File 22 - Letters and telegrams to the Irish Fr Provincial from Fr Laurence Kearns SJ written during his time as a chaplain

Identity area

Reference code

IE IJA CHP/2/22

Title

Letters and telegrams to the Irish Fr Provincial from Fr Laurence Kearns SJ written during his time as a chaplain

Date(s)

  • 18 September 1943 - 8 November 1946 (Creation)

Level of description

File

Extent and medium

48 items

Context area

Name of creator

(27 June 1912-28 October 1986)

Biographical history

Born: 27 June 1912, Harbour View, Cobh, County Cork
Entered: 01 September 1928, St Stanislaus College, Tullabeg, County Offaly
Ordained: 13 May 1942, Milltown Park, Dublin
Final Vows: 02 February 1949, Manresa House, Dollymount, Dublin
Died: 28 October 1986, Jervis St Hospital Dublin

Part of St Francis Xavier's, Upper Gardiner Street, Dublin, and living at Our Lady of Consolation, Donnycarney, Dublin at time of his death.

Father was a British Naval Officer and died in 1916. Mother is supported by a Government pension.

Youngest of four boys with one sister.

Educated firstly at Convent and National schools, he went to PBC Cork for one year and then to Mungret College SJ for three and a half years.

Chaplain in the Second World War

by 1970 at Kitwe, Zambia - working in Educational TV

Archival history

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Letters and telegrams to the Irish Fr Provincial from Fr Laurence Kearns SJ written during his time as a chaplain serving with various anti-aircraft units: 117 Z.A.A. Battery, 7 (M) Z.A.A. Regiment, Royal Artillery: Stockton-on-Tees; 107 Anti-Aircraft Brigade, Surrey; 32 Light Anti-Aircraft Brigade: France; 52nd Lowland Scottish Infantry Division, 157 Infantry Brigade: Holland, Germany, Belsen and in Garrisson Catholic Church, Bordon, Hants. Includes:

  • his first letter to the Provincial from Edinburgh (18 September 1943, 2pp);
    – photographs of Fr Kearns blessing the graves of British falen 1940 and his driver, Liet. Joseph McPatlan (November, December 1944, 6 items: 8½cm x 6cm);
    – copies of extracts from Irish Province News on the chaplains (14 – 28 January 1945, 2 items, 1p. each);
    – letters describing his car accident (24 June 1945, 8pp), operations to rebuild his damaged face and his convalescence (11 July – 21 December 1945, 5 items).

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

The Irish Jesuit Archives are open only to bona fide researchers. Access by advance appointment. Further details: [email protected]

Conditions governing reproduction

No material may be reproduced without the written permission of the Archivist. Copyright restrictions apply. Photocopying is not available. Digital photography is at the discretion of the Archivist.

Language of material

Script of material

Language and script notes

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Finding aids

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

Related descriptions

Notes area

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

Rules and/or conventions used

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

1998; 2020

Language(s)

Script(s)

Sources

Archivist's note

Maddie Ball, July 2020

Accession area