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William Finlay’s Son EPG Gazette October 2008
Claremont Pensioner Guard Village October 2010 and July 2011 EPG Gazette
| Name | FINLAY – William |
|---|---|
| Regiment (s) | 78th and 97th Regiment |
| Regiment Number (s) | Unknown – 78th Regiment 624 – 97th Regiment |
| Date/Age/Place/Trade or Profession at Attestation | 16th August 1822 / 15 years /Not Stated Cotton Spinner |
| Description – Height Complexion/Eyes/Hair/Scars | 5 Ft 9 in Fair / Grey /Brown / None |
| Overseas Service/Duration | East Indies – 10 years 25 days Mediterranean – 4 years 39 days |
| Length of Service | 21 years 341 days |
| Rank/Date/Place of Discharge | Private / 10th August 1847 /Chatham Kent England |
| Campaign Medals | Not yet known |
| Intended Residence at Discharge | Stockport Cheshire England |
| Pension Districts | 1847 Stockport 1849 2nd Manchester 1850 Tilbury Fort 1850-1859 Western Australia 1859- c1885 South Australia 1886-1890 Western Australia |
| Pension Paid | 1/0d per diem |
| Date of Departure and Place England or Ireland | 4th March 1850 Portsmouth Hampshire England |
| Ship and Date of Arrival Western Australia | SCINDIAN 1st June 1850 |
| Date/Place of Birth | 5 June 1807 Dundee Forfarshire Scotland |
| Date/Place of Baptism | Not yet known |
| Father Date/Place of Birth | FINLAY William |
| Mother Date/Place of Birth Marriage | ARCHIBALD Elizabeth/Isabella |
| Siblings | Not yet known |
| 1st Wife Date of Birth or Baptism | ALCOCK Margaret Marjory Not yet known |
| Date/Place of Marriage | 2nd August 1837 Stockport Cheshire England |
| Children by 1st Wife | William James bap 1840 Dublin Ireland M COPPIN Sarah 6th February 1861 Western Australia D 16-18th June 1886 Albany Western Australia William James’ Story – EPG_Gazette 2006 John Robert B 1843 England M CASHAN / CASSIAN Mary 23rd December 1869 Perth D 15th February1903 Leederville Western Australia Buried Karrakatta Cemetery Mary Ann B 10th October 1849 Manchester Lancashire England M BENSON John 31st December 1870 Perth Western Australia D 30th July 1934 Mount Lawley Western Australia bur Anglican Section Karrakatta Cemetery Western Australia Alexander B 1850 Freshwater Bay Western Australia bur 11th May 1866 Wesleyan Section East Perth Cemeteries Western Australia Jane B 22nd March 1853 Freshwater Bay Western Australia M PRIOR Henry 16th January 1879 Mt Barker Western Australia D 4th June Albany 1915 Western Australia David B 1857 Freshwater Bay Western Australia D c15th May 1877 at sea off Kangaroo Island South Australia Anne B 26th April 1859 Perth Western Australia D 21st December 1860 Perth Western Australia bur Church of England Section East Perth Cemeteries Western Australia |
| Father of 1st wife Date/Place of Birth | ALCOCK John |
| Mother of 1st wife Date/Place of Birth Marriage | Not yet known |
| Land Grants Western Australia | 16th July 1850 assigned Freshwater Bay Lot 298 of 9.20 acres and Lot 260 of .2 acres Title application February 1858 Title 1106 |
| Occupation after Arrival | Assistant Overseer York Depot 27th August 1851 – February 1852 |
| Newspaper Articles | The Inquirer and Commercial News 25th June 1890 – page 3 South Australian Advertiser Monday 10th September 1860 page 2 Passenger W Finlay per Ladybird Western Mail (Perth WA) Saturday 21st February 1903 page 23 Obituary John Robert Finlay The Daily News Tuesday 31st July 1934 page 9 Obituary Mary Ann Benson |
| Departure from Western Australia | 4th September 1860 W Finlay departed King George’s Sound arrived Adelaide 9th September per Ladybird William returned to Western Australia prior to 3rd March 1886 when he was admitted to Mt Eliza Poor house ship unknown |
| Date/Place of Death/Burial | 11th June 1890 Mt Eliza Depot Western Australia bur East Perth Cemeteries Western Australia |
| Date/Place of Death/Burial Wife | 15th May 1877 aboard the Emily Smith near Kangaroo Island South Australia |
| Will or Probate | None known |
| Further Information | Landed in Ceylon 9th August 1826 and returned to England 5th September 1836. On 25th September 1828 William was transferred to the 97th Regiment when serving in Colombo. British Army Worldwide Index 1841 William Finlay 624 Corporal 97th Ft location Depot Cork Discharge was due to being worn out with a chronic cough and suffering from dyspnoea. After the arrival of the Scindian at Fremantle Captain Henderson wrote a report listing the rank name, trade or calling, rate of pension, date of enlistment for 5 months service, marital status, and number of children for each pensioner. Sometimes the trade of calling differed from that recorded at the time of attestation: Private William Finlay, general labourer, 1/-, 21st January, married , 3 children After William deserted the family in 1860 Margaret Margery Finlay married (bigamously) Richard Simpson and had another 2 children Robert and Alice. On 2nd May 1877 the family together with Margery and William’s son David set sail on the Emily Smith for Adelaide. Unfortunately on the 15th May the ship founded just off Kangaroo Island going down with the loss of all but 5 of the 14 crew and 25 passengers including the Captain his wife and children. Two of those who made it to shore perished before help arrived. Amongst the dead was the entire Simpson family and David Finlay. There are many articles in the newspapers about the tragedy one of the worst in South Australia’s history. |