Search Ireland, Royal Hibernian Military School History

The Royal Hibernian Military School was founded in 1765 in Phoenix Park, Dublin. Today, it is the site of St Mary’s Hospital. When the school closed in 1924, all the registers and minute books were taken to Walworth, London. However, during the Second World War, these documents were destroyed in the Blitz. The Ireland, Royal Hibernian Military school history provides a substitute for the records that were lost during the German attacks on London. The publication was edited by G H O’Reilly and published in May 2001. It includes the following parts:

• History of the school by A W Cockerill
• Transcription of the 1901 and 1911 censuses of all the pupils and families by Pat Callery

Transcripts from both censuses recorded the person’s name, relationship to head of household, religion, ability to read and write, age, occupation, marital status, and place of birth.

• Memorial inscriptions from the graveyard at the Royal Hibernian Military School compiled by Bernie Hughes and Jack Sweeney.

Each memorial inscription includes the individual’s name, age, and date of death, as well as comments such as the state of the memorial or cross on the grave.

• Death and burial records compiled by G H O’Reilly

O’Reilly’s lists recorded the deceased’s name, age or birthdate, age on entering the Royal Hibernian Military School, and father’s regiment. Other entries may provide additional information, such as names of parents, names of grandparents, or an address.

• Inscription from the memorial obelisk compiled by Pat Callery

The transcription was taken from a memorial obelisk from the First World War. The memorial provides each person’s name, rank, regiment, and awarded medals. You can also find an image of the memorial.

• Roll of honour from the First World War compiled by A W Cockerill.

The roll of honour was compiled from the details printed in Hibernia, the school’s quarterly publication. Image 108 provides a list of abbreviations used. Each entry includes the soldier’s service number, rank, name, and regiment, as well as date, cause, and location of death.