Dr George Vickery – from Ballymartle to Kinsale
Fergal Browne
‘My first November at Shreelane was composed of weather of which my friend Flurry Knox remarked that you wouldn’t meet a Christian out of doors, unless it was a snipe or a dispensary doctor.’
‘Some Experiences of an Irish R.M.’ Somerville & Ross (1903).
The role of the Dispensary Doctor is one which is well remembered by some in the locality, but which has now been consigned to history. That being said, certain buildings in rural parishes are still referred to as the Dispensary, even if it is several years since they were last used as such. In 1851, an Act was passed by the British Government, which obliged each Poor Law Union, of which the Kinsale Union was one, to divide their Union up into different dispensary districts, controlled by a dispensary committee, which was to maintain a dispensary and employ a dispensary doctor. This essentially provided a free medical service which would exist in Ireland for the next 120 years. However, the system, in its early years, was not as charitable as it sounds. In order to obtain an appointment with a dispensary doctor, a patient needed to obtain a ticket from a member of the dispensary committee, or a relieving officer or warden of an Electoral District. This meant that often the patient, or one of their relatives, would have to walk a distance to the home of the appropriate authority and hope that they were at home. A black ticket permitted the patient to visit the doctor at the dispensary, while a red ticket (known as a ‘red runner’) would facilitate a home visit by the doctor to the patient. While the work could be arduous, and the salary small, the posts were actively sought after by newly qualified doctors and in the 1930’s it was stated that ‘a young man now entering the public medical service…can look forward to a life of useful and not uninteresting work and not unfair remuneration’.
One of these young men was George Vickery – a native of Skibbereen. The Vickery family have had a long history in West Cork. One tradition attributes their origins in the area to a shipwreck in the 1740’s, in which two Vickery brothers came ashore in Bantry Bay while on their way back to England from Antigua. However, there is evidence that the family had settled in West Cork before then. George Vickery, born in 1844, was the son of Samuel Vickery, a baker in Skibbereen town, who ran a profitable business and had sufficient funds to assist his younger son in becoming a doctor. George Vickery began his medical training as an apprentice apothecary or pharmacist, in Skibbereen, with his future father-in-law, Dr. David Hadden. Dr. Hadden was very well liked in Skibbereen, being one of the few doctors in the area who had actively worked to treat victims of fever and malnourishment during the famine years. After completing his apprenticeship, George moved to Queenstown (Cobh) where he was apprenticed to a Dr. Bucknell and also attended lectures in Queens College – now University College, Cork. While based in Queenstown, George kept a diary, which shows his frustration with his own scant medical knowledge and also with medical practices of the time:
‘December 11th 1869:
“A very miserable day. Called up to see a man who had a fit at the other end of town, and as I cannot yet overcome my dislike to visit and take upon myself responsibilities owing to my great ignorance of medicine, I did not manifest any hurry. When I went down word was brought to me that the man was dead. I fear my acting so slowly must have lowered me very much in the estimation of both Dr Bucknell and Mrs. Bucknell, both of whom I cannot help disliking…Went up to Cork by 10.45 train, returned by seven, commenced dissecting brain, took stock of pecuniary affairs and find myself heavily in debt as my account book will show. Day dry but very cold. Read 2nd Chapter Matthew.”
As well as being called to medical emergencies, dispensary doctors at the time could also be called upon to act as dentists, as another entry in George’s diary shows.
“Business pretty fair today, had extreme difficulty in drawing an upper molar tooth. I think if allowed a proper set of instruments in the (Apothecary) shop the difficulty in drawing teeth would be much lessened.”
George Vickery qualified as a ‘Master of Surgery’ from Queens College, Cork in 1871. He seems to have been a good student, occasionally he won prizes in exams on Midwifery and Medical Jurisprudence. He applied for and was granted the role of Dispensary Doctor in the Ballymartle Dispensary District in 1872, succeeding in the post one Dr. Donovan. The Kinsale Union, of which Ballymartle District was part in 1880, consisted of 79,600 acres and had a population of 29,494 people. George would have spent the majority of his time treating patients under the dispensary scheme. This was not a particularly easy life. One Dispensary Doctor, recalling his time in the role, stated:
‘They (the Dispensary Doctors), frequently had to drive many miles exposed to wind and rain in open cars over rough roads. As there were no nurses, they had to remain for several hours in attendance on maternity cases in dwellings, some of which were little better than hovels’.
