An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir July / August 2023 www.military.ie/magazine 26 | HOMES FOR HEROES BY ARMN AARON CRAMPTON PHOTOS BY ARMN AARON CRAMPTON 100 years ago this year, the largest Irish WW1 ex-servicemen housing estate on the island of Ireland, the Killester Garden Village, was completed. It comprised of 247 bungalows and was the flagship estate for returning Irishmen from what some dubbed 'the war to end all wars'. Under the Irish Land (Provision for Sailors and Soldiers) Act of 1919 the British Government started to build housing for the Irish WW1 ex-servicemen in Ireland. The plans started for the Killester estate which was modelled off the 'Garden City' concept which comprised of low density, semi-rural housing with large gardens and communal spaces. Construction began in Killester in 1920 for 247 bungalow houses in this concept, while in the background the War of Independence was raging on. The Killester estate totalling 39 acres was broken down into three sections, The Demesne, Middle Third and Abbeyfield. It was intended that the estate be broke down into military hierarchy with Commissioned Officers in the Demesne, Non-Commissioned Officers in Middle Third and Soldiers and Sailors in the largest section of Abbeyfield; however the plan was scuppered when houses were swapped and allocated on a first come first served basis. The estate has its own train station built in 1923 which is now Killester DART Station. A bus company was also set up to serve the new community; ironically named 'Contemptible Bus Company Ltd' after the 'Old Contemptible's' who were the first British troops who landed in France in 1914. Some local small shops were set up in the estate aswell as a Legion Hall built in 1932 which replaced an old Army Hut which stood on the green in Abbeyfield before the hall was built, this hut was burnt down in an arson attack in 1928. The Legion Hall, which it is locally named, was a community centre for this military housing estate and served as a branch of the Royal British Legion who provided care and support to the ex-servicemen and families in Killester. From 1930 onwards there was a demand for housing for Irish WW1 ex-servicemen and the original Killester Garden Village of 247 bungalows was expanded in the early 1930's with infill houses created and a new section to the estate added called The Orchard. These were two storey houses and built by the Irish Sailors and Soldiers Land Trust which was set up in 1924 who continued to build and maintain ex-servicemen's housing throughout the Irish Free State. The trust was made up of representatives from Dublin, Belfast and London. In 1924 a very unknown event to the general public occurred in Dublin with the first British Minister to visit the new Irish Free State visiting to meet the new Government. Mr F.O. Roberts was the British Minister of Pensions and a part of the visit was dedicated to visiting the Killester Garden Village and meeting and chatting to the Irish WW1 ex-servicemen and families living here. Mr Roberts was well received in Killester, his visit to meet the Government was to discuss pensions for the Irish WW1 ex-servicemen which in the end were paid to all. The Killester Garden Village was well ahead of its time when built in the early 1920s as it was based on Ebenezer Howards 'Garden City Concept'. This concept was to create new suburban towns of semi- rural, low-density houses with large recreational spaces, with affordable housing. It's vison was a perfect blend of nature and city. This concept was the perfect housing model for the Killester veterans as many of these ex- servicemen suffered with 'Shell-shock' from the battlefields which we now know as PTSD. Many of the veterans here in Killester also suffered with physical disabilities from the frontlines. The Killester Garden Village provided a unique place for the ex-servicemen and their families, being a quiet and peaceful area surrounded by nature, a nice environment compared to the trenches of the Somme or headlands of Gallipoli. The Killester estate had a huge mix of ex-servicemen living here; some British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Flying Corps (later the Royal Air Force) – the majority of the Killester ex- servicemen were serving before WW1 and a handful had served in the Boer War! Interestingly enough one Killester CENTENARY OF THE KILLESTER GARDEN VILLAGE — IRISH WW1 EX-SERVICEMEN HOUSING ESTATE Killester Remembrance Ceremony 2022, Royal British Legion Standard, Dublin Military Veterans Standard and the National Colours National Army Buglers in uniform attending the Armistice Day ceremony in Killester in 1923 Map of the Killester Garden Village 1930s. C. Patrick H. Lynch

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