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Australians
in the Boer War
Oz-Boer Database Project |
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Full Record
Hint: This site is intended as a search aid - not a definitive source. It is essentially an index to documents that seem to relate to this person plus a very brief precis of relevant elements. Sources often conflict and I also flag things with a ? when I am unsure. So if the information below is important to you, then please check the original sources to see what else they contain (and in case I have inadvertantly introduced transcription and/or precising errors). There can be additional information that was not included in the database for both space and copyright reasons.
| Surname | | DEACON |
| Given Name(s) or Initial(s) | | William Thomas |
| Regimental Number | | |
| Rank | | Major |
| Unit Name | | 4th Queensland Imperial Bushmen |
| State | | Qld |
Extracts and Comments
(from Sources as shown) | |
Murray: OC 19.11.1900-7.8.1901, Mentioned in Despatches London Gazette 16.4 & 7.5.1901 Commander of the Bath, Queen's South Africa medal and 4 clasps.
B5172: c/- Ipswich Qld.
URL1: left East London for Australasia on 7.7.1901 aboard 'Britannic'.
URL2: photo.
URL4: CB LG 19.4.1901.
URL5: As a final word, to-day, the electors of Ipswich may be safely asked to give a solid vole for Major WT DEACON and Mr. AJ STEPHENSON as the two Ministerial candidates for this constituency. Major DEACON is as yet untried in Parliamentary life, but he has given ?12 years to municipal service in his native city, and is well known to the electors. As practically the commander of the Fourth Queensland Contingent in the recent war in South Africa he distinguished himself as a good soldier, and gained Imperial honours of which any man might be proud. It is an open secret that of the whole of the leaders of the colonial contingents on that occasion none were more popular with the men than Major DEACON - a fact which gives a good index to his character.
URL6: MILITARY AND NAVAL REVIEW.
PRESENTATION OF HONOURS. Monday week [c11.1902] was observed as a military holiday in honour of the birthday of his Majesty King Edward, the gala event being a review of the forces by the Governor, Sir Herbert CHERMSIDE, in the Government House Domain, and the presentation by his Excellency of the Insignia of the Co panion of the Bath to those Queensland officers to whom Ii had been awarded for services during the recent war in South Africa. His Excellency inspected the troops, after which they marched past, saluted and returned to their previous position. They then advanced in review order, and again gave the Royal salute, followed by three cheers for the King, at the command of his Excellency. The troops were then formed into three sides of a square, surrounding a table upon which was spread a Union Jack. Upon this were spread a number of sealed and addressed packets bearing the insignia to be presented. Arms were sloped at the command of Lieutenant-Colonel FOXTON, his Excellency dismounted, and the officers to be honoured were drawn up in line before the table. They were Colonel Tom PRICE (Commandant). Major WH TUNBRIDGE, Major Spencer BROWNE, Major Victor SELLHEIM and Major DEACON, to receive the CB and Sergeant-major WA FREEMAN to receive the Medal for Meritorious Service.
URL7: Aust. Boer War Memorial database record.
URL8: Two months ago [c10.1900], when Private PLOWDEN saw him there, he [Major DEACON] was in camp outside Pretoria, having returned to that town for remounts. The men say that Major DEACON has quite distinguished himself as an energetic officer, and that he is very popular.
URL9: Lecture on the Boer War. BY MAJOR DEACON, CB. There was an excellent attendance in the Congregational Sunday-school hall on Thursday night [1.8.1907] to hear a lecture by Major WT Deacon CB on the subject of the Boer war. It will be remembered that Major Deacon was practically in command of the 4th Queensland contingent during the greater part of the time that it operated
in South Africa. ...
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| Source References | |
Murray: Official Records of the Australian Contingents etc. page(s) 476 477 478 479
Fogg: 5th Contingent Qld. Imperial Bushmen in South Africa 1901-02 page(s) 4
B5172: National Archives of Australia series B5172
Syd. Herald : Sydney Morning Herald newspaper date(s) 22.4.1901
Source:# Oz-Boer contributed source number 1352
Carv.Veldt1: Carvings from the Veldt Part 1 by Dave George page(s) 47, 48 & 49
QldTIps.: Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald & General Advertiser newspaper date(s) 4.2.1908
Queenslander: The Queenslander newspaper date(s) 22.11.1902
QldTIps.: Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald & General Advertiser newspaper date(s) 13.12.1900 & 3.8.1907
| | External Link URL1 | | www.angloboerwar.com/Other/shipping/190107.htm | | External Link URL2 | | newspapers.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/18548023 | | External Link URL3 | | www.archives.qld.gov.au/Researchers/CollectionsDownloads/Documents/boer_war_index_id18351.pdf | | External Link URL4 | | nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14360001 | | External Link URL5 | | nla.gov.au/nla.news-article124259297 | | External Link URL6 | | nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21806649 | | External Link URL7 | | bwm.org.au/site/William_Deacon.php | | External Link URL8 | | nla.gov.au/nla.news-article123263315 | | External Link URL9 | | nla.gov.au/nla.news-article124240253 |
Please email me if you can
contribute any other relevant information about this person (eg any
other military service, where in Australia they came from or when/where
they died). Also, if you find an external link broken.
Apology: For some time now it has been difficult to keep up with the newly available sources (especially the Trove newspaper site) plus the flow of contributions and queries. So I have been forced to prioritise maintenance and data entry over replying to correspondence. Nevertheless, your contributions are being added to the database and acknowledged on the contributions page and, although my replies are many months behind, I will attempt to get to them more often.
The
Oz-Boer Database
is copyright and may not be used for any commercial purpose.
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