Place born: Dorah, Tipperary, Ireland
Date born: 1828
Date died: JUN 1909 • Birr
Social class: Agricultural labourer/tenant farmer
Born: 1828, Doirah/Dorragh/Dorah, Tipperary
Immediate context when growing up: The Great Famine between 1845 and 1852. Thomas would have been 17 in 1845 began and was 18 when he joined the British Army.
Army Career:
In 1846 Thomas joined the British Army, he was aged 18 and initially joined the 16th Foot, then went on to join the 5th Foot of the Duke of Northumberland Fusiliers. Below there are selected pieces of text which refer to the 5th Foot, the Foot and the fusiliers – in all cases, in this context, that means the 5th Foot of the Duke of Northumberland Fusiliers. This regiment were ‘special’. They were forward thinking in their treatment of the soldiers (still shockingly basic and harsh to us) in the sense that they rewarded good behaviour via an annual Good Conduct medal which brought rewards with it. This at a time when the army lost a lot of its men through physical punishment and through neglect of various kinds. The Fusiliers also received a Pension after 21 years service. Thomas was a ‘Chelsea Pensioner’ at a time well before the welfare state of modern Ireland, these guys could join up at 18, leave the army at 40-ish and be comparatively wealthy back in the areas they came from.
The Fusiliers had a fearsome history of battles, from the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland, the American Revolution, the wars with France fought all over the Americas and the west indies. The Peninsula Wars with Spain (The regiment fought in the Battle of Roliça and the Battle of Vimeiro in August 1808, the Battle of Corunna in January 1809, the Battle of Bussaco in September 1810, the Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo in January 1812, the Battle of Badajoz in April 1812, the Battle of Salamanca in July 1812, the Battle of Vitoria in June 1813, the Battle of Nivelle in November 1813, the Battle of Orthez in February 1814 and in the Battle of Toulouse in April 1814.) and the siege of Gibraltar.
They were a white feather with a red stripe, the stripe signifying French blood into which the feathers had been dipped. It was at the memorable defence it made on the Vigie, St Lucia that the 5th obtained its white feathers (now generally worn for ornament by most of the army) “for the French, having attacked three times in columns, were as often repulsed, and at last went off, and abandoned the enterprise leaving so many killed and wounded on the ground, that the feathers of their caps were sufficient to accommodate and mark every man who had gallantly defended this little post.”
(Military Library or Journal Vol II 1799-1801 ISSUE 18 pp 193-197-continued from p.85)
And so – well before Thomas joined, this regiment was one of the most decorated in the British Army. There is an excellent account of the period of Thomas service in the St Georges Journal (a link is given below). I only summarise here. Upon joining he was initially based in Ireland, then moved to Mauritius where he spent 7 years. We should remember all transportation was by timber ships at the time and it would have taken months and been dangerous. Ships were still grounded or wrecked at this time.
Mauritius
(French: République de Maurice), is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) off the southeast coast of the African continent. The country includes the island of Mauritius, Rodrigues[560 kilometres (350 mi) east], and the outer islands (Agaléga, St. Brandon and two disputed territories). The islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues (172 km (107 mi) southwest) form part of the Mascarene Islands, along with nearby Réunion, a French overseas department. The area of the country is 2,040 km2. The capital and largest city is Port Louis.
Mauritius
The British used the Island to grow sugar and to control trade in the Indian Ocean. The Fusiliers were present to ensure the island remained under the control of the British Empire. Several European countries would have valued Mauritius as a base for their own trade. After 7 years on the Island, the Fusiliers were moved to Singapore. While they were en-route, their ship was called to India, where a mutiny had started and was spreading fast throughout the huge colony. The Fusiliers were to relieve British subjects and to suppress the mutiny. It was 1857 and their destination was the besieged fort at Lucknow – it would become one of the most infamous chapters in the mutiny. Thomas would be injured in the thigh on the day the siege ended – November 16, 1857. But he continued in service long after that.
Thomas left the army on 8 September 1866. He returned to Ireland and married Margaret Killackey, they had several children – see below and lived in Birr, Banagher, Kings County. This started an association with Banagher which lasted the next few Killackey generations. You can read more about the amazing army career of Thomas in the St Georges Gazette which covers his period of service. Amazing sea voyages, shark infested waters, battle after battle across India and after the mutiny was put down there was some brief respite when the ‘men’ were taken on a tiger hunting expedition riding on elephants. Then on up into what is now Afghanistan to chase the remaining rebels. This is where the Fusiliers adapted their approach to the mountainous terrain. Whatever we think about imperialism and killing tigers he had a truly extraordinary life. Escaping the Famine and returning in his early forties with a Chelsea Pension for life and enough stories and medals to fill the remaining years. He had the Good conduct Badge, The Indian Mutiny medal with the Clasps for ‘defence’ and ‘relief’ of Lucknow.
His conduct record 1st paragraph states his conduct was very good. He has several good conduct badges. This means he never failed to follow direct orders in battle - and that was what was really valued in the British Army at that time. His name appeared in the defaulters book 9 times and that could be for minor errors like not having correctly polished boots etc. He never appeared before Court Martial. Many people did, around 10,000 soldiers each year. Rarely was anyone actually removed from the army and court martial in Victoria’s ary was very different (I mention that as some other ancestors were subject to several corut martials but were retained anyway – as they followed orders in battle etc).
