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Name: REILLY, William John
Photo Source: EAS 9 Sep 1911
Birth Date: 1876 Ireland
Death Date: 7 July 1932 Liverpool
First Date: 1905
Profession: Asst. Inspector of Police, he was Provost Marshal in Tanga and Dar-es-Salaam in WW1
Area: Mombasa
Book Reference: Gillett, Cuckoo, Police, Playne, Drumkey, Red 22, EAHB 1906, UJ, North, EAHB 1907, Red Book 1912
General Information:
Police - Appointed an Inspector in the BEA Police in 1905 (15th June) - from the Royal Irish Constabulary and later Asst. Superintendent
Drumkey 1909 - Police - Inspector, June 15th 1905
Red 22 - Dar es Salaam
Uganda Journal - Vol. 30, p. 173 - 1905 East Africa Police; 1911 Uganda Police; 1921 Tanganyika Police; 1926 retired as District Superintendent of Police; died 7/7/1932
North - Royal Irish Constabulary; aged 29 appt. Inspector of Police EAP 30/3/1905; arr Mombasa from England 17/7/1905
Red Book 1912 - W.J. Reilly - Nairobi
Nat Probate Calendar
Michael S. Silvetri William John Reilly (RIC Service Number 56456) was appointed to the Royal Irish Constabulary on 1 June 1894. He served in County Cork and Co. Tipperary, in Belfast, and in the Reserve at the RIC depot in Dublin, where he was stationed when he accepted the appointment in the EAP.
Reilly was a musician, and a member of the RIC Band. The Chief Secretary’s Office at Dublin Castle emphasised to colonial authorities that “for seven years he performed the ordinary duties of a Constable in the different Counties of Ireland.”)” (J.B. Dougherty, CSO, to Undersec. of State, FO, 30 March 1905, CO 533/3/30690, TNA. He was also a member of the RIC depot Rifle Club, and good marksman. (Constabulary Gazette, 4 June 1904.)
Reilly received praise in the East African Standard on numerous occasions for his bravery and investigative skills. While stationed in Nairobi, he led the investigation in 1908 into an assault on the nursing sister Mary Marshall by two African men. According to the East African Standard, it was “entirely due to his efforts” that one of the suspects was apprehended. (5 Sept. 1908).
Along with his EAP Police and former RIC colleague Angus Madden, Reilly underwent additional training at the RIC depot while on leave in 1907. “He met with a rather serious accident” while performing bare-back riding exercises at the Riding School on 9 August. He sustained head and neck injuries “when his horse swerved going over a jump, and threw him heavily to the ground,” but was expected to return to duties in a few weeks. (Constabulary Gazette, 24 August 1907)
Reilly was transferred to Uganda following his promotion to Assistant District Superintendent of Police in 1911. The East African Standard praised Reilly’s “exceptional knowledge of the criminal class in the Protectorate” and stated that “during his time of service we can safely assert that no other officer in the force has carried out his duties more conscientiously and to more universal satisfaction” (12 August 1911)
The Indian Voice of British East Africa, also offered praise, describing him as “an Irishman amongst Irishmen, which is saying a great deal.” (13 Sept. 1911)
During the First World War he was a Captain in the Uganda Police Service Battalion in 1920. In the 1920s he was transferred to Tanganyika Territory. (East African Standard, 27 March 1920)
Reilly was a musician, and a member of the RIC Band. The Chief Secretary’s Office at Dublin Castle emphasised to colonial authorities that “for seven years he performed the ordinary duties of a Constable in the different Counties of Ireland.”)” (J.B. Dougherty, CSO, to Undersec. of State, FO, 30 March 1905, CO 533/3/30690, TNA. He was also a member of the RIC depot Rifle Club, and good marksman. (Constabulary Gazette, 4 June 1904.)
Reilly received praise in the East African Standard on numerous occasions for his bravery and investigative skills. While stationed in Nairobi, he led the investigation in 1908 into an assault on the nursing sister Mary Marshall by two African men. According to the East African Standard, it was “entirely due to his efforts” that one of the suspects was apprehended. (5 Sept. 1908).
Along with his EAP Police and former RIC colleague Angus Madden, Reilly underwent additional training at the RIC depot while on leave in 1907. “He met with a rather serious accident” while performing bare-back riding exercises at the Riding School on 9 August. He sustained head and neck injuries “when his horse swerved going over a jump, and threw him heavily to the ground,” but was expected to return to duties in a few weeks. (Constabulary Gazette, 24 August 1907)
Reilly was transferred to Uganda following his promotion to Assistant District Superintendent of Police in 1911. The East African Standard praised Reilly’s “exceptional knowledge of the criminal class in the Protectorate” and stated that “during his time of service we can safely assert that no other officer in the force has carried out his duties more conscientiously and to more universal satisfaction” (12 August 1911)
The Indian Voice of British East Africa, also offered praise, describing him as “an Irishman amongst Irishmen, which is saying a great deal.” (13 Sept. 1911)
During the First World War he was a Captain in the Uganda Police Service Battalion in 1920. In the 1920s he was transferred to Tanganyika Territory. (East African Standard, 27 March 1920)