Lieutenant Richard Hawes MacCarthy, 2nd/4th Regiment

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Lt. R. H. MacCarthy, 2nd Batt., 4th (King’s Own) Regiment.
John Young Collection.

Lieutenant MacCarthy served in the Zulu War and was present at the actions at Hlobane and Khambula. Invalided after the latter action.

Died - having retired with the rank of Major - in St. George, Queensland, Australia, on 3rd August, 1897.

JY

Hi JY

Many thanks for sharing the above with the forum.

Well done Sir

Nice find JY
90TH

Gary,

Your Mission if you care to accept it... find his grave in Queensland!

JY

Don't like my chances ! .
90th

Come on it is only 15 hours drive from you!


JY

90th

Lt MacCarthy -
I recently came into possession of this mans medals from the Ashanti wars and South Africa  (1879)

He was the son of Sir Charles Justin MacCarthy. (1811-1864). The 12th Governor of British Ceylon.

He joined The Kings Own 4th Foot in 1869 as a commissioner officer


To replace the losses that 1st Squadron, Mounted Infantry had sustained at ISandlwana the 2nd Battalion, 4th (The King's Own Royal) Regiment supplied an officer, Lieutenant Richard Hawes MacCarthy and a number of other-ranks
MacCarthy was invalided after Khambula.(Battle of Khambula: 29th March 1879)Two members of 2nd/4th attached to the squadron were wounded in action at Khambula: Private 11th Brigade/31 J. Anderson - slightly wounded and Private 11th Brigade/631 R. Beswick (also recorded as Bestwick) - severely wounded.


Lieutenant MacCarthy served in the Zulu War and was present at the actions at Hlobane and Khambula. Invalided after the latter action.

Died - having retired with the rank of Major - in St. George, Queensland, Australia, on 3rd August, 1897.

2/4th Foot at Hlobane/Kambula   South Africa
The 2/4th , were responsible for Garrison , and escort duties on the lines of Communication and March etc etc . A couple of Co's were involved in the blowing up of the caves near Intombe in Sept , these were the Caves used by Manyanyoba and his followers , 2 members of the 2/ 4th were killed in this operation , these two men Sgt Maj Smith & Cpl Pomfrett were the last casualties of the Zulu War

There is a PHOTO of Macarthy in Ian Knight osprey Book the zulu war. Elite od Men at arms i can’t remember which

Cheers ciroferrara

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Richard Hawes MacCarthy

Birth: 25th March 1849

Death:3rd Aug 1897 (aged 48) St George, Balonne Shire, Queensland, Australia

Burial : St. George General Cemetery
Saint George, Balonne Shire, Queensland, Australia

Memorial ID 49820586

Mac & Shad states that McCarthy was present at Kambula after which he was invalided and replaced i/c IMI by Capt. Hutchinson, also 4th Regt.

John Young wrote:

Your Mission if you care to accept it... find his grave in Queensland! JY

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St. George General Cemetery
St George, Balonne Shire, Queensland, Australia


Andy

Andy,

Well done.

I can’t see why 90th couldn’t have done that, he’s alway flitting around in Queensland.

JY

Thanks John Young, what an interesting family member Richard Hawes MacCarthy is.  He served as Aide-de-camp, to a very controversial Governor of Queensland, William Cairns, in 1876. Mr Cairns never married, and surrounded himself with unmarried men, sacking all his female staff. Richard arrived back in Queensland by 1894, and gave some lectures at the United Service Institution.  His great uncle was Isambard Kingdom Brunel, probably known to those in UK, as a great builder.  He was 4th cousin to my husband, more distantly to myself.   His brother Charles Philip MacCarthy went to Cambridge, and served at the bombing of Alexandria.  Unfortunately not one person thought about his passing, in Australian newspapers, and the two papers delivered by him referred to his thoughts on South Africa and the Jamieson raid.   St George is a very isolated place, in those days, a huge sheep grazing area.

Krish,

How interesting.

When I can I will dig out the group photograph I have him in.

JY

Just to add a bit more of Richard's history he returned to India, with his Regiment, and was present at the 4th Ashantee War, and Jamieson Raids.  He died while visiting Noordoo a remote sheep station near Dirranbandi in Outback Queensland.  His death was reported as Major McCarthy.  I just cannot work out how he was able to leave his Regiment in India, and become Aide-de-Camp to Queensland Governor, in 1876, then return to his Regiment, and serve in Zulu War then go back to India  The Governor was a Civil Servant in India, and no doubt served with his father. In 1897 he indicated he served 16 years in India with his Regiment, and then perhaps must have retired.