In various documents Denis Healy reported his date of birth as 3/15/1867 or 3/14/1869 and his place of birth as Cork. A Navy enlistment record shows his dob as 14 Mar 1869 in Cork, Ireland. Family tradition has always been very strong on the point that our Healys were from "County" Cork.

According to family tradition Denis left home in Cork on his 15th birthday (3/14/1882) and walked? to Tipperary where he enlisted in the British Army. (It was not necessary to do this to enlist, so this story may be apocryphal.) He served in Burma for ten years until 1892. We have his Indian Service Medal which indicates that he served in the 2nd Battalion, Royal Munster Fusilliers from 1887 - 1889. There is evidence to suggest that the normal enlistment period for the British Army was 12 years. If this is true in Dennis's case, one must wonder why he didn't serve the last two years. It is probably during this period that he acquired the scars and tattoos that are later described by the U.S. Army doctor who examined Denis when he enlisted in the US Army at 146 Park Row in Manhattan on March 15, 1894, his 27th birthday:

Personal Marks: "Scar centre of forehead. Scar right side of neck. "Girl" right forearm. "F.H.C." clasped hands and shamrock ring right middle finger. forget-me-not, arrow and heart, clasped hands, rose, thistle and shamrock and girl's face left forearm. Scar back left hand. ring middle left finger. 2 scars left side of neck, one on left knee."

The same scars are again described and mapped 6 days later on March 21, 1894 by another Army surgeon at David's Island (Later Fort Slocum) near New Rochelle. For the left forearm: "Tattoo clasped hands, heart penetrated by arrow. The words "Forget me not" and wreath below." For the right forearm: "Tattoo ballet girl." For the right wrist (forearm above): "Tattoo of clasped hands. Rose bud and letters "F.H.C."" Left wrist: "Tattoo of bracelet"

The Army stationed Denis in Rhode Island as a cook's helper but quickly grew weary of dealing with what they described as his drunken debauches and discharged him with an Honorable Discharge. Here is a letter he sent from Fort Warren dated Nov. 23, 1894. Fort Warren is on Georges Island in Boston Harbor. It was used as a prison for Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. I have not yet determined what its use was in 1894 or what Denis was doing on the island.

This letter also shows a middle initial "B" for Bernard. Both Francis and Bernard appear on documents as Denis's middle name.

This letter is dated November 23 and refers to Mary's letter of November 23. Since it is not possible for Denis to have received a letter in Fort Warren on November 23 which was written in Brooklyn on the same day, we may assume that he means that he received Mary's letter on November 23 or that he simply wrote the wrong date.

In this letter Dennis refers to the fact that Mary is illiterate. He also refers to his ability to knit and perhaps crochet, skills which were probably learned as a child participating in this very common cottage industry: the knitting of garments and furniture dressing.

Denis's reference to Katy's liking the country and his request that Mary take care of her suggest the possibility that Katy had not yet arrived in the US before Denis joined the army. Or, he is simply responding to some comments in Mary's letter.

Fort Warren Nov 23 1894 Dear Sister I received your letter of nov 23 and i am glad to heare that you and your husaband and Kate are in good health and i will do all i can to come and see you as soon as i can you asked me to make you a daisy mat for the palor lamp i will make it as soon as i can and also a pair of slippers when i will get some time for myself i am glad to heare that kety likes the country and i hope that you will look after her but i am sorry for what had happened of Jack Sullivan and his sisters and that they may get over the lost 27 Dollars. I have no more to say at present
from your affectionate Brother Dear Brother-in-Law i thank you very much for writing my Sisters letter to me and also it gives me great Pleasure. your Brother-in-Law D. B. Healy you must excuse the putting on of the stamps on the last leter as it was in the dark when i did it and i tried to get it of but could not do so

---

A few months after leaving the Army (date?)Denis walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and enlisted in the US Navy(date?).

While in the Navy Denis served as a coal passer and Fireman 1st Class on board a Monitor Class ship, The USS Amphitrite, one of the four largest ships in this class. After the unexplained explosion of the battleship Maine in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898 the Amphitrite was towed to Cuban waters and participated in the destruction of the Spanish fleet as it attempted to sail out of the harbor at Santiago on July 3, 1898.

