James Buckley lies in the neighbouring grave to my ancestors Louis Henry and Catherine Elizabeth (nee Simpson) Dow in Maryborough Cemetery. On a recent visit to the cemetery we wondered aloud 'Who was James Buckley?'
Research reveals that James Buckley was a much-loved member of the Maryborough
community, a long serving sergeant-major in the Maryborough branch of the
Queensland Defence Force and a Crimean War veteran. He occupies the grave adjacent to Louis and Catherine for the simple
reason that he died about a week after Louis.
But, as it turns out, James was also their neighbour in life, living
just a block and a half along Queen Street from the Dow home.
Born circa 1827-1833 in Dublin, Ireland, James enlisted in
the British Army at Liverpool on 26 May 1848 and joined the 28th (North
Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot (Gloucestershire).[1] His discharge papers indicate that he was 21
years of age at the time of his enlistment in 1848, however, subsequent ages
reported in census and death records suggest that he may have only been 15
years old.
Early in 1851 his duty location was Manchester but a few
months later, at the time of the census, he had been posted to the military
hospital at Stoke Dameral in Devon.[2] He served a total of 21 years in the Army,
with 1.5 years in Malta, Turkey and Crimea and over 6 six years in India[3].
After an initial enlistment period of
just over nine years, he signed on for a second term of eleven years.[4] He was awarded the Crimea Medal with three clasps and the
Turkish War Medal.[5] He may also have received the Indian Mutiny
Medal.[6] He was also issued with a Good Conduct medal
on 21 October 1869[7],
in addition to a Good Conduct Badge early in his career. His discharge papers indicated that had he
not been promoted, he would have received an additional three Good Conduct
Badges.[8] Despite an arrest and court martial early in
his career, he rose through the ranks to Colour Sergeant, which would have made
him the senior non-commissioned officer in his company.[9] At the time of his discharge he had a conduct
rating of ‘very good’. James was issued
his discharge at Parkhurst, Isle of Wight, on 2 June 1869.[10]
In 1856, James married Maria Caroline Harris on the Isle of
Wight.[11]
Maria’s father, Thomas Stephen Harris, was a warder at the Parkhurst Prison on
the Isle of Wight and a Chelsea Pensioner.[12] It appears that Maria accompanied him to
India where she, sadly, passed away in Nuseerabad in 1862.[13] Their daughter Louisa was born in India in
1861 or 1862.[14]
Following his discharge, James married Caroline Julia Harris
in 1870 in Southampton.[15] Caroline was his first wife’s younger
sister. Marrying one’s dead wife’s
sister was illegal in England between 1835 and 1907 and could render the
marriage void. This likely accounts for
the marriage between James and Caroline that appears in the Queensland (Australia)
Marriage indexes for 1902.[16] The births of their two children born in
Australia in 1884 and 1888 are also re-registered in 1902.[17]
In 1871, James (age 42) and Caroline (age 23) are living in
St. Giles Durham where James is a staff-sergeant in the Durham Militia.[18] James’ daughter Louisa is resident at the
Greenhill Soldiers’ Daughters Home in Hampstead St. John.[19] A decade later, James, Caroline, Louisa and
four additional daughters (Maudie, age 9; Lillian, age 6; Florence, age 4; and
Adelaide, age 2) are living in Birkenhead where James’ occupation is Licensed
Victualler.[20]
The family undergoes significant changes in 1883. Louisa marries John Kelly, an Irish Public
House Manager.[21] Meanwhile, James, Caroline, Maud, Lilian,
Florence and Adelaide board the Duke of Westminster, which departed England on
2 July, bound for Australia.[22] They arrived in Brisbane on 21 August 1883
but the ship and all on board were quarantined at Peel and Bird Islands as a
result of the ship’s doctor having contracted smallpox.[23] Three weeks later, all clothing having been
fumigated and the ship thoroughly cleaned, arrangements began to be made to
bring the passengers to town.[24]
They finally arrived in town (Brisbane) on 24 September.[25]
Where the family initially went has not yet been discovered
but by 1886 James was the Sergeant Major for the Wide Bay and Burnett division
of the Queensland Defence Force, based in Maryborough, and was appointed to the
permanent staff on 11 October at a salary of £120 per annum.[26]
In 1889, James was appointed to the staff of the Legislative
Assembly, the duties of which required his move to Brisbane. The officers of the Queensland Defence Force
presented him with a silver-mounted pipe and matchbox.[27] The following year a four-roomed cottage
adjoining the Buckley residence at the corner of Queen and Lennox Streets was
advertised for sale.[28]
It is unclear how long he retained this posting but by 1905
his residence is once again listed in the electoral rolls as Lennox Street,
Maryborough.[29] James had
been forced to retire from the Defence Force due to age restrictions but had
been found a billet as the caretaker of the drill shed so that he could
continue to derive a small salary, which was a help inasmuch as he was
ineligible for an old-age pension by virtue of his receiving an Imperial Army
pension.[30] The rate of his army pension was calculated
at 24 pence in 1869, but whether this was weekly, monthly, or per annum is not
clear.[31]
In approximately May 1909, James was hit by a bicyclist and
sustained a serious fracture to his thigh.
