Return to Merchantman 1863 EPF List
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| Name | PURVIS – William |
|---|---|
| Regiment (s) | 60th Rifles 2nd Battalion |
| Regiment Number (s) | 1360 |
| Date/Age/Place/Trade or Profession at Attestation | 5th June 1839 / 18 years / Glasgow Scotland Gardener |
| Description – Height Complexion/Eyes/Hair/Scars | 5 Ft 9 in Dark / Grey / Dark / None |
| Overseas Service/Duration | Jamaica – 2 years 3 months Canada – 3 years Cape of Good Hope – 7 years 7 months |
| Length of Service | 21 years 29 days |
| Rank/Date/Place of Discharge | Private / 17th January 1861 / Winchester Hampshire England |
| Campaign Medals | Kaffir War 1853 (South African Medal) |
| Intended Residence at Discharge | Dunoon Argyle Scotland |
| Pension Districts | 1861 Paisley 1862 Bermuda (in transit) 1863-1867 Western Australia |
| Pension Paid | 9d per diem |
| Date of Departure and Place England or Ireland | 30th October 1862 Gravesend England (via Bermuda) |
| Ship and Date of Arrival Western Australia | MERCHANTMAN 15th February 1863 |
| Date/Place of Birth | 1821 Paisley Renfrewshire Scotland |
| Date/Place of Baptism | Not yet known |
| Father Date/Place of Birth | Not yet known |
| Mother Date/Place of Birth Marriage | PINKERTON Jane b 1782 Paisley Renfrewshire |
| Siblings | PURVIS Robert b Liberton Midlothian 1806 |
| 1st Wife Date of Birth or Baptism | Not married |
| Date/Place of Marriage | Not applicable |
| Children by 1st Wife | Not applicable |
| Land Grants Western Australia | None |
| Occupation after Arrival | Not yet known |
| Newspaper Articles | Perth Gazette and Western Australia Times 23rd August 1867 – page 3 (sinking of “Emma”) |
| Departure from Western Australia | Not applicable |
| Date/Place of Death/Burial | Died 1867 Western Australia aboard Emma |
| Date/Place of Death/Burial Wife | Not applicable |
| Will or Probate | None known |
| Further Information | British Army Worldwide Index 1841 William Purvis 1360 Private 2/60th regt depot location Naas 1851 William Purvis 1360 Private 2/60th regt location Kilkenny
In February 1865 after the murder of Messrs Panter, Goldwyer and Harding by aborigines it was decided to send a party of five EPGs to Nichol Bay abord the Clarence Packet. The chosen men were reported as Isaac Davis, Edward Goodall, John Farrell, William Whittle and a man named as Jarvice. The only EPG named Jarvis arrived in WA well after this date. EPGs Joseph Barr and Edward Radford went to Roebuck Bay aboard the Kestrel in September 1865. In 1867, these six EPGs and two others EPGs William Purvis and John Byrne perished aboard the Emma a schooner lost in a cyclone and wrecked off the coast of Coral Bay with the loss of all on board. The EMMA left Port Walcott (near Point Sampson), and the last recorded sighting was a Nichol Bay when the ship stopped there on 31 January 1867. The Emma was last heard from on 3rd March 1867 on departing Port Walcott Western Australia. Thanks to David Senn of Albany for his research on the wreck of the Emma and Chris Hall’s 2001 article attached. |