Port Royal, South Carolina March 17 / 1898 Dear Brother-in-Law I have but verry leattle to say at preasent owing to all the drilling we are getting over the Maine disaster. My entensions all along was in going to the Clondick but as the Country is now in trouble it would not look nice for me to buye my disgard. I am in the best of health and getting along grand
I am glad to heare that you have another baby girl I send my regards to one and all of you whiching you all good health Your Brother in Law D. Healy I would like to heare from Lottie Asher how is she getting along and is she waring the cap yet. I send my best Respects to her and also to her Father and Mother and hoping the are all in the best of health
Denis Healy U.S.S. Amphitrite Port Royal South Carolina

(In corner:) I send my best reargards to you and wife and famly and also Keaty your Brother in Law Denis healy Boston Mass October 22th / 1898 Dear Brother.in.Law I drop a few lines to you thanking you for the good advice you sent to me in your leatter about saving my money. I am saving it and expect to leave the navy with a nice leattle sum of money. and also a good government gob. I am awfull sorry when I read in your leatter about poor Nellie Sullivan husband being so bad
Iff you see Nellie tell her for me that I feels very sorry for what hapened her Husaband. and if you have her adress i would be verry thankfull to you if you would send it to me as i would like to write her a leatter. You told me some time ago that Maggie Sullivan was Marred. You tell me in your leatter that she is working in the laundry and living with Nellie and she is not engaged yet. I hope all this is true as i would like to have her myself and i know she would make a good woman for a man
and if you see Maggie tell her what i said and also tell her that if she stays single untill June 17th she will not have to work no more for the reamander of her life. as i am sure of a goverment employment first for being a solder in the army 2 for being a first class fireman during the war and my military exparince came into play in that little fight we had down in Porte Rico wheare we killed 127 Spanards in a night attack. that must be the fight
you did not reid about we lost olnly one man and he was an officer. So you see theare is every thing in my feavor for employment in the government Navy yard and theare is good pay for men working with the goverment. I entend to seattle down in life as soon as i leave the Navy. for my experince in working in the navy under suchs hard tryels as 175 degrees in heath and no cool breese and no cool drinking water and nothing to eate most of the time. tells me that i can work with any man

Port Royal, S.C. April 25th, 1899 Dear Brother-in-Law I take the pleasure of writhing to you a few lines leathing you know that i am geatting along all right. Hoping that this leatter will find you and your wife and children in good health. and also Keaty. I hope Mrss Hall is all right and Nellie Sullivan and her sister Maggie and Brother Jack. I received your leatter on March 17 the day we got to Port Royal. So i had not much to write about all along as this place is verry dreary down heare. But i was very glad to read in your leatter the good advice you give in your leatter about married liefe. I did not write to Maggie Sullivan but i wrote to her sister Nellie about the loss of her Husaband poor girl, but i taught that Maggie was saying something to you and that was the reason i asked you in my last leatter whether she told you to write to me. But as you say theare is plenty of time yeat. Theare is some newes down heare about we leiving for new york next month i hope we will as my time i meaine my 3 years will be up on the 17 of June. I have got no more to say at present. I send my best regards to you all hoping that you are in good health and getting along as i am in the best of health myself thank God Port Royal South Carolina Amphitrite your Brother-in-Law Denis Healy

Upon mustering out of the Navy on June 17 Denis returned to Brooklyn and the hospitality of his sister and brother-in-law. Unfortunately, Denis was evidently a mean drunk, who became abusive when he'd had too much alcohol. Family stories document how, more than once, Denis was taken away in the Paddy Wagon to dry out at Raymond Street Jail.

Brooklyn July 31, '99 Dear Charley' I Hope you will get me out of this place as I wish to go back into [the] navy again. I will pay [for] your trouble and settle everything as you wish as you know I was very Drunk that night and did not know what I was saying or doing I am very sorry for what I done and I will go right back into the Navy the day I get out
From Your Brother in Law Denis Healy Raymond St Jail Brooklyn G.N.Y.

Dennis reenlisted on September 1, 1899 and was assigned to the Vermont until October 2, 1899 (31 days), the Texas until October 11, 1899 (9 days), the Brooklyn until October 8, 1902 (1087 days, or 8 days short of 3 years) and then on the Wabash until December 23, 1902 (81 days).