Maori wars - military records?

[Suzy W]

Another one to try

http://www.otago.ac.nz/library/pdf/NZ_Wars_1860s-1870s_Guide.pdf

[alamar]

The museum in Auckland is officially The Auckland War Memorial Museum. They have a large number of war exhibits and information though I suspect it probably starts with WW1. I don't live in Auckland and haven't been there for many years. The people to contact seem to be the Armoury Info Centre at

http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/library-info-centres/information-centres/armoury-information-centre

There might well be a historical group they are aware of who deal with The NZ Wars. Give them a try, you never know.

Alan

[spades]

Here is a comprehensive list of applicants for the New Zealand War Medal.

No mention of him that I can see.

PAPERS RELATIVE TO THE ISSUE OF THE NEW ZEALAND WAR MEDAL.
Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1871 Session I, G-01
http://atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs?a=d&d=AJHR1871-I.2.2.4.1

Spades

[abstraction]

Thank you spades for going to the trouble of finding this excellent document. That is so kind of you!

It's clear this medal is intended to cover "all cases where the claimants have been actually under fire..." So it is possible, but very unlikely that he really fought and was wounded if he is not in this list. And there is no George Cannon there.

But...

There is a Charles Cannon. In the 3rd Waikato regiment, 1861-1866.

The thing is, I've recently discovered that George was born as Charles Cannon, and changed his name after a first spell in prison, prior to being transported for a second crime. My grandmother - who knew George's wife, her grandmother - told me his name was Charles. I thought she had made a mistake! (There is no birth record for a George Cannon in Great Berkhamstead, but there is a birth of Charles Cannon, correct birth year and same father's and exact siblings names as on George's convict records. Not 100% clear, but very convincing.)

Of course this Charles Cannon in the militia is not necessarily Charles/George Cannon. Why would he change his name back to Charles just for his military service? There is a military record for this Charles Cannon on ancestry.com but I'm not a member. Is there another way to access it?

[abstraction]

I found in an excerpt from 'Australians in the Waikato War, 1863-1864' (Leonard L Barton 1979) - 1094 Charles Cannon 3 Sep 1863 Sandhurst.
George was married in Launceston, Tas Jul 1863. My grandmother said he went to Bendigo (Sandhurst) twice looking for gold.
Potential motive for joining? They were offering land for those who served. It was potentially an opportunity to get passage to NZ to eventually reach Otago as well.
Possible motive for changing his name back for military service? George Cannon had been a convict - so he may have changed his name to avoid any problems associated with his criminal record.

[spades]

Hi Abstraction,

Given the coincidence of dates and the fact that he was born as Charles CANNON, I think it's very likely to be your man.

Though again, I can't see a medal application file for that name on Archway.

Spades

[abstraction]

Though again, I can't see a medal application file for that name on Archway.

Oh well, thank you for checking.
I noticed there is a cd-rom here in an Australian library:
"Entries in the CD-ROM Nominal and descriptive rolls of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Waikato regiments, 1863-1867 show name, number, date and place of enlistment, place of birth, occupation, age, height and ship to New Zealand and some entries show marital status and discharge date."
I'll see if i can get hold of that.

I saw through your excellent resources that many of this regiment were granted land that turned out to be unfit for farming. At any rate the Cannons had moved to Dunedin by 1865 - at least his wife and first daughter (whose birth record appears nowhere in aust or nz). They ran a boarding house for medical students in Dunedin according to my grandmother. Again, I only suspect but have no evidence that the gold in Otago was part of what drew him down there.

[Beg Clonrode...]

I noticed there is a cd-rom here in an Australian library:
"Nominal and descriptive rolls of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Waikato regiments, 1863-1867

Hello...

These are the only CANNON entries on said CD...

1st Waikato Militia

CANNON, Charles, No 1094, enlisted 3 Sep 1863, Sandhurst, born Burgah, Suffolk, England,
labourer, 41 years, 5ft 8in tall, Caduceus, married, discharged by sub 20 May 1865.

CANNON, William, No 130, enlisted 27 Aug 1863, Melbourne, born Fulham, Middlesex,
England, labourer, 38 years, 5ft 8in tall, Star of India, single.


----

Searching also brings up the following entry for Abraham ABRAHAMS...

ABRAHAMS, Abraham, No 1335, enlisted 20 May 1865, Tauranga, born Stafford, England,
apothecary, 33 years, 5ft 9in tall, sub for 1094 C Cannonn. ?from 2 WR

I'm not sure if the mention of "1094 C.Cannonn" is related to your man or if it's just a reproduction error.

Regards
Beg

[abstraction]

1st Waikato Militia
CANNON, Charles, No 1094, enlisted 3 Sep 1863, Sandhurst, born Burgah, Suffolk, England,
labourer, 41 years, 5ft 8in tall, Caduceus, married, discharged by sub 20 May 1865.

Searching also brings up the following entry for Abraham ABRAHAMS...
ABRAHAMS, Abraham, No 1335, enlisted 20 May 1865, Tauranga, born Stafford, England,
apothecary, 33 years, 5ft 9in tall, sub for 1094 C Cannonn. ?from 2 WR
I'm not sure if the mention of "1094 C.Cannonn" is related to your man or if it's just a reproduction error.

Thank you for saving me a lot of running around. It sounds as though Abrahams was enlisted to replace Cannon. Just one discrepancy - the Charles Cannon records I've seen have him in the 3rd Waikato regiment.

Is the ship's name the ship they travelled to Australia on or to NZ? I know the Caduceus sailed to melbourne and on to NZ.

Overall... this doesn't look like him. Age - he was always lying about his age, so no surprise there.
But he wasn't born in Suffolk. It's not something you would bother lying about. And the height is different from his convict record. I think this is a no.
Oddly - the discharge day is the precise day my Charles/George Cannon's daughter was born. Just coincidence. You can't organise a discharge in a day - even then I imagine.

Well that's a bit of a dead end. If he was really injured in the maori wars as my grandmother told me, he should have been awarded the NZ war medal. It leaves me with a puzzle - why the story if it didn't happen?