While it was strictly forbidden for a Dispensary Doctor to charge a fee to patients who he was seeing for free under the Dispensary scheme, many rural considered it to be their duty to make occasional gifts to the doctors, such as sacks of potatoes, a ‘bird’ at Christmas or a bottle of poitin. They considered it an insult if the doctor would not accept a gift.
However, Dr. Vickery was also entitled to treat private patients for a fee. These included the Meade family at Ballymartle House. William Richard Meade of Ballymartle House was the chairman of the Dispensary Committee which had appointed Dr. Vickery. In 1884, Meade was 80 years of age and still led a very active life, attending meetings of the Kinsale Board of Guardians and the Cork Grand Jury. In December 1884, he was struck down with a heavy cold. Elizabeth Meade, William’s niece, recorded in her diary:
Friday, December 12th 1884
…Dr. Vickery came to see Uncle William on business and saw Lillie (Elizabeth’s sister, Louisa Meade). He said she must not be out much in this very damp weather. Uncle William says he is better today but he still looks badly’
Monday, December 15th 1884
…Dr. Vickery came to see Uncle William, says he has a slight attack of bronchitis and must take care of himself…’
Friday, December 19th 1884
Fine morning, the Hounds met here today….Mr. Knolles came to see Uncle William before the hunting began. Dr. Vickery thinks Uncle William better today…’
Monday, December 22nd 1884
Fine day but cold. Uncle William drove to a meeting of the Dispensary Committee at the Dispensary at half past 12…’
Monday, December 29th 1884
…Heard from Dr. Vickery that Uncle Robert has been very ill – congestion of the lungs but was a little better this morning…’. (‘Uncle Robert’ refers to Rev. Robert Meade, Rector of Ringcurran, Kinsale, who was staying at Ballymartle House over Christmas 1884.)
Other patients which Dr. Vickery would have attended in 1884, according to Elizabeth Meade’s diary, were Georgie Webb, who was described as being ‘very ill’ throughout the year and the ‘youngest Stanley boy’ who was injured in a fall from a horse in April 1884 and was not expected to live, but who did in fact survive.
As well as treating patients both public and private, Dr Vickery also acted as Health Officer for the Ballymartle District. This included vaccinating children for smallpox and for registering births and deaths in the dispensary district. This is why anybody applying for copies of ancestors birth or death certificates for the Ballymartle area between 1871 and 1884 will see Dr. Vickery’s signature on the certificate. The role of health officer often brought Dispensary Doctors into conflict with the Boards of Guardians who appointed them, as part of the Health Officer role involved the doctor pointing out unsanitary properties, many of which belonged to and were rented out by the guardians themselves. It was noted that the doctors were ‘paid as public health doctors to hold their tongues and take no notice of dirt and disease’.
Outside of general practice, Dr. Vickery could be called to attend at accidents and tragedies. For example, on Friday August 22nd 1884, he was called to a tragic drowning case at Pallastown, near Belgooly. John Steele, Land Steward to the Heard Estate at Pallastown, was found drowned half way between Belgooly and the Eastern Bridge to Kinsale. It was thought that he had been walking to his home (believed now to be the house in which the late Keith Floyd lived), after overseeing workmen on the estate until 5pm and that while walking home along the shore had slipped and fallen into the tide. He was discovered to have severe fractures to the skull, which at the inquest, Dr. Vickery ascribed to having struck his head on a rock as he fell. He stated that the blow to the head was not the cause of death, and that the victim had drowned. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death. Elizabeth Meade, in her diary, described John Steele’s funeral passing through the Ballymartle Estate on its way to Ballymartle Church and cemetery and that the vicar, Rev. Nash, called for tea at Ballymartle House after the funeral service.
Shortly after his appointment to Ballymartle Dispensary, George Vickery married his cousin, Ellen Hadden. The couple’s first child, a daughter called Ellen, died in infancy. The couple would have seven children in all, three boys and four girls. It appears, from the birth certificate of their first child, that the couple resided at Arlinstown House, near Ballymartle. Around 1884 Dr. Vickery and his wife and family seemed to have moved to Ballywilliam House, in Kinsale, although he remained as Dispensary Doctor for Ballymartle. Ballywilliam House was owned by the Barter family and was sold at auction in the Land Court in 1884 – Patrick White, a solicitor, bought it in trust. It is possible the person he was acting on behalf of was Dr. Vickery.
Dispensary Doctors were entitled to take four weeks leave each year, once permission had been granted by the Board of Guardians. In 1882, when Dr. Vickery took his leave he arranged for his brother-in-law, Dr. William Edward Hadden of Skibbereen, to cover for him as locum. Dr. Hadden was only recently qualified at that time, so it was useful experience for him. Dr. Vickery gave him a glowing reference on conclusion of his period as locum.
