Come Here To Me!

I’m far from finished exploring the street level plaques of Dublin, but recently it was suggested to me to move my search indoors. Hospitals, schools, churches and more besides all boast great historic plaques in this city, and some are real hidden gems. Church of Ireland churches can throw up interesting stuff in particular, for example often containing significant overlooked WWI memorials. St. Ann’s Church on Dawson Street contains the above plaque, to a man who took part in the defence of Trinity College Dublin during the 1916 Rising.

On Saturday August 5th 1916 a presentation was made in the Provost’s gardens of Trinity College Dublin to members of the Officers Training Corps (OTC) who had defended the university during the uprising, and used its vantage points to fire on rebels. The Sinn Féin Rebellion Handbook noted that:

To the prompt measures, defensive and offensive, organised by the Corps was due the preservation of valuable life and property in Grafton Street, Nassau Street, College Green, College Street, Dame Street and Westmoreland Street, including not only the historic buildings of the College itself, but the Bank of Ireland and many other of our finest buldings.

Interestingly, members of the OTC were joined by Canadian and Australian soldiers in the defence of the college. W.J Brennan-Whitmore wrote at length in his memoir of the rebellion of exchanging fire with a sniper at Trinity College Dublin, later meeting an Australian Sergeant and asking “Are you the so-and-so that was sniping at us out of the corner of Trinity College?” Indeed, the man was!

Appreciation for the efforts of the OTC materialised in a fund, exceeding £700, gathered via contributions from ratepayers in the area and citizens. Each member of the Corps was presented with small beautiful silver cup which marked their participation in the week, with the engraved inscription: ‘DEFENSE OF T.C.D – SINN FÉIN REBELLION – EASTER 1916’. One of these cups, pictured below, sold for €3000 at Adam’s last year.

Image from Adams Auctioneers. This cup was sold in 2011 for €3000.

Great biographical detail on A.W.W Baker has been added to findagrave.com by Debra L.Rooke, detailing not his family background but also his profession and life following Easter Week.

A Dubliner, Baker was married to Anna Margaret Constance Stubbs, with whom he had five children, two of whom survived beyond the age of 5. He specialised in the area of dentistry, and Rookes biographical information notes that he was awarded his Masters in Dental Science in 1904.

The piece also provides information on his life following the Rising, and it is noted that:

A. W. W. Baker died 5 July 1924, succumbing to gangrene at the age of 71. He is buried in Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin, Ireland with his wife and children. Many of his works may be found by searching under A. W. W. Baker in Google Books.

Inside the grounds of Trinity College, one finds a plaque to commemorate Arthur Charles Smith of the 4th Hussars who was buried on campus at the time of the insurrection, but is today buried in Grangegorman Cemetery.