Roll of Honor
Incident
Fatally shot when an auxiliary patrol challenged his RIC patrol and mistakenly fired on them.
Fatally shot while off duty in the Shannon View Hotel, Castleconnell, County Limerick, with two other RIC officers, when an auxiliary patrol of 12 men, in civilian clothing, raided the hotel and were fired on by the three officers who believed them to be terrorists. In the ensuing exchange of fire, a member of the raiding party, Temporary Cadet Donald Pringle, and the hotel proprietor were also killed.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-GB-RIC-AEC3315B- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 8, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sergeant Hughes served with the Royal Irish Constabulary.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Hughes.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant William John Hughes is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In L, 90 of 749 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 12% of this state's fallen. That is 19 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Royal Irish Constabulary, 74 of 642 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 11.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William John Hughes's cause is highlighted.
How William John Hughes Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William John Hughes is highlighted in Apr.
Others Who Wore This Badge
641 officers from Royal Irish Constabulary are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