In 1885, the role of Dispensary Doctor for Kinsale fell vacant, following the retirement of Dr. Newman. There were two candidates to be his successor – George Vickery and a Dr. Dunn, who must have felt he had the edge in the selection process as he had assisted Dr. Newman in a major surgical procedure the year before. The Kinsale Dispensary Committee met on Thursday October 8th 1885 where it seemed likely that Dr.Vickery would have a majority of one in the election. However, one Mr. Bird, a supporter of Dr. Dunn, raised an objection – that proper notice of one week had not been sent out prior to the meeting being called. Mr. Bleasby, a supporter of Dr. Vickery stated that it was not necessary. After a ‘heated discussion’, the meeting was adjourned for three weeks. When it met again on November 13th, Dr. Vickery was proposed by Mr. Murray and seconded by Mr. Bleasby. Dr. Dunn was proposed by Mr. Bird and seconded by Mr. Cogan. The vote resulted in a tie and the next election was scheduled for a fortnight hence. At this meeting, Mr. Cramer stated that as Dr. Vickery lived at Ballywilliam he should not be allowed to stand for the position in Kinsale – but it was eventually agreed that living at Ballywilliam counted as living in Kinsale. At this election, Dr. Vickery was elected by a majority of one, the additional vote coming from one Captain Reeves, who was not present at the first election. Interestingly, the majority of Dr. Dunn’s supporters came from the local landed gentry, men such as Henry T. Daunt, Richard Knolles and Robert Heard, as well as the incumbent Doctor Newman. Dr. Vickery’s supporters seem to have been among the representatives of the middle class, with surnames such as Crowley, McCarthy, Murray and Hornibrook, which may account for his eventual victory.
On his departure from Ballymartle, Dr. Vickery was presented with an illuminated address signed by William R. Meade, chairman of the dispensary committee and John Meade (of Ballintober), who served as secretary. The address stated: ‘Ever ready as you were at the call of duty and never sparing of your time and trouble, you have deservedly earned the goodwill, esteem and affection of all classes and creeds. The poor will especially miss you not only professionally as a most skillful and attentive physician but also as a kind, sympathising and generous friend’.
The presentation was made to Dr. Vickery in the Ballymartle Dispensary but the local Ballymartle gentry, including William R Meade and the Roberts, Good and Jagoe families. The illuminated address was read by Rev. Nash, the local Rector.
In his response, Dr. Vickery stated:
‘You have placed too high an estimate on my services, for while I am conscious of having striven to be faithful in the discharge of my duty, I am also conscious of my many failures’
He was also presented with a tea set, made by Hackett of Patrick Street, Cork.
Dr. Vickery was succeeded at Ballymartle by Dr. Roberts, who in turn would be succeeded by Dr. William George Meade – brother of John Meade of Ballintober, Secretary of the Dispensary Committee. In 1899, the Kinsale Board of Guardians put out a tender based on the design of Richard Evans, architect to enlarge and improve the sanitary conditions of Ballymartle Dispensary Residence.
Life in Kinsale.
Besides being appointed Dispensary Doctor for Kinsale Town, Dr. Vickery had already been appointed Medical Officer for Kinsale Workhouse. As the workhouse stood on the Ballymartle road into the town (it is now Kinsale Hospital), he was able to cover the role while working as Ballymartle Dispensary Doctor. In the role he was responsible for the medical wellbeing of the workhouse inmates – reporting to the Board of Guardians on a monthly basis. That being said, he also needed to prove to the Board of Guardians that the inmates were being medically treated in the most cost effective manner. If he felt that an inmate needed to be moved to hospital in Cork – usually to one of the Infirmaries, he had to apply to the Board for permission to send the inmates to Cork.
Dr. Vickery’s duties in Kinsale would have been similar to those in Ballymartle – though with greater numbers, although there would have been less travel involved as the bulk of his patients would have been based in the town. His dispensary was based at Green Hill, just off Fisher Street. In 1887, he offered Ballywilliam House up for lease – as his main residence was in the town. He would use Ballywilliam as a summer residence in later years before retiring there.
Position in Kinsale society.
