The War Office converted the Meath Industrial School, on Carysfort Avenue, into the Blackrock Military Orthopaedic Hospital in 1917. Others followed at Linden Convalescent Home in Stillorgan, as well as Temple Hill in Blackrock. South County Dublin had its fair share of auxiliary hospitals – the first in Ireland opened in Monkstown House, the home of Harold Pim, in October 1914.

Often set up in private homes and varying in size, more than 100 sprang up around the island. There simply weren’t enough hospital beds available to cope, prompting organisations like the St John’s Ambulance Brigade and the British Red Cross Society to lead the voluntary sector in establishing auxiliary hospitals around the country. These men returned to convalesce from their wounds before returning to the front, or to be permanently discharged as a result of disablement. Between August 1914 and February 1919 at least 20,000 wounded men travelled through Dublin port. Their efforts were crucial to the survival and recovery of wounded soldiers, who began pouring back into Ireland just weeks after the outbreak of hostilities. Voluntary Aid Detachments (VADs) played a critical and often forgotten role in the Irish war effort, organising fund raisers, staffing military and auxiliary hospitals and manufacturing medical equipment.

The National Shell Factory on Parkgate Street, Dublin employed up to 600 women and gave preference to soldiers’ wives or widows. Munitions were manufactured in Dublin, Cork, Waterford and Galway, providing workers with much needed wages. Given the momentous changes that occurred in Irish politics and society during the First World War, it’s easy to overlook the extraordinary ‘Home Front’ efforts across the island between 19, in support of the British army and war effort.

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