KING William
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Four line infantry regiments with the numeral 96 were raised and disbanded between 1761 and 1818.A fifth 96th was raised in February 1824 at Salford Barracks, Manchester. It was later allowed to carry the battle honours awarded its predecessor – Peninsular, Egypt and the Sphinx.
Over the next decade, the regiment spent eight years in Halifax, Nova Scotia and two in the West Indies. It then garrisoned in Britain until 1839, when it was tasked with guarding its first of many convict ships bound for Australia. Some of these are profiled on this website’s Ships page.
During the regiment’s time in Australia, the 96th served in Windsor, Sydney and Parramatta, New South Wales; Hobart and Launceston, Van Diemen’s Land; and Adelaide, South Australia. In VDL many of the troops were garrisoned at Port Arthur, the major convict prison. The Anecdotes page of this website will take you to a story of the ‘Military Outrage’ in Launceston in May 1845.
The 96th sent a detachment to New Zealand in 1844 where it remained during the New Zealand Wars until the end of 1846. Again, the Anecdote page will write of the regiment’s missing medal roll.
In February 1847, 111 officers and men arrived in Western Australia on Java from Hobart; a further two arrived on John Bagshaw in January 1849. Thirty seven of the Java men took their discharge and settled in Western Australia; one of them was this man featured on the right. Four of the men transferred to a detachment of the 99th Regiment to receive their final pay.
The 96th in Australia left for India in two waves. In February 1849 General Hewitt left Launceston and then in April the balance left Hobart on Ratcliffe, picking up the 96th detachment from Western Australia on its way to Calcutta.

NAME William KING | Name variations: None encountered. |
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Birth Date and Place | c. 1819 [WO12-9612-155]. |
Baptism Date and Place | |
Marriage Date and Place | |
Spouse | Mary Martha JENKYN. |
Children | Augustus William b.1855 Bunbury, Western Australia [WABDM Reg. #2745]. |
Occupations | |
Land Acquisition in WA | |
Death Date and Place | |
Burial Date and Place | |
Death, Funeral, Obituary Notices | |
Will and Probate | None. |
BRITISH ARMY | |
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Regiment | 96th Regiment of Foot. |
Soldier No. and Rank | #1852 Private. |
Enlistment Date and Place | 2 Dec 1840 Norwich District [WO12-9612-155]. Age 21 years. Bounty paid to recruit £3 5s. 0d. |
Physical Description | Height: 5 ft. 6 ins. |
Medals, Clasps and Badges | None. |
Arrival Australia State: Ship and Date | Prince Regent. Embarked 1 Jul 1841 Gravesend. Dep. 7 Aug 1841 Dublin. Arr. 3 Jan 1842 Hobart. Disembarked 6 Jan 1842 [WO12-9613-234 & DPS]. |
Arrival Western Australia: Ship and Date | Java 24 Feb 1847 from Hobart [WO12-9620-336]. |
Military Postings within Western Australia | Perth HQ 24 Feb to 30 Sep 1847 inc. On Command March, June, August. Perth HQ 1 Oct to 5 Nov 1847 Absent without Leave while on Guard. Perth HQ 6 Nov 1847 to 30 Nov 1848 inc. On Command July, August, October 1848. Kojonup 1 Dec 1848 to 31Mar 1849 – not verified. All sources WO2-9629 TO 9622. Detachment left for India 18 May 1849. Pay Lists WO12-9624 April to Jun 1849 not extant. |
Courts Martial in Western Australia | None. |
Discharge Date and Place | 31 Mar 1849? Discharge details not extant. |
Age at Discharge | c. 30 years – not verified [deduced]. |
Length of Service | c. 7 years 5 months – not verified [deduced]. |