Being both the Dispensary Doctor for the town and also a private General Practitioner, meant that George Vickery occupied a reasonably high place in the close knit society of Kinsale town. His name was often seen in newspapers on subscription lists for worthy causes such as the Red Cross or to benefit the families of fishermen lost at sea. In 1916, he was among the leading members of the townspeople to present an illuminated address to Lieutenant Robert Henry Warren Heard – the head of one of the towns ‘ascendancy’ families, after he was invalided home from the First World War. He also features in a poem listing the town’s key characters, written in 1892 by Mary Adams and reproduced in the ‘Kinsale Record Volume 22’ by Nicholas Cook. The poem describes Mary’s attempts to walk through the town of Kinsale while being asked about the arrival of a new baby in the family:
‘…I fled – but on the doorstep there
Was Mrs Dunn, I breathed a prayer,
But No! she would not let me go,
Til she knew all she wished to know.
Then at the corner large as life
Was Dr. Vickery and his wife
I passed determined not to stop
But from within the butcher’s shop
Cried Col. Hawkes ‘Ah How d’ye do’
He held my hand a minute or two
While he was asking after you’.
The playwright, Lennox Robinson, in his memoirs of growing up in Kinsale in the 1890’s, recalled two of Dr. Vickery’s sons – being playmates of his. He also commented that having spent their boyhood watching soldiers drilling at Charles Fort and Kinsale Barracks, it was every boy’s dream to join the British Army or Royal Navy, but that the Vickery brothers were two out of the only three of the whole group of friends who actually did join the services – as Surgeons in the Royal Navy.
Court Cases
As befitted his new position in Kinsale society. Dr. Vickery was appointed a magistrate for Kinsale and often appeared on the bench for the weekly Petty Sessions. His role as Dispensary Doctor often meant that he was also called upon to give medical evidence during court cases – particularly during inquests. On at least one occasion he was called upon to verify the soundness of mind of a gentleman who had recently passed away and whose will was being contested by his relatives.
On one occasion, he appeared in the witness box on his own behalf. On 1st May Dr. Vickery and Surgeon Captain Bullen had been cycling towards Belgooly village and were crossing the Eastern Bridge. One Timothy Cahalane was at that time walking in the other direction across the bridge. As Dr. Vickery passed Cahalane, the latter turned and aimed a blow of a stick either at Vickery or at the bicycle. He struck the bicycle, breaking some of the spokes in one of the wheels and then fled the scene. Upon Cahalane’s return to Kinsale, he was arrested by the police. Vickery declined to prosecute, saying that he believed that Cahalane was ‘not all there’. However, Head Constable Hobson of the Kinsale R.I.C proceeded with the case given the serious nature of it. In his evidence, Dr. Vickery stated that Cahalane did not touch him with the stick, though the blow damaged the frame of the bicycle and broke eight spokes. He also confirmed that he was not thrown from the bicycle when Cahalane struck it.
Timothy Cahalane in his own evidence stated that he had been walking across the bridge, holding the stick out in front of him and that it had accidentally gone through the spokes. He also claimed that a few days later he had been sitting on a ditch when the doctor overtook him and threatened him with a revolver. This claim provoked laughter in court. Dr. Vickery asked the court to show leniency, and that the defendant should be given a chance. However, the magistrates felt that Cahalane was a danger to society and fined 10s 6d or else to be imprisoned for 14 days.
Wages
Being Dispensary Doctor for a large town like Kinsale was likely better remunerated than that of a small rural area like Ballymartle. However, salary increases were not always easy to come by, even with the support of the Kinsale Board of Guardians. In February 1892, the Board of Guardians voted to increase Dr. Vickery’s annual salary as Medical Officer for the Workhouse from £100 to £130 per annum. They forwarded this recommendation to the Local Government Board, who would make the final decision. However, the Local Government Board responded that they were not willing to proceed with the increase at this time. The main reason that the Board of Guardians were willing to agree to the increase was that the number of Dispensary Tickets issued since Dr. Vickery had taken over in 1886 had more than doubled, from 607 per year to 1295. There had also been 550 visiting tickets issued per year – which meant that Dr. Vickery had made 550 house calls under the Dispensary system – not including house calls to his private patients. Mr. Bleasby, who made the representation on Dr. Vickery’s behalf pointed out that Kinsale was one of the busiest Dispensary districts in Cork – exceeding that of Bandon and Midleton, where in both cases the Dispensary Doctor was paid a higher salary.
In 1905, proposals were made to increase Dr. Vickery’s salary by £5 per year until a maximum of £150 was reached. Mr. J. Casey, who made the proposal, stated:
‘Dr. Vickery….was at every man’s call, by night and day, in snow and hail; you would never have to go for him a second time, not like more of the gentlemen. He was not a man who gave them [the Board of Guardians] any trouble’. However, while many of the Board agreed with Mr. Casey’s sentiment – the salary increase was voted down by the Board 16 votes to 6.
