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LYONS – James 59th and 68th Regiment

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59th Regiment
68th Regiment Glengarry Badge
Turkish Crimea Medal
British Crimea Medal with Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman & Sebastopol Clasps.
NameLYONS – James
Regiment (s)59th and 68th Regiment
Regiment Number (s) 3836 – 59th Regiment
2970 – 68th Regiment
Date/Age/Place/Trade or
Profession at Attestation
18th April 1851 / 20 years / Edinburgh Midlothian Scotland
Miner
Description – Height
Complexion/Eyes/Hair/Scars
5 Ft  8½ in
Fresh / Blue / Brown / None
Overseas Service/DurationCrimea – period unknown
Length of Service4 years 75 days
Rank/Date/Place of DischargePrivate / 3rd July 1855 / Chatham England
Campaign MedalsCrimean War Medal with Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman & Sebastopol Clasps.
Crimean Turkish War Medal
Intended Residence at
Discharge
Not yet known
Pension Districts1855 2nd Belfast
1862 Tilbury
1862-1864 Western Australia
1864-1872 New South Wales
1872-1873 Belfast
1873 – 1907 New South Wales
Pension Paid8d per diem
1876 Increased to 9d per diem
Date of Departure and Place
England or Ireland
8th October 1862  Portland England
Ship and Date of Arrival
Western Australia
YORK  31st December 1862
Date/Place of Birth1831 Ballinahinch Down Ireland
Date/Place of BaptismNot yet known
Father
Date/Place of Birth
LYONS James
Not yet known
Mother
Date/Place of Birth
Marriage
Not yet known
SiblingsNot yet known
1st Wife
Date of Birth or Baptism
SMYTH  Esther
c1834 Not yet known
Date/Place of Marriage16th August 1856 St. Patrick’s Belfast City Ireland
also 25th October 1855 Belfast Antrim Ireland
James was noted as a protestant in the 1856 marriage.
Children by 1st WifeJames bap 7th October 1858 St. Patrick’s Belfast City Belfast Antrim Ireland
M ROSENFELDT Elizabeth 1896 Sydney New South Wales
D 16th March 1914 Randwick Sydney New South Wales
Samuel   bap 28th September 1860 St. Patrick’s Belfast City Belfast Ireland
Samuel  B 1865 Wollongong New South Wales
D 7th March 1870 Wollongong New South Wales (drowned).
Emily  B 1866 Wollongong New South Wales
M MITCHELL James Roy  3rd September 1896 Sydney New South Wales
D May 1915 Sydney New South Wales
Father of 1st wife
Date/Place of Birth
SMYTH  Peter
Not yet known
Mother of 1st wife
Date/Place of Birth
Marriage
Not yet known
2nd WifeJENKINS Sarah Grace
B 1841 (deduced) Not yet known
Date/Place of Marriage21th October 1880 New South Wales
Children by 2nd WifeEttie   B 1882 Sydney New South Wales
D  2nd August 1972  Mona Vale New South Wales
REMARKS
Ettie Lyons graduated from the University of Sydney in 1903 with a bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Medicine in 1908.  She was Superintendent of the Sydney Medical Mission from 1910-1917. She was a General Practitioner at Taralga New South Wales from 1917-1922.  She studied overseas for 18 months and then resumed her practice at Taralga until her retirement in 1956. She never married but shared her life with Rebe WRIGHT.
Richard Jenkins   B 1885 Sydney New South Wales
M ALEXANDER Hilda 1915 Burwood New South Wales
D 13th November 1951 Roseville Sydney New South WalesRichard Jenkins LYONS graduated from the University of Sydney in 1906 with 1st class honours and the University medal.  In 1908 he was awarded a traveling scholarship and attended St. John’s College Cambridge. He returned to Sydney and took up the appointment as a lecturer in Mathematics and later Reader in Geometry at the University of Sydney.  During the war he worked for the Department of Navy Intelligence.
Land Grants Western
Australia
Not applicable
Occupation after
Arrival
Wharfinger
Warder (NSW)
Deputy Governor Parramatta Gaol
Governor Wollongong Gaol
Newspaper ArticlesIIllawarra Mercury Wollongong Friday 11th March 1870 – page 2 – death Samuel LYONS
Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales Friday 22nd December 1972 – page 5311 – Probate Ettie LYONS
Illawarra Mercury Wollongong 3rd September 1896 – page 2 – James LYONS retires
The Daily Telegraph Sydney Friday 4th September 1896 – page 5 – James LYONS retires as New South Wales prison gaoler
Morning Herald Wednesday 23rd September 1896 – page 1- marriage Emily LYONS
Illawarra Mercury Wollongong Tuesday 11th September 1900 – page 2 – examination results Richard and Ettie JENKINS
Australian Town and Country Journal Sydney Wednesday 20th November 1907 – page 15 – Veterans – James LYONS
Sydney Morning Herald Saturday 1st December 1907 – page 12 – death James LYONS
Daily Telegraph Wednesday 18th March 1914 – page 8 – death James Thompson LYONS
Sydney Morning Herald Wednesday 1st April 1914 – page 17 – suicide James Thompson LYONS
Daily Telegraph Wednesday 26th May 1914 – page 8 – funeral Emily MITCHELL
Sydney Morning Herald Monday 14th January 1929 – page 10 – death Sarah Grace JENKINS
Government Gazette of the State of NSW (Sydney, NSW:1901-2001) Friday 4th October 1929 [No 132] page 4156 – Probate Sarah Grace LYONS
Sydney Morning Herald Thursday 15th November 1951 – Page 24 – death Richard Jenkins LYONS
Departure from Western
Australia
1864 to New South Wales
Date/Place of Death/Burial20th December 1907  Paddington Sydney New South Wales
Waverley Sydney New South Wales
Date/Place of Death/Burial 1st
Wife
Not yet known
Date/Place of Death/Burial 2nd
Wife
10th January 1929 Roseville New South Wales
Not yet known
Will or ProbateNew South Wales Will Books (1800-1952) – 1907 number 41964
Further Information1851 British Army World Wide Index shows James with the 68th at Birr Ireland
Discharge: Unfit for further service due to impaired use of left hand and forearm, injury above wrist caused from a large fragment of stone in the trenches 12 December. Some wasting and want of power to left forearm and hand from injury – to have been received as reported, likely to improve.After being pensioned off from the British Army in 1855 James LYONS worked for the Irish Police Force.
In 1856 he married Esther SMYTH and had two children James and Samuel both born Belfast, Ireland.
He enlisted in the Guard for the Convict Ship “York” in 1862 arriving at Fremantle Western Australia on 31st December 1862.
The family went to New South Wales in 1864 where they had another two children Samuel and Emily.
James was employed as a Wharfinger at Wollongong where for 7 years he supervised the loading of coal
In 1871 he journeyed back to Belfast possibly on the ship Great Britain remaining there until 1873 when he returned to Wollongong, he apparently deserted his wife in New South Wales.
He entered the Prison service in 1877 and during his time as a warder at Darlinghurst prison was commended for bravery during a lethal assault by a prisoner of a fellow warder.
He was promoted and put in charge of gaols at Mudgee Trial Bay Berrima and Young.
He was appointed Deputy Governor of Parramatta goal before returning to Wollongong in 1889 as governor.
During this time he married the matron of the prison Sarah Grace JENKINS and the couple had another 2 children Ettie and Richard, He retired in 1896 on a pension.