Royal Hibernian Military School

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Mid 20th Century view of the school building in the Phoenix Park Royal Hibernian Military School-Unidentified building in unknown location%3F (34468192023) (cropped).jpg
Mid 20th Century view of the school building in the Phoenix Park

The Royal Hibernian Military School was founded in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland in 1769, to educate orphaned children of members of the British armed forces in Ireland.

Contents

In 1922 the Royal Hibernian Military School moved to Shorncliffe, in Folkestone, Kent, and in 1924 it was merged with the Duke of York's Royal Military School which, by then, was in its current location atop 'Lone Tree Hill' above Dover Castle.

General

The foundation of the School came about in 1769 when King George III granted a Charter of Incorporation on 15 July, the School Governors holding their inaugural meeting on 6 November in Dublin Castle. [1] The school did not open until 6 March 1770 with school pupil roll of 140 children, including 50 girls. [2]

The buildings housing the school were erected in 1771 in the Phoenix Park, overlooking the village of Chapelizod in the Liffey valley (in full view of the Wicklow mountains). The chapel was designed by Thomas Cooley, while thirty years later Francis Johnston designed the extensions to the buildings. It first took in 90 boys and 50 girls as pupils (in the charge of an Inspector and Inspectress, assisted by the Chaplain and an assistant mistress) in March 1770. The site originally occupied 3 acres (12,000 m2) but by 1922 its boundary walls enclosed thirty three acres.

By 1808 the system and organisation of the school followed closely that of its sister school, the Duke of York's Royal Military School (then at Chelsea, London, England). By 1816, when Thomas Le Fanu (father of Sheridan Le Fanu) took over as chaplain, there were 600 children at the school.

In 1853 the school's first "stand of colours" were presented by the then Prince of Wales and, in the same year, the girls at the school left to join their own separate establishment, the Drummond School, which was founded for them at Chapelizod. Even before this, in the eighteenth century, there had been more boys than girls at the school. [3]

The school was intended to act as a feeder to the British Army, where in the mid-19th century, children as young as 12 could enlist in the Army but generally enlistment began at 14. In the eighteenth century, boys were more likely to go into other occupations than into the army. [4] A statement made by Earl Roberts statements in 1909 reported that 80 per cent of RHMS pupils were going straight into the army on leaving the school. [5] By this stage the school was regarded as an excellent source of competent soldiers and non-commissioned officers.

Many of the school's pupils carried acts of gallantry in the wars that the British Army was involved in. One such individual was Frederick Jeremiah Edwards who was awarded the Victoria Cross for extraordinary bravery in the First World War. [6] A war memorial was erected in the school grounds to commemorate this former RHMS pupils who died in World War 1. [7] Although more detailed analysis of service records and press reports has discovered more war dead than is recorded on the memorial. [8]

Relocation and merger

In 1922 the Royal Hibernian Military School moved to Shorncliffe, in Folkestone, Kent, and in 1924 it was merged with the Duke of York's Royal Military School [9] which by then was in its current location atop 'Lone Tree Hill' above Dover Castle.

A stained glass window depicting a saluting boy soldier is sited above the 'minstrel gallery' type balcony of the Duke of York's School Chapel in Dover, and commemorates the merging of the schools. [10]

Dublin campus

Many of the school's original buildings remain and form a large part of St Mary's Hospital, [11] Phoenix Park. A war memorial to those pupils that were killed in World War 1, [12] the school's graveyard and protestant chapel also remain; [13] [14] the Roman Catholic chapel was demolished as the hospital site was developed.

Bohemian F.C.

Members of the school were instrumental in forming Bohemian F.C. in 1890. [15]

Commandants

References

  1. "Delta Tech Systems : Welcome". Achart.ca. Retrieved 20 August 2016. This is the site of choice for histories of the Duke of York's and Hibernian military schools, opposing views on 19th Century Army education, dedicated military history, and journalism of interest.
  2. Cockerill, Arthur W. (1984). Sons of the brave: The story of boy soldiers. London: Cooper in association with Secker & Warburg. pp. 57–58. ISBN   0-436-10294-3.
  3. Hurl-Eamon, Jennine (2025). Childhood and War in Eighteenth-Century Britain. Oxford University Press. p. 33. ISBN   978-0198917205 . Retrieved 17 April 2025. at least two boys to every girl admitted
  4. Hurl-Eamon, Jennine (2025). Childhood and War in Eighteenth-Century Britain. Oxford University Press. p. 32. ISBN   978-0198917205 . Retrieved 17 April 2025. The RHMS ... was also regarded as "a nursery for the army," its residents described as "young soldiers". It followed the Marine Society's model in using "gentle suasion rather than compulsion to recruit and reform the boys" it took in, which seems to have ensured that most elected not to enlist. Indeed, neither the Dublin nor the Chelsea institution actually sent many of its graduates into the Army
  5. Hansard, UK Parliament. "National Service (Training And Home Defence) Bill Hl - Hansard - UK Parliament". hansard.parliament.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  6. "Frederick J Edwards VC - victoriacross". vconline.org.uk. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  7. "Hibernian School Great War Memorial". Irish War Memorials. 23 February 2005. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  8. Benns, Tomlinson & Watt (1 October 2021). Fear God Honour The King - The Old Boys of the Royal Hibernian Military School who fell in the Great War. Guston Gate Publishing. p. 10. ISBN   9781399901963.
  9. "Royal Military Asylum for Children of Soldiers of the Regular Army, later Duke of York's Royal Military School, and Royal Hibernian Military School: Records". National Archives. 1801–1980. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  10. "RHibsWindow". Jao.delboys.com. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  11. "HSE.ie - Health Service Executive Website - Services for Older People in Dublin North Central". Archived from the original on 25 December 2008. Retrieved 23 March 2009.
  12. "War Memorial Hibernian School Great War Memorial in Dublin 08, St. Mary's Hospital, Phoenix Park, Dublin City 08". Irishwarmemorials.ie. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  13. "1766 - Royal Hibernian Military School, Phoenix Park, Dublin - Architecture of Dublin City - Archiseek - Irish Architecture". Archiseek. 5 February 2010. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  14. "1771 - Royal Hibernian Military School Chapel, Phoenix Park, Dublin - Architecture of Dublin City - Archiseek - Irish Architecture". Archiseek. 5 February 2010. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  15. "Frank McNally: The Pisser Dignam's field". The Irish Times .
  16. "The Gazette, January 17, 1809" . Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  17. "Account of the School". Hibernia: 10. June 1898.
  18. "The London Gazette, October 26, 1858" . Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  19. "The Gazette, November 29, 1878" . Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  20. "The London Gazette, May 16 1879" . Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  21. "The London Gazette, July 18, 1882" . Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  22. "The London Gazette, June 11, 1889" . Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  23. "Hart's Army List 1899". digital.nls.uk. National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  24. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36854. London. 23 August 1902. p. 8.

Further reading