The British Government lead by David Lloyd George introduced a National Insurance Act in 1911, which allowed workers to be treated by a panel doctor when they were sick. Workers paid fourpence a week in contribution to the insurance, the employer paid three pence and general taxation twopence. However, in arguments that would be familiar in Ireland today now that free GP care is being discussed, doctors were not happy with some of these proposals. A meeting of the Doctors in the Kinsale and surrounding districts was held in Kinsale Courthouse on 16th April 1913. It was chaired by Dr. Vickery and passed the following motion:
‘That we approve of the motion passed at the meeting of the Poor Law Medical Officers, held in the College of Surgeons, Dublin on 27th March as follows – ‘that we, as Poor Law Medical Officers refuse to join the panel until a fee is offered us…’.
In fact, the Medical Provisions of the 1911 Insurance Act were never introduced in Ireland, due to opposition of the Medical Profession (more Private Practitioners than Dispensary Doctors, ultimately) and also due to the opposition of the Catholic Church – something which would be repeated in Ireland in the 1950’s when Dr Noel Browne’s ‘Mother and Child Scheme’ was also defeated by the Catholic Hierarchy. The Dispensary system remained in place.
Presence at Accidents.
While Dr. Vickery would have seen most of his patients in the surgery, or in their own homes – he could occasionally be called to attend at accidents at a moment’s notice. This happened on at least two notable occasions. The first was on Saturday 26th August 1911, when the wife of Major Isaac Burns-Lindow was thrown from her horse while riding from Kinsale Railway Station. The Burns-Lindows were renting Pallastown House, near Belgooly from the Heard Estate. Major Burns-Lindow served with the South Irish Horse and would be their commanding officer during the First World War. In 1922, he was present at the disbandment ceremony at Windsor Castle of the Irish Regiments of the British Army following Irish independence. On the day of the accident he was riding with his wife and the huntsman of the South Union Hounds – of which he was the Master. Mrs. Burns-Lindow’s horse had suddenly bolted, and the lady being taken completely by surprise had been thrown from the horse, landing on her head on the road. It was believed afterwards that the horse had been stung by a wasp. Dr. Vickery happened to be in the vicinity at the time and tended to the lady immediately. He found her severely concussed and unconscious. The huntsman rode to the Police Barracks at Kinsale to fetch an ambulance and Mrs. Burns-Lindow was conveyed to Pallastown. She was seen there by a specialist – Dr. Pearson – and continued to lapse in and out of consciousness. Fortunately, she later made a full recovery.
The second major incident to which Dr. Vickery was called occurred on 28th January 1915 at Kinsale Railway Station. On that morning, the 8.30am Passenger Train was standing at the platform line at Kinsale Station prior to departing from Cork. The passenger train had its rear end against the buffer stops. A special goods train from Cork consisting of an engine, 21 wagons and a brake van collided with the rear of the passenger train. The speed of the goods train was very low at the time – and only its engine was slightly damaged – none of the wagons derailed. The fourth carriage of the passenger train, which was an empty covered wagon, was pushed on to the roof of the 3rd class carriage in front of it, smashing in its two rear compartments. Two passengers – Ms Ellen (also known as Hannah) Lewis, aged 35 from Cappagh, Kinsale and Mrs Mary Hurley, aged 40 of Killener, Enniskeane, who were in the rear compartment, were killed. Six other passengers were injured. Dr. Vickery was again the first medical officer on the scene. He spent some time, accompanied by some British Soldiers, in extricating the injured people from the carriage. One of the women was alive when removed from the damaged carriage but passed away soon after. One of the other ladies who was injured on the day later testified to being examined by Dr. Vickery at the station, but that he was so busy he was not able to give more than a cursory glance at her injuries, before walking away from her saying that he was glad that she wasn’t killed.
Accident 1914.
