| PERSONAL DETAILS | Michael KEESHON Name variations: Keeshan, Keesham, Keeshaw, Kushan. |
|---|---|
| Birth date and place | c. 1829 Barna, Moneygall, Kings County (Offaly), Ireland. |
| Baptism date and place | 2 Oct 1836 Moneygall, Offaly, Ireland. Diocese of Killaloe (tentative). |
| Civil Census Residences England, Wales & Scotland | 49th Regiment Permanent Barracks (East Block), Aldershot, Surrey, England (1861). 2 Greens Yard, Halifax, Yorkshire, England (1871). |
| Occupations pre-WA | Labourer. |
| Physical Description | Height: 5 ft. 9 ins. Complexion: fair. Eyes: grey. Hair: brown. |
| Marriage date and place | Unknown. |
| Spouse | Mary Jane FAULKNER. |
| Children | William Joseph 1859, Manchester, Lancashire, England (no birth record). Elizabeth 1865, Mullingar, Westmeath, Ireland. Michael 1867, Deesa, Bombay, India. Patrick 1869, India (no birth record). Ephraim John 1871, Halifax, Yorkshire, England. James 1876 (d.1877), Perth, Western Australia. |
| Death date and place | 18 Dec 1889 ‘Manning’s Paddock’, Fremantle, Western Australia. |
| Burial date and place | December 1889 St Patrick’s Cemetery, Fremantle. |
| Will and Probate | None. |
| Death Notices and Obituaries | West Australian 19 Dec 1889. Western Mail 21 Dec 1889. |
| ARMED FORCES | |
| Regiment(s) | 49th (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s or Hertfordshire) Regiment. |
| Regiment No. and Rank | #2787 Private. |
| Attestation date and place | 9 Dec 1848 Templemore. 8 Oct 1858 Re-engaged at Barbados. |
| Service/Campaigns | Ionian Islands 2 years 1 month. Turkey 5 months. Malta 1 year. Crimea 1 years 10 months. West Indies 3 years 2 months. East Indies 4 years 1 month. |
| Musters | 1861 Portsmouth [WO12-6085]. |
| Promotions | None. |
| Medals, Clasps and Badges | Crimea War Medal clasps Alma, Inkermann, Sebastopol. Turkish Crimea Medal. Four Good Conduct Badges. Long Service & Good Conduct Medal (£5 gratuity). |
| Casualty/Medical | Casualty Roll (as Keesham): Severe wound. The Assault on the Quarries. 7 June 1855. Wounded in the right leg by the explosion of a mine. |
| Regimental Courts Martial | None. Nineteen times entered in the Regimental Defaulters Book. |
| District Courts Martial | None. |
| General Courts Martial | None. |
| Discharge date and place | 22 Feb 1870 Colchester. |
| Length of Service | 21 years 76 days. |
| Chelsea Pension Reference | WO97/1542/77. |
| Post Discharge Residence | Co. Tipperary. |
| Post Discharge Pension District | Halifax 1870. Greenwich 1873. |
| Pension Amount | 1/- per diem. Increased to 1/2½d. per diem 18 Jan 1881 for service EPF. |
| ARRIVAL AND LIFE IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA | |
| Ship | Naval Brigade. |
| Departure and Arrival | 31 Oct 1873 Woolwich; 19 Feb 1874 Fremantle. |
| Status/Occupation | Enrolled Pensioner Force. Enrolled Guard 11 Nov 1880 – not on Roll at disbandment in 1887. Fremantle Explosives Magazine 1881. |
| Land Grant/Purchase | None. |
| Subscriptions | None. |
| Misc. Newspaper Articles | Inquirer & Commercial News 12 Jan 1876. Click to read of larceny charge. Western Australian Times 7 Jan 1876. |
| Departure from WA | Not applicable. |
