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The Order of St John founded the St John Ambulance in England in 1877 to meet the need for first aid and ambulance services in industries and communities.

Established in Ireland, Dublin (1881), Cork (1883), now active in over 40 countries.

22/09/2026

After years of researching St John Ambulance, it is always wonderful to have a special breakthrough and see research come full circle.

Alongside researching the organisation itself, I have spent many years tracing the stories of individual members who dedicated much of their lives to volunteering, particularly those who went on to hold leadership positions. One such individual is John Gully, pictured here.

In 1903, John Gully (1866–1955), a Guinness worker of Oxmantown Road, Dublin, became one of the first members of the St John Ambulance Brigade in Ireland, St James’s Gate Ambulance Division. Beginning as an ambulance member, he progressed through the ranks to become a staff officer, a remarkable career spanning more than 50 years.

This evening, I had the pleasure of welcoming Gary Stokes, Gully’s great-grandson, who travelled from the UK with his wife, Catherine. I was delighted to show them photographs of John Gully dating from 1904 right through to the final years of his life.

One particularly special photograph shows Gully serving as the Commissioner’s senior Staff Officer at the St John Ambulance Brigade’s Golden Jubilee celebrations at Lansdowne Road, alongside President Seán T. O’Kelly, President of Ireland.

Meeting a descendant of someone I have spent so much time researching is always a very special moment. After years of studying Gully’s service through photographs and records, it was wonderful to finally connect his story with his family.

Pictured below is an exhibition panel (1 of 32) curated in 2018. The exhibition captured the early history of the organisation and its experiences through the turbulent years of 1913–1923. It included life-size portraits, created as an attempt to remember the lives of members such as Gully and to recognise their contribution to society.

We are fortunate to hold collections such as these. They allow us to preserve these memories, bring individual stories back to life, and share them with the public through exhibitions, talks and research.

For me, this evening was a reminder of why preserving this history matters, behind every photograph, record and uniform is a person, a life of service, and a story waiting to be rediscovered.

It was also wonderful to see how pleased the family were to learn that these collections can be preserved and future-proofed for generations to come.

Pictured below:
John Gully was awarded a Certificate of Honour by the Order of St John for saving lives during the Civil War in Dublin, 1922.

John Gully’s medal collection and portrait.

Pádraig Allen

13/09/2026

Can you spot the ambulance?

Join us this Wednesday 16th September at our headquarters Lumsden House, 29 Leeson Street Upper, Dublin 4.

A special lecture will mark 145 years of the revival of the Order of St John in Ireland and the establishment of the St John Ambulance in Ireland.

Learn how the SJA established organised first aid centres for the first time, Dublin 1881, Cork 1883 and the Co. Clare native who has been largely forgotten from history!

As part of the presentation we will have some memorabilia on display and an old ambulance from the late 19th century.

Places are free and can be booked online here

https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/irelands-lost-pioneer-of-first-aid-tickets-1999218742075?aff=oddtdtcreator

01/09/2026

All welcome, 16th September 7pm.

Reserve a place here:

Ireland’s Lost Pioneer of First Aid https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/irelands-lost-pioneer-of-first-aid-tickets-1999218742075?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=wsa&aff=ebdsshwebmobile

09/08/2026

This week the teamed up with the Guinness Archive at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin to welcome some of the grandchildren and great grandchildren of our founder, Sir John Lumsden KBE MD.

It was a wonderful opportunity for Caroline Hamilton, Sir John’s granddaughter, and Nicola Cunningham, his great granddaughter, to view photographs, handwritten notes and publications documenting Sir John’s time as Medical Officer and later Chief Medical Officer of the Guinness Brewery and Superintendent of St John Ambulance at the brewery.

It was during this period that Lumsden established the St John Ambulance Brigade in Ireland in 1903, a uniformed brigade of trained volunteers. The St John Ambulance Association in Ireland was founded in 1881 and much of its members joined the brigade.

Lumsden’s legacy helped ensure that Ireland was prepared to respond to routine public events, major incidents during peacetime, and emergencies during times of war. His pioneering work laid the foundations for pre hospital care in Ireland, with St John Ambulance becoming Ireland’s first de facto ambulance service.

It was a privilege to bring together family, history and the archives to celebrate the remarkable legacy of Sir John Lumsden and the lasting impact of his vision on emergency care in Ireland.

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/

Address

St. John Ambulance Ireland National Headquarters, Lumsden House, 29 Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 4
Dublin

Website

http://www.stjohn.ie/

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