INNIS George

  1. Home
  2. /
  3. Redcoat Index
  4. /
  5. Redcoats G – M
  6. /
  7. INNIS George
George Innes
North Briton Convict Ship
James (sic) Innes on Ship’s Sick List (last entry)
Army Discharge with Gratuity [WO28-266-165]
St John’s Church, Adelaide
Innes’s promotion from Corporal to Sergeant of Police [SA Weekly Chronicle 15 Sep 1866]
Brecknock Hotel, King William Street, Adelaide before early 20th century renovations
The Advertiser 3 Nov 1902
George Innes’s Last Will and Testament
NAME: George INNISName variations: Innes
Birth Date and Placec. 1823, Fife, Scotland [Obituary].
Baptism Date and Place
Marriage Date and Place22 Aug 1854 St John’s Church, Adelaide [SABDM Book 21, p.276].
SpouseMary Ann HARPER d. 1887 [SABDM Book 165, Page 50].
ChildrenMargaret b.1855 Adelaide, South Australia [SABDM Book 5, Page 181].
Daughter stillborn.
Mary Ann (Marian) b.1857 Adelaide, South Australia [SABDM Book 11, Page 189].
George b.1859 Adelaide, South Australia [SABDM Book 15, Page 262].
Jane Ambrosine b.1862 Adelaide, South Australia [SABDM Book 20, Page 426].
John Charles b.1865 Adelaide, South Australia [SABDM Book 33, Page 388].
Edith Letitia b.1869 Adelaide, South Australia [SABDM Book 55, Page 406].
Occupations in South AustraliaGoldminer c. 1852 to 1854 – not verified.
SA Police July 1855 to Dec 1888 [APJ 1985].
Publican Brecknock Hotel Dec 1888 to Nov 1900 [Chris Ward].
Land Acquisition in WANone.
Death Date and Place2 Nov 1902, 150 Hutt Street, Young Ward, Adelaide, South Australia [SABDM Book 290 p.55].
Cause of Death: Senile decay [SABDM Book 290, Page 35].
Burial Date and Place3 Nov 1902 West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide, South Australia.
Location Plan 3, Area 51, Row B, Site 105 (as of 17 Aug 1822) [Chris Ward].
Undertaker: H Knabe of Pengelley & Knabe. Interred with wife Mary Ann and Letitia Harper, mother-in-law.
Death, Funeral, Obituary NoticesThe Advertiser 3 Nov 1902.
Will and ProbateWill: 9 Apr 1901 Witnessed by: John James Rooney and C R Shepherd.
Probate: 29 Nov 1902, Supreme Court of South Australia [SASRO No. 8926-1902].
BRITISH ARMY
Regiment99th (Lanarkshire) Regiment.
Soldier No. and Rank#1346 Private.
Enlistment Date and Place6 Dec 1839 Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland [APJ 1985].
Physical DescriptionHeight: 5 ft. 8 ins. [APJ 1985].
Medals, Clasps and BadgesGood Conduct Badge 1d. per diem 1 Jan 1850 [WO12-9813-90].
Good Conduct Badge 2d. per diem 30 Jun 1852 [WO12-9817-128].
Arrival Australia: Ship and DateNorth Briton. Dep. 14 Nov 1842 Deptford, London for Dublin.
Dep. 20 Dec 1842 Dublin, Ireland; Arr. 4 Apr 1843 Hobart, VDL.
Dep. 15 Apr 1843 Hobart, VDL; Arr. 20 Apr 1843 Sydney, NSW [WO12-9806-5 & DPS].
Arrival Western Australia: Ship and DateRatcliffe 7 Apr 1849 embarked 4 Mar 1849 Adelaide, SA [WO12-9811-289 & TROVE].
Military Postings within Western AustraliaPerth HQ 7 Apr 1849 to 30 Apr 1849.
York 1 May to 30 Sep 1849.
Perth HQ 1 Oct 1849 to 31 Aug 1850.
Sharks Bay 1 Sep to 30 Sep 1850.
Champion Bay 1 Oct to 31 Dec 1850.
Sharks Bay 1 Jan to 28 Feb 1851.
Perth HQ 1 Mar to 30 Apr 1851.
Fremantle 1 May to 30 Sep 1851.
Perth HQ 1 Oct 1851 30 Jun 1852.
[All Sourcing WO12-9813 TO 9817].
Courts Martial in Western AustraliaNone.
Discharge Date and Place30 Jun 1852 [WO12-9817-137].
Free Discharge with gratuity £9 2s. 6d. [WO28-266-165].
Age at Dischargec. 29 years [deduced].
Length of Service12 years 291 days [APJ 1985].

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

George Innes was shown in many records throughout his army career in Australia as INNIS. In seeking his record of birth and/or baptism in Fife, I found him in many sources recorded as George Innes born 12 Sep and baptised 23 Sep 1821 in Kingsbarns, Fife, son of Alexander Innes and Ann Dougal.  I can categorically state that this is not Private George Innes/Innis, the subject of this profile. George Innes born in 1821 was a seaman who attained his Mate’s Certificate of Service after 16 years in the British Merchant Service Coasting and Foreign Trade. I have the document to prove it [Ticket No. 170.966].

Twelve months prior to arriving in Western Australia, George Innes was on detachment with his regiment in Port Phillip, NSW.  Within just over two years it would be part of the new Colony of Victoria.  George then embarked on 18 Sep 1848 on a ship to Adelaide, landing on 8 Oct 1848.  He spent almost five months in Adelaide before embarking on Ratcliffe, 4 Mar 1849. After 28 days on board, he arrived in Western Australia with 107 officers and men of his regiment. Eighteen men from 96th Regiment either transferred or attached to the 99th awaiting discharge. A few arrived later from the regiment in eastern Australia, bringing up the complement of the 99th Regiment in the Colony to 129 men.

Sometime after his discharge from the Army in 1852, George went back to Victoria – by which time gold fever had enveloped the Colony.  George tried his luck in the goldfields for a time, before making his way back to Adelaide, the city in which he had served four years earlier.

George Innes was a success story – a rank and file soldier who served his ‘old country’ well, and made a large contribution to the new country of his choosing.  There is much more to George Innes than this profile and this can be found in an article by Chief Superintendent W B Budd Q.P.M. of the South Australian Police which appeared in the October to December edition, 1985 pp.122-124 of the Australian Police Journal.

 

Acknowledgements
Robert Innes, great-great-grandson of George Innes, who has done a great deal of research for which I am grateful to have shared.
Donna Hargreaves, Australian Police Journal, who very promptly sent me a copy of the journal article referenced here.
Chris Ward, who once again enthusiastically assisted in identifying burial locations in West Terrace Cemetery, South Australia.
And finally, I would like to thank the Innes family member who kindly contributed the photograph (right) to this website.

 

 

Diane Oldman 2022