asked to supply fifty men and 30 sisters to assist the medical and nursing staff for the Irish National Pilgrimage to Lourdes.

The Lourdes Pilgrimage was one of the biggest undertakings of the Brigade that year, if not the biggest. Selected from the several Divisions, a company of fifty stretcher bearers and 30 nursing sisters, under the officer-ship of Superintendent P.J. McNamara, and Lady Ambulance Officer Annie Barry, along with several other officers undertook the transport of pilgrimage invalids to and from Lourdes, collecting them from several railway termini for the outward journey, and on the return transporting to meet various rail connections for home. In addition the several of the Dublin patients were collected from their homes and brought back at the end of the Pilgrimage.

The Sailing and Train Journey
The ss."Chicago" of the Campanie Generale Transatlantique (French Line) was especially chartered. It left on Monday, 29th September, for Bordeaux with 500 invalids. The voyage to Bordeaux took about two days, during this time St John members undertook the necessary attendance of seeing to the sick and weak pilgrims. On arrival to Bordeaux the most difficult section of the work began - that of transporting the pilgrims from the ship to train for Lourdes. An eight hour train journey, after which Lourdes was reached, they were then transported to the well known "Asile", where all invalids were accommodated.

In Lourdes
In Lourdes the duties of the St John contingent were many, transporting from hospital to churches, grotto, baths, procession of Blessed Sacrament etc. while attendance was also be given for providing meals and other necessaries.
It is interesting to learn that on arrival in Lourdes, before any duties to the invalids can be undertaken, all "St John" had to be enrolled as members of the Society called" Hospitalite of Notre Dame de Lourdes" which consists of men and women who give their services voluntarily to help the invalids at Lourdes.
The men who carry the sick stretchers and bath chairs were called "Brancordies" and are distinguished by the leather strap worn over their shoulders. The lady members were called "Hospitaliers" and helped in the hospitals and in the baths. This Society was started in 1881 by two French counts, and at the time numbered several hundred members, including members of the Royal Family of France and many Irish and English men and women.

The piece below is an excerpt addressed to Commissioner Lumsden from Superintendents J.P. McNamara and John L.Keogh and Annie Barry SJA.

"The magnificent espirt de corps which all the members have worked with during weeks of practice augurs well for the successful issue in their efforts, the spirit of the Pilgrimage was enthusiastically taken up, and from the Church Parade, Mass and Communion on Sunday, 28th September, until return on 10th October one may rest assured enthusiasm for the work will never flag, and duties will be carried out to such satisfaction that for many a day Lourdes will re-echo " St John".

Today the Order of Malta Ireland our sister organisation carries on this work and in 2018, celebrated 60 years of travelling with pilgrims to Lourdes.

END.

If you would like to get in touch with us, contact our page directly or find our details on our page.

25/09/2024

A fitting tribute to our founder and first Commissioner, Sir John Lumsden KBE KStJ on his 80th anniversary.

Credit: Tony Corcoran

Guinness chief medical officer was a determined and courageous leader

07/06/2024

D-Day, 80 years on we must remember our fourth Commissioner of St John Ambulance Ireland, Douglas Montgomery MD, FRCSI, KStJ (1912-1974).

Douglas was born in America in 1912, to Irish parents. He received his early education in the United States and when he came to Ireland, he continued it at CBS Omagh, and later completing his MB at Trinity College, qualifying in 1939 and later his MD at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. It was during his time in Trinity he was invited to join the St John Ambulance (SJA).

His first appointment was as house surgeon in Sir Patrick Dun’s Hospital and during the Second World War he served in the Local Security Force (Ireland), later joining the Royal Army Medical Corps.

In 1944, he was an officer commanding a field surgical team which landed in Normandy on D-Day. He wounded his back when wading ashore from his landing craft, in spite of this, he continued to serve and is believed to be one of the first surgeons to operate on the beach. He continued on treating soldiers until the end of June, until his health deteriorated as a result of chemical exposure on the beach, sustaining permanent damage to his lungs and was then invalided back to Ireland.

On his return to Ireland, he spent several months recovering before taking up his new post as house surgeon at the Meath Hospital and divisional surgeon in SJA. In 1945 he became editor of The Irish Ambulance Gazette and chairman of the SJA education department. In 1951 he was appointed district surgeon and attended negotiations with the Minister of Defence in how best to develop a Civil Defence for Ireland.

He gave public speeches on chemical warfare and the great work that St John Ambulance achieved, in teaching ARP (Air Raid Precautions) and providing ambulance cover across major cities in Ireland during the Emergency Period, as no national ambulance service existed. He travelled far and wide as Commissioner attending almost every (SJA) division in Ireland.

His call out ultimately led many senior members of St John Ambulance to join (including himself) and build the new Civil Defence. Many of these were instructors in ARP and chemical warfare having completed training with both the British Army and Irish Defence Forces.

In 1955, he was unanimously selected as Commissioner of St John Ambulance, following the retirement of William G. Smith. Smith was a long time volunteer who served during the Easter Rising and Civil War in Dublin.

In 1968, Montgomery was appointed President of Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and held this position for two years. As president he worked hard and travelled widely to raise funds for the extension of the college. He was elevated to the high position as Knight of Grace of the Order of St John in recognition of his achievements but especially his efforts in developing ambulance services and chemical warfare through the ARP.

He was a keen golfer, where he became Captain and later President of the Greystones Golf Club. In 2019, a woman from Meath contacted our page after searching ‘Douglas Montgomery’ and queried a cup / tankard she had picked up in a junk shop for use during a drama and reenactment. We were able to verify in-fact it was belonging to Douglas Montgomery and it was kindly gifted to SJA (see photos) following this event. The inscription is ‘Grand Hotel Cup Greystones 1955 won by Douglas Montgomery M.D., F.R.C.S.I.’ It now forms part of the Montgomery collection.

In 1974, he died at Monkstown Hospital following a short illness, having served almost twenty years as the fourth Commissioner of St John Ambulance. There was very large attendance at his funeral, included state representation and over 200 members of SJA who gathered to perform a guard of honour. He was buried at Deans Grange Cemetery, and survived by his wife Sheila Montgomery née Boydell, two daughters and one son.

Also pictured are Douglas Montgomery’s medals.

23/05/2024

The world’s longest serving St John volunteer currently at an incredible 80 years service.

This is David Heard, the World’s Longest Serving St John Volunteer.

You might have seen him in the paper or heard his story on the radio this National Volunteers Week.

Starting out as a St John Cadet while still in primary school, David Heard of St John Ambulance South Australia, has delivered an impressive 80 years of service!

Over the decades, Mr Heard has provided First Aid services, volunteer ambulance services, and helped to grow local volunteer teams and the St John Cadets program. He was awarded the Order of St John Service Medal in 1958, and holds the prestigious rank of Knight of the Order of St John. His passion for volunteering further extended to his family, with his children also becoming valued St John volunteers.

Now 91, Mr Heard, a Murray Bridge farmer, has ceased operational duties, but plans for continue his service as Treasurer of the St John Ambulance Historical Society.

We congratulate and thank David for his exceptional volunteering service.

Thank you to St John Ambulance | SA for sharing this story.