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| Name | BLIGHT – William |
|---|---|
| Regiment (s) | Royal Marines |
| Regiment Number (s) | 51 and 8119 |
| Date/Age/Place/Trade or Profession at Attestation | 5 April 1842 / 18 years / Plymouth Devonshire England Coachman, groom |
| Description – Height Complexion/Eyes/Hair/Scars | 5 Ft 6½ in Freckled / Blue / Brown / None |
| Overseas Service/Duration | Service on following ships: Vanguard 10th February – 9th August 1845 – 6 months Constance 6th August 1846 – 4th December 1849 – 3 years 4 months 2 days Also possibly spent time on Great Tasmania in 1855 during the Crimean War: see newspaper article |
| Length of Service | 14 years 2 months 9 days Afloat 3 years 10 months and 2 days Ashore 10 years 4 months 7 days |
| Rank/Date/Place of Discharge | Private / 14th June 1856 / Plymouth Devonshire England |
| Campaign Medals | None |
| Intended Residence at Discharge | Not yet known |
| Pension Districts | 1856 1st Plymouth 1857 Exeter 1861 1st Plymouth 1865-c1872 Western Australia (pension details not known) c1877-1895 South Australia (pension details not known) |
| Pension Paid | £9/4/0 per annum |
| Date of Departure and Place England or Ireland | 30th September 1865 Portland Dorset England |
| Ship and Date of Arrival Western Australia | VIMIERA 22nd December 1865 |
| Date/Place of Birth | 5th or 6th April 1824 St Germans Cornwall England |
| Date/Place of Baptism | 18th April 1824 St Germans Cornwall England |
| Father Date/Place of Birth | BLIGHT Lawrence bap 21st May 1780 Saint Cleer Cornwall England |
| Mother Date/Place of Birth Marriage | PHILP Elizabeth B Not yet known M Not yet known |
| Siblings | Joseph B 8th October 1826 St Germans Cornwall D Not yet known |
| 1st Wife Date of Birth or Baptism | ROWSE Sarah B 1823 Wembury Devon |
| Date/Place of Marriage | 5th September 1844 Stoke Damerel Devon |
| Children by 1st Wife | Sarah Jane B 1844 East Stonehouse Devon (Mother Rowse) Hannah B 1845 Plymouth Devon Bp 14 December 1845 Charles the Martyr Plymouth Devon D 1852 Plymouth Devon Bur 19th June 1853 Plymstock Devon William who lived at Daly SA Sarah Jane B 2nd Qtr 1852 East Stonehouse Devon Mother Rowse D 1852 Staddiscombe Devon Bur 19th December 1852 Plymstock Devon |
| Father of 1st wife Date/Place of Birth | Not yet known |
| Mother of 1st wife Date/Place of Birth Marriage | Not yet known |
| 2nd Wife | WILLIAMS Elizabeth father Thomas Williams B 1829 Kingsbridge Devon |
| Date/Place of Marriage | 19th January 1853 Parish Church Stoke Damerel Devon England |
| Children by 2nd Wife | Thomas B 1853 Stonehouse Plymouth Devon Bp 8th September 1858 Heavitree Devon D Possible:13th July 1894 Old men’s home Perth Western Australia (Epilepsy) Lawrence B 1854 Stonehouse Plymouth Devon Bp 8th September 1858 Heavitree Devon M CHAPPELL Elizabeth Jane 16th September 1876 Residence of John Liddicoat Walleroo Mine Daly South Australia D 25th May 1916 Narrogin Western Australia Buried Narrogin Cemetery WA William Henry B 3rd Qtr 1856 Stoke Demerel Devon (Mother Williams) Bp 8th September 1858 Heavitree Devon M BURT Louisa 4th August 1879 Angaston South Australia M McKERRON Elizabeth nee CANNON 9th March 1931 Adelaide SA D 11th December 1932 Prospect South Australia Frederick B c1858 Exeter Devon England Bp 8th September 1858 Heavitree Devon Alfred B c1858 Exeter Devon Bp 8th September 1858 Heavitree Devon John B 1860 Exeter Devon Bp 30th April 1860 Heavitree Devon D 12th January 1873 Wallaroo South Australia His mother was Jane but it may be him Elizabeth Jane B 8th June 1864 Plymouth Devon Bp 14th December 1864 Christchurch Plymouth Devon M RICHARDSON Thomas 27th February 1889 Hindmarsh South Australia D 13th June 1943 Adelaide South Australia Charles John B 1867 Perth Western Australia M HUTCHINS Alice May 27th August 1890 North Adelaide South Australia D 26th August 1941 Bowden Adelaide South Australia |
| Land Grants Western Australia | Apparent grant of land but possibly forfeited when he left Western Australia – see letter |
| Occupation after Arrival | Not yet known |
| Newspaper Articles | The Express and Telegraph Monday 15th July 1878 page 2 South Australian Advertiser 26th July 1897 South Australian Advertiser 5th November 1898 The Express and Telegraph (Adelaide) Saturday 17th March 1900 page 4 death Notice Elizabeth Observer Adelaide Saturday 10 June 1905 News Adelaide Tuesday 13th December 1932 – page 6 |
| Departure from Western Australia | 11th July 1878 per RMS Tanjori from King Georges Sound W. Blight (The family must have followed on another ship) |
| Date/Place of Death/Burial | 31st May 1905 Maylands South Australia 2nd June 1905 Hindmarsh Cemetery South Australia |
| Date/Place of Death/Burial 1st Wife | 1852 East Stonehouse Devon Not yet known |
| Date/Place of Death/Burial 2nd Wife | 16th March 1900 Brompton Park Hindmarsh South Australia Not yet known |
| Will or Probate | None known |
| Further Information | Further Information Police Constable Devon County Constabulary c1858-1864 Crimean War service on medical staff William Blight was invalided out of the Royal Marines disability not detailed. In the 1851 Census William Blight and his family are living at 2 Chapel Lane in East Stonehouse. William is a Royal Marine age 26 and born St. Germans Cornwall. His wife Sarah is aged 28 and her occupation is as a milliner and she was born at Wembury in Devon. Their daughter Hannah is age 5 and she was born at Plymouth in Devon By the time of the 1861 census William is living at South Cottage Shebbear Village Devon and he is now a County Constable. He is married to his second wife Elizabeth who is age 32 and was born at Kingsbridge in Devon. They are living with their 5 sons Thomas age 8, Lawrence age 7 both born Stonehouse Devon, Frederick and Alfred both age 3 and John age 1 latter three were born in Exeter Devon. In the 1861 Census their son William Blight age 5 is living with John and Jane Rowse at 53 James Street Stoke Demerel he is described as their son. 2nd January 1883 William Blight was admitted to the (Royal) Adelaide Hospital. At the time he was age 59, married, Church of England living at Bowden, a labourer born Cornwall he had been 4 years in the Colony (SA) and arrived on the Tanjore |