Regrettably, on Monday 21st April 1914, Dr. Vickery himself suffered a serious accident. Having driven in his cob and trap to Kinsale Railway Station to see his son off on the 3.50pm train, the horse bolted while coming down the steep hill from the railway station to the town, above what is now Super-Valu supermarket. The doctor held on for dear life and successfully negotiated two sharp turns, but nearing the town the wheel of the trap struck the kerb and the trap overturned. Dr. Vickery was thrown on to the road. He was found in a semi-conscious state with a number of injuries to his head, and was removed to his residence and Dr. O’Sullivan called to attend him. Dr. Pearson, the specialist, was again called in – and by that evening could not fully ascertain the extent of his injuries, which he believed would be compounded due to Dr. Vickery’s advanced years. Dr. Vickery’s leg was later found to be badly wrenched, though the thigh bone was not fractured. While at the time of the accident, his life was despaired of, Dr. Vickery fortunately made a speedy recovery. By August 1914 he was writing to the Board of Guardians, from Ballywilliam, to inform them that he expected to be back to work within 3-4 weeks and had thanked them for the sympathy extended to him.
Retirement
Presumably on the basis of the accident and his advancing years, by 1917 Dr. Vickery’s retirement was expected imminently, at least from the Workhouse Medical Officer role, if not as Dispensary Doctor. The Skibbereen Eagle, obviously keeping an eye on a favourite son of Skibbereen, reported that there was much canvassing going on between Dr. O’Sullivan of Kinsale and Dr. Corcoran of Ballinadee as to who would be elected as a successor. The paper noted with relish that a tight contest was expected, although they did remark that the Board of Guardians were considering a compromise, whereby one doctor would be appointed as Dispensary Doctor for the district and the other gaining the Workhouse role. Ultimately, this meant that two doctors would replace Dr. Vickery, who had occupied both roles for almost forty years.
As it happened, Dr Vickery continued to practice as a Dispensary Doctor in the town of Kinsale until his retirement in 1920. By this time the War of Independence was underway, leading ultimately to the occupation of Kinsale town by Anti-Treaty forces in July 1922. As the Free State (Pro-Treaty) forces advanced on the town, the Anti-Treaty IRA began to occupy strategic positions around the town to prepare for its defence. One of the buildings they had their eye on was Ballywilliam House – which overlooked the Bandon River – across which the Free State army eventually attacked. The Anti-Treaty troops arrived at the house late one night and informed Dr. Vickery that they needed to occupy the house. Dr. Vickery testily responded that he knew every one of them, had brought many of them into the world and that they could go away now and stop bothering him. They complied.
Dr. Vickery passed away on 18th June 1930, aged 85 years. The Cork Examiner, in its obituary stated:
‘By the death of Dr Vickery, Kinsale has lost one of its best known and most highly esteemed citizens – one loved and respected by all who knew him, and by none less than the poor, to whom in his professional capacity he was so thoroughly devoted’.
His wife predeceased him by six years. All three of his sons followed him into the Medical profession. The eldest, Samuel Vickery, the playmate of Lennox Robinson, had been born in 1881 and served as a Staff Surgeon with the Royal Navy during the First World War. He was promoted to Surgeon Commander in 1919 but died of pneumonia while on active service on 25th July 1919 and is buried in Cromarty Cemetery, Scotland. Another son, George, also served with the Royal Navy during the First World War and was serving as a Staff Surgeon at Malta at the time of his father’s death. He was also on holiday in Kinsale when the Second World War broke out in 1939 and had to cut his holiday short to return to the service. He died in Portsmouth in 1978. The third son, Percival, practiced as a GP in Hampshire and it is from him that the present generation of the Vickery family descends. Dr. Vickery also left four daughters, of whom three – Frances, Georgina and Amy are buried with their parents in St. Multose Cemetery, Kinsale.
Sincere thanks to Richard and Patrick Vickery and Sue Lucas, descendants of Dr. George Vickery, and Dr. Rosalind Hadden of the Craigavon Historical Society for much of the information provided in this article.
Bibliography:
Casey, Cullen & Duignan, ‘Irish Doctors in the First World War’, Merrion Press 2015.
Grace, Professor Pierce A., ‘In from Society’s margins – the 1911 Insurance Act’, Irish Medical Times, 14th December 2011.
Hadden, Rosalind, ‘Doctor at Sea – A marine interlude in 1884 for Dr William Edward Hadden (1858-1949)’ Craigavon Historical Society.
Robinson, Lennox ‘Three Homes’, Mayflower Press 1938.
Shannon & Grace, ‘Forgotten Stalwarts of Irish Healthcare’, Forum Magazine, Irish College of General Practitioners, December 2010.
Vickery, Patrick ‘The Bit in the middle – The Curiously Comic Tale of a Gardener in the Scottish Highlands’ Troubador Press 2016.
Vickery, Richard ‘An Irish Journey – an account of finding my Irish Ancestry’. Privately Published.
Newspaper archives of Cork Examiner and Southern Star accessed from www.irishnewsarchives.com