Dublin ambulance log from 1916 gives vivid account of Rising

A log kept by Dublin Fire Brigade's ambulance service during the 1916 Easter Rising has come to light after almost 100 years.

The hand-written duty log book, described by the auctioneer as “probably the first substantive written record of the events of the Rising, compiled as they happened” will be sold in Whyte’s auction of historical memorabilia in Dublin next month.

According to Stuart Purcell of Whyte’s: “The vendor’s grandfather worked in Dublin Corporation and rescued the log from a skip as it was being dumped in an office clearance”.

“This is an entirely unadorned record of the events of Easter week 1916, from the point of view of the emergency services,” he said.

The vendor, who inherited it from his grandfather 20 years ago, decided to sell now because he felt interest would be increasing with the Rising centenary. It is expected to sell for up to €5,000.

The log was kept by B Station and provides an account of the ambulance service between January 21st and May 6th, 1916, hour-by-hour and sometimes minute-by-minute.

The log for the day the Rising began on Easter Monday, April 24th, 1916 begins just after midnight.

Bullet wound

The first evidence of unusual activity came at 1.52pm when the duty officer recorded the ambulance had left “three soldiers of the 6th Lancers dead” and two wounded soldiers in Jervis St Hospital along with “John Reilly of Rathfarnham” who had been “wounded in stomack (sic)”.

Three minutes later the log shows Alexandra Wilson (18) of Northumberland Ave was dispatched to the same hospital with a “bruised shoulder struck with rifle”.

At 5pm an ambulance left Pte Michael Traynor (30) of the Royal Irish Regiment in Jervis St Hospital with “bullet wound in left side” .

The log book will go on view at Whyte’s auctioneers, Molesworth St, Dublin from Wednesday, November 5th.