Former members of the QDF rallied around to take up a collection to
present to James as a sign of the ‘esteem and regard’ in which they held him. Former A company member D V Anderson
describes James as ‘genial and kindly… an officer and a gentleman in every
sense of the word’.[32] James spent several months in hospital
recovering from his injury before being released to continue his convalescence
at home on Lennox Street. The accident
forced him to give up his employment and thus his income. In October, his
former colleagues took up a collection on his behalf and presented him with a
cheque.[33]
He died on 9 June 1910 at the age of 77 years from chronic
bronchitis, although he had never fully recovered from the bicycle accident.[34] He is buried in Maryborough Cemetery and his
resting place is marked with a headstone ‘erected by his loving wife Caroline’.[35] He was survived by his wife, four married
daughters and his son.
Following his death, a former colleague W A Whitmore wrote
at length from his home in Tonbridge, Kent to the Editor of the Maryborough
Chronicle expressing his dismay that James had not been afforded a military
funeral, which he believed James had desired and would have received had he
died in England.[36] Several detailed obituaries appeared in
papers around Australia.
James’ widow Caroline died in 1930 and is buried in Toowong
Cemetery (Brisbane).[37]
James had seven children: one daughter with his first wife; and five daughters and a son with his second wife. His last two children were born in Australia. Their stories will appear in Part 2 of this article.[1] Based on age in census, various military records, and reported age at death; Discharge papers, WO97/1486 Royal Hosptial Chelsea: Soldiers Service Document, The National Archives (UK), accessed via findmypast.com.au; [NB The Brisbane Courier, Saturday 26 October 1889, p 9 reports his enlistment date as 2 February 1848]
[2] 1851 Worldwide Army Index, The National Archives (UK), WO 12/4457, Accessed via Forces War Records; 1851 Census, DEVHO107/1882
[3] Royal Hospital Chelsea: Length of service pensions - admission books, The National Archives (UK) WO 117/17, Tuesday 15 June 1869, Accessed via fold3.com
[4] Discharge papers, WO97/1486 Royal Hospital Chelsea: Soldiers Service Document, The National Archives (UK), accessed via findmypast.com.au;
[5] Discharge papers, WO97/1486 Royal Hospital Chelsea: Soldiers Service Document, The National Archives (UK), accessed via findmypast.com.au
[6] The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933) Saturday 26 October 1889 p 9 [Record of the issuance of these medals could not be found in War Office: Campaign Medal and Award Rolls (General Series), The National Archives (UK), WO 11/28]
[7] Long Service and Good Conduct Medal Register, The National Archives (UK), WO 102/1/6, p. 189
[8] Discharge papers, WO97/1486 Royal Hospital Chelsea: Soldiers Service Document, The National Archives (UK), accessed via findmypast.com.au
[9] Discharge papers, WO97/1486 Royal Hospital Chelsea: Soldiers Service Document, The National Archives (UK), accessed via findmypast.com.au; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colour_sergeant
[10] Royal Hospital Chelsea: Length of service pensions - admission books, The National Archives (UK) WO 117/17, Tuesday 15 June 1869, Accessed via fold3.com; Discharge papers, WO97/1486 Royal Hospital Chelsea: Soldiers Service Document, The National Archives (UK), accessed via findmypast.com.au
[11] Free BMD Index
[12] 1851 Census records
[13] Unverified. Information sourced from several online family trees
[14] Unverified. Based on census records and online family trees.
[15] Free BMD Index, September 1870 quarter, Southampton 2c/58
[16] Queensland Marriage Index, 1902/C1600
[17] Queensland Birth Index, 1902/C7917 and 1902/C7918
[18] 1871 Census records
[19] 1871 Census records
[20] 1881 Census records
[21] FreeBMD Indexes; 1891 Census records
[22] Passenger List, Duke of Westminster, Queensland State Archives
[23] The Smallpox Case, The Telegraph, Thursday 30 August 1883, p 2
[24] Smallpox, The Week (Brisbane), Saturday 22 September 1883, p 9
[25] Last Night’s Messages, Warwick Argus, Tuesday 25 September 1883, p 2
[26] Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, Saturday 15 May 1886, p 2; Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, Tuesday 12 October 1886, p 2
[27] Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, Wednesday 6 September 1899, p 2
[28] Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, Thursday 13 November 1890, p 4
[29] Electoral rolls 1905, 1906, 1908, 1909
[30] Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, Friday 22 October 1909, p 4
[31] Royal Hospital Chelsea: Length of service pensions - admission books, The National Archives (UK) WO 117/17, Tuesday 15 June 1869, Accessed via fold3.com
[32] Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, Monday 3 May 1909, p 4
[33] Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, Friday 22 October 1909, p 4
[34] Queensland Death Index, 1910/C2519; Maryborough Chronicle, Friday 10 June 1910, p. 2
[35] Maryborough Cemetery, Section L, Plot 787
[36]Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, Thursday 22 September 1910, p 2
[37] Queensland Death Indexes, 1930/B12689; The Telegraph, Saturday 22 November 1930, p 8
