A Superior Body of Men

By M S James

This book is the culmination and encapsulation of many years of research through archival repositories and other record sources both in the UK and Australia. It adds further biographical information to the history of the military pensioners who were either discharged in the Colony of Western Australia, came as guards on the convict transports, or immigrated freely to the State.

Its contribution to the historical narrative is that it answers the question many family historians ask: what ship did my military pensioner arrive on?

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Mar 19, 2016
• ISBN: 9781496995438

M S James

M S James travelled to Saudi Arabia in her 30s with her husband and children. She worked there as a teacher for five years, firstly in a private Islamic school and then at the British school. On her return to the UK she continued teaching, mainly music and art. She lives in Cambridge.

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© 2014 M.S. James. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 03/18/2016

ISBN: 978-1-4969-9541-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-9542-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-9543-8 (e)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Acknowledgements

Introductory Notes

Main Sources

Abreviations

The Biographical Index

Unable to Locate or Verify

Former soldiers who were discharged or arrived in pre Federation Western Australia

is book is dedicated to

Ann Denby

INTRODUCTION

When I first started researching Military Pensioners in 1982, this work was intended to be my 'aide memoir' but over the years as I become more knowledgeable about the complexity of Military Pensions and have acquired more information on the subject of Military Pensioners in general and of those in Western Australia in particular my 'aide memoir' slowly evolved into this Biographical Index.

As this Index is designed to work in conjunction with the influential work on the Enrolled Pensioner Guards to Western Australia The Veterans by Frank Broomhall, I have designed it so the layout is similar to that publication

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Over the years so many people have helped me and sadly some of those I came to depend upon for assistance are no longer with us, never the less I remember them with gratitude and affection.

Frank Broomhall whom I knew for only a few years and in retrospect this was to be such a short length of time. Without his help and his willingness to explain the complexities inherent with Western Australian Military Pensioners and other discharged military personnel in the Colony, I would not have the understanding of the subject that I have now.

Garth Thomas from the PRO Kew who patiently helped me to locate the information on those of Enrolled Pensioner Guards who perished onboard the 'Emma' Gay Fielding who was always willing to give help and advise when-ever she could. Vale 'Mess Mate' your prompt unstinting and knowledgeable assistance is sadly missed.

And to those whom I can still ask for help.

In the UK thanks to Ian Baxter of the IOLOC at the British Library. Without his encyclopaedic knowledge and willingness to answer my questions even when I met him in the local supermarket, I would not have depth of understanding of the peculiarities of the Military Establishment based in India nor appreciate the difference between the two Military Pension Systems.

Tim Thomas IOLOC at the British Library, who assisted me especially with the Ecclesiastical Records, Court of Director's and the Judicial Proceeding Records for the Honorable East India Compan. Headley Sutton IOLOC at the British Library who has now inherited my interminable questions The IOLOC Document Distribution and Retrieval Staff, without their patient assistance I would not have been able view the number of documents that I did Mark Dutton and Ann Morrow at The National Archives Kew,The Archival Staff at the National Army Museum.The Librarians at the London Library, East India Club and the Bengal Officers Club -- London.

The Staff at the Naval Studies Library and Plymouth Reference Library Plymouth.

Lieut. Colonel Les Wilson Curator of the Queens Regiment.

Museum now retired but who is still willing to answer any of my military questions especially those appertaining to the 31st [Huntingdonshire] Regiment]

David Hawkins for helping me with information on the Convict

Transports, Treasury and Home Office documents and the James Adlam family

For those who have helped me in Western Australia my very special thanks goes to two people, Debbie Beavis whom I consider to be an historical researcher and author par excellence and who has constantly encouraged me to publish this Index.

Phillipa Ward. who has been unstinting in her support over many years and so generous in allowing me to use all her Military Pensioner Land Title research

My thanks also to Lorraine Dearnley; Helen and Bob Pearce; Elizabeth Rummins; Helen Gunnell; Molly Bergh and Jeanette Lee all of whom have helped significantly with my research into our Enrolled Pensioner Guards.

Robyn Hukin who kept alive the interest in our Enrolled Pensioner Guards before the EPG Special Interest Group was formed and was co-speaker with me on a number of occasions.

The Librarians at the Fremantle Library.

The Staff at the Western Australian State Library.

Anne Davis and the members of The Kojonup Family History Society.

The staff of Authorhouse for their patience and professionalism.

INTRODUCTORY NOTES

This Biographical Index includes a number of entries for Military Pensioners and former soldiers who either took their discharge in the Colony or arrived here by their own means The differences between these groups has been briefly described on page B1 paragraphs 2 and 3 of The Veterans by F.H Broomhall.

Also there are some 'non' Enrolled Pensioner Guard entries which have been included for no other reason than that I found them interesting to research.

Maintaining accuracy of information has and will always be a problem, especially if that information has come from more than one primary source and from different geographical localities.

The Index entries are as accurate as I have been able to check. Where I've been unable to check and verify my information against primary source documents, I've placed a question mark in front of the particular entry or prefaced the entry with the phrases the following information may not refer to or included the word possibly and in many cases not included the information.

Not only are there problems maintaining accuracy from having to research between repositories and different countries, there is the problem with knowledge of the people who originally compiled the document for instance the whereabouts of places and lists

The following example shows the difference which can occur between WO Records and the Passenger Lists

Differing spellings of names --- due to the differences I've found between the names in the Western Australian records to those in the War Office Records, and between the WO records themselves, included all the different variations I've sighted.

Dates of birth death and marriage are often only approximate. especially if using various sources, therefore calculation of age in particular can be difficult. The dates transcribed for births, death and marriages in this Index are in most cases the registration dates therefore the appropriate Parish Registers or the Civil Registration documents must be checked to show the actual date of the occurrence

A Question Mark ? along side an entry or name means I have not been able to confirm the information through primary sources however secondary sources may indicate that the information to be correct

Medal Entitlement --- these have been included if I have sighted the relevant Discharge to Pension document where the medal entitlement has been annotated, or the Medal Rolls.

A number of entries in the Biographical Index are incomplete due to the lack of documentary information. These omissions are not due to my lack of diligence or dedication in researching. In some cased primary source records which were available to me when I first started researching are nor longer extant. This is due mainly to the general wear and tear on these documents caused in most cases by the number of time they have been handled --- especially photocopied. Also I have found that with a number of digitalised images on the Internet go not refer to the discharged soldier in question.

Although the layout of this Index is similar to 'The Veterans' where-ever possible I have sourced my information from different record streams to those used in The Veterans.

There are about 250 other 'old soldiers' who's names have been included in this Index as they too settled in Western Australia. Some have been included in this Index and the others will be detailed in future publications

This Biographical Index has concentrated on the details of ordinary soldiers thereby excluding those Officers who have emigrated also excluded are former soldiers who have been convicted of various crimes and transported to the Colony.

The utmost care has been taken in transcribing the information for this Index and has been compiled in good faith; it has been researched from sources believed to be accurate and reliable. However, it is recommended that the reader does their own check of primary sources and other relevant documents to verify the information herein, thereby making their own assessment of the statements and information discussed in this index.

MAIN SOURCES

The Central Library --- Plymouth

State Library Western Australia

Western Australian 'Memorials'

Western Australian Police Gazettes

ABREVIATIONS

The Biographical Index