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In 1809, the 73rd was ordered to accompany its Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Lachlan Macquarie to the colony of New
South Wales, to relieve the NSW Corps. The Battalion embarked on the 8th May 1809, at Yarmouth, in the Isle of Wight, on board
HM ships "Hindustan" and "Dromedary" and sailed from St Helens on the 25th of that month. The fleet touched
at Madeira, Port Praya, Rio Janeiro and at the Cape of Good Hope and anchored at Port Jackson, New South Wales on 28th December
1809.
Due to unfavourable winds the "Hindustan" and "Dromedary" were forced to wait until proceeding up
the harbour to Sydney Cove. The 73rd landed at Sydney on the 1st January 1810, and detachments were sent out in the course
of the following two months to Newcastle, Parramatta, Derwent (Hobart Town), Norfolk Island and Port Dalrymple. There were
a number of men from the 102nd Regt who volunteered to join the 73rd so they could stay in the Colony. With these volunteers
the 73rd was brought up to 1000 rank and file.
On the 25th March 1810 a Veteran Company was attached to the 73rd, made up of volunteers from the New South Wales Corps
(102nd Regt) who were over 35 years old and/or had 20 years or more military service. The Veteran Company consisted of 1 Captain,
2 Lieutenants, 1 Ensign, 5 Sergeants, 2 Drummers, 5 Corporals, 95 Privates. Their uniform was identical to the 73rd except
for blue facings. While the Regiment was stationed in Australia it assisted Governor Macquarie in cleaning up the corruption
left after the Rum Rebellion, participating in many civil engineering projects including building many roads in and around
Sydney and the other settlements.
Today there is a small monument on the corner of Clovelly St and Marine Pde at Watsons Bay which commemorates the building
of the road from Sydney by 21 soldiers of the 73rd Regiment. The inscription reads:-
"This Road made By Subscription Was compleated in 10 Weeks from the 25 of march 1811 By 21 Soldiers of His Majesty
73 Reghtment"
Note: the spelling is as it appears on the monument.
Other duties performed by the 73rd were:- supervising convict work parties, policing duties, hunting down bushrangers
and providing for the colony's defence. They also formed the nucleus of the first mounted police force. This force consisted
of; 1 Sergeant, 1 Corporal and 6 Privates. Officers of the 73rd also organized the first Horse races in Australia. After 4
years of garrison life with no real chances for military glory, unfortunately boredom and isolation caused a number of incidents
that soured the relationship between the 73rd and Governor Macquarie.
The Officers of the 73rd refused to associate with former convicts although they were no angels themselves. Macquarie
was forced to remove Lieutenant Murray from his position as Commandant of Hobart Town when it was discovered that Murray had
been using labour gangs to build his mansion instead of road building. Major Gordon suffered a similar but more humiliating
fate. An Irish Pirate arrived and promptly accused Gordon of crimes against the government. Astonished at being found out
Gordon allowed himself to be arrested, tried and sentenced to be shot by the pirate. In the nick of time a young Subaltern
threw the Irish pirate out threatening to blow his ship out of the water if he ever returned. Gordon was released by this
junior officer then Court Marshalled for pusillanimity.
The final straw came for Macquarie when two lieutenants, A. MacNaughton and P. Connor were given extremely light sentences
for the murder of a settler by a blatantly unsound Courts Martial. Macquarie requested that the 73rd be replaced by another
line regiment, but before the request could be sent an order arrived from England to embark the 73rd for the island of Ceylon.
This took place in 1814 on HM ships "Earl Spencer", "General Hewitt" and "Windham". Prior to
the embarkation of the 73rd from New South Wales, Governor Macquarie stated in General Orders. that:-
"On the occasion of parting with the first battalion of the Seventy Third Regiment His Excellency Major-General Macquarie,
the Governor and Commander of the Forces in this territory, cannot fail to express the warm feelings of interest he takes
in the corps, which he has commanded for six years; and to assure them, that no additional prosperity or honour, to which
they may be entitled, in the part of the world where they are now destined to serve, and where they have already obtained
so large a portion of well earned fame, can exceed his sanguine wishes and expectations. This station has not afforded the
usual field for military glory; but in as far as the industrious exertions of those non-commissioned officers and privates,
who could be spared from military duty, have been exerted, this colony is much indebted for many useful improvements, which
but for the soldiers of the Seventy Third Regiment, must have remained only in contemplation of those anxious for its civilization
for a length of time, and the Major-General cannot doubt but that the comforts enjoyed by the colonists, in consequence of
the zealous and laborious exertions of the soldiers of the Seventy Third Regiment, will be long remembered with grateful recollections..."
HMS Earl Spencer departed Sydney Cove 14th January 1814 with the following on board:- · Major G A Gordon · Captain Haddon
Smith · Captain John Pike · Lieutenant A McNaughton · Lieutenant M Murphy · Lieutenant T Atkins · Lieutenant P Connor · Lieutenant
D Wentworth · Ensign G A Pook · Assistant Surgeon George Martin · 15 Sergeants · 5 Drummers · 15 Corporals · 311 Privates
· 49 Women · 77 Children
HMS General Hewitt departed Sydney Cove 29th March 1814 with the following on board:- · Lieutenant Colonel M C O'Connell
· Major H J Cameron · Captain A Coane · Lieutenant W Raymond · Lieutenant A Greenshields · Lieutenant H Holmes · Lieutenant
G Dawson · Paymaster I Birch · Adjutant F Edgar · Surgeon J Carter · 23 Sergeants · 10 Drummers · 20 Corporals · 309 Privates
· 96 Women · 163 Children
HMS Windham departed Sydney Cove 4th April 1814 with the following on board:- · Lieutenant Colonel A Geils · Captain W
Kenny · Assistant Surgeon J M Dermott · 4 Sergeants · 1 Drummer · 6 Corporals · 94 Privates · 28 Women · 61 Children
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