Private George McGrath (service period ca. 1809-1832)
Hi everyone
I am hoping someone might have come across Private George McGrath's name in a muster book/pay list for the 39th Regiment from approximately May 1809 to 30 June 1832 when he was discharged after 22 years and 11 months service in the Colony of NSW.
I am hoping to find a service number for him so I can see if a researcher can research through the muster books/pay lists at Kew to try and track his earlier enlistment history until he went to the Colony of NSW via Tasmania.
George was born about 1790 or 1794, place unknown. He came Australia as a convict guard being part of a detachment of the 39th Regiment of Foot that sailed on the ship "William Miles" that arrived in Hobart, Tasmania from Downs, England in July 1828. The detachment sailed from Hobart to Sydney, N.S.W. aboard the ship "Mermaid" in August 1828. With George was his wife, Rose DILLY (?), and daughters including Elizabeth (born in Ireland ca. 1818-1820) and Mary.
I am particularly interested in finding his location from 27 Dec 1815 to 30 Oct 1818 when the 39th Regiment of the Foot was part of the British Army of Occupation of France at Pas-de-Calais between towns of ARRAS (1000 men) and ST POL (1500 men) moving annually to camps of ST OMER and VALENGENNES. It appears likely that George met his future French wife Mary Rose Dilly in this area in France at the time.
I am also interested in finding out his whereabouts when the 1st battalion of the 39th was ordered to North America following hostilities between Great Britain and the United States 1812-1814, embarking for Canada on 8th June 1814, and arrived in Quebec on 5th August 1814, and marched from there to Chambly. After being ordered to participate in an attack upon the state of New York, and 2 officers and 60 men of the 39th detached on board British ships on Lake Champlain on 11 September, the troops retired to lower Canada, embarking at Quebec on 27 May 1815, to return to Europe where Napoleon Bonaparte had returned.
Any replies would be most gratefully received.
Helen