Michael Grace McCue 1832-1916
Port Campbell Cemetery Victoria
Michael Grace MucCue
We have lots of information and a lot of stories about Michael Grace McCue. The following account of his life has been put together from information supplied by his grand daughters, Marjorie Mathieson and Marion Parker, and other family members, as well as details gleaned from documents and rough notes left by John Collins McCue and supplied to me by John’s children, Jeff McCue and Helen Krigsman.
McCue Mick was born at Ballinakill, Leix (pronounced Leash), Ireland, the illegitimate child of Margaret Grace. The date of his birth is uncertain but was possibly 29 September 1831. 3 On Mick's marriage certificate his mother’s name is recorded as Margaret Grace and his father's as John McCue, farmer. On his death certificate his mother is recorded as Margaret McCue nee McDonald and his father as John McCue, with place of birth as Queenstown, Clare. This is confusing. [Death certificates are notoriously inaccurate because the subject is not available to supply the appropriate information about themself!]
When Mick was thirteen he went to sea as a cabin boy. He was in Waterford on 12 April 1849 when he enlisted in the British Army - 41st Welsh Regiment of Foot, whose headquarters at that time were in Cork, Ireland. His number was 2754 and he is described as being 5 feet 6 inches in height and aged 17 years and 9 months. Michael served in the Crimea War (1854-56) at Alma, Sevastopol and lnkerman and claimed to have seen the charge of the Light Brigade. We have the gruesome tale, handed down to his grandchildren, of him lying in wait for the enemy and chopping their heads off with a sword as they came through a narrow pass.
Michael was in lndia at the time of the mutiny in 1857. Other recorded postings included Cephalonia in Greece, 1851, Newcastle, 1861, and Sunderhead, June 1862. He carried the scars of two bullet wounds, one in his arm, the other where a bullet went through his nose and lodged in the roof of his mouth. He was granted a small pension - six pence for each wound, but the frequency of this rate is unknown. Both Marjorie and Jeff tell me there was a silver medal acknowledging the various campaigns Mick served in, but what has happened to this, no one seems to know.
Mick ended his army career in India and was discharged at Agra on 20 January 1867 - good conduct, 1 penny a day - having reached the rank of Quarter-Master Sergeant with his own batman to attend to him. From lndia, Mick migrated to Australia, arriving at Geelong, Victoria from Calcutta aboard the ‘Eldorado‘, on 30 March 1867. He is listed as British Army, aged 35 years. He was known at that time as Michael GRACE.
Source 'The Folk From The Wind Wound Isle' by Margaret Worrall 2004
© 2004 Margaret Dawne Worrall
Published by Marie-Claire Nemec, Whitfield, Cairns
Printing by Cairns Plan Printing Services Pty Ltd,Cairns
Michael Grace McCue 1832-1916
Port Campbell Cemetery Victoria
Michael Grace MucCue
We have lots of information and a lot of stories about Michael Grace McCue. The following account of his life has been put together from information supplied by his grand daughters, Marjorie Mathieson and Marion Parker, and other family members, as well as details gleaned from documents and rough notes left by John Collins McCue and supplied to me by John’s children, Jeff McCue and Helen Krigsman.
McCue Mick was born at Ballinakill, Leix (pronounced Leash), Ireland, the illegitimate child of Margaret Grace. The date of his birth is uncertain but was possibly 29 September 1831. 3 On Mick's marriage certificate his mother’s name is recorded as Margaret Grace and his father's as John McCue, farmer. On his death certificate his mother is recorded as Margaret McCue nee McDonald and his father as John McCue, with place of birth as Queenstown, Clare. This is confusing. [Death certificates are notoriously inaccurate because the subject is not available to supply the appropriate information about themself!]
When Mick was thirteen he went to sea as a cabin boy. He was in Waterford on 12 April 1849 when he enlisted in the British Army - 41st Welsh Regiment of Foot, whose headquarters at that time were in Cork, Ireland. His number was 2754 and he is described as being 5 feet 6 inches in height and aged 17 years and 9 months. Michael served in the Crimea War (1854-56) at Alma, Sevastopol and lnkerman and claimed to have seen the charge of the Light Brigade. We have the gruesome tale, handed down to his grandchildren, of him lying in wait for the enemy and chopping their heads off with a sword as they came through a narrow pass.
Michael was in lndia at the time of the mutiny in 1857. Other recorded postings included Cephalonia in Greece, 1851, Newcastle, 1861, and Sunderhead, June 1862. He carried the scars of two bullet wounds, one in his arm, the other where a bullet went through his nose and lodged in the roof of his mouth. He was granted a small pension - six pence for each wound, but the frequency of this rate is unknown. Both Marjorie and Jeff tell me there was a silver medal acknowledging the various campaigns Mick served in, but what has happened to this, no one seems to know.
Mick ended his army career in India and was discharged at Agra on 20 January 1867 - good conduct, 1 penny a day - having reached the rank of Quarter-Master Sergeant with his own batman to attend to him. From lndia, Mick migrated to Australia, arriving at Geelong, Victoria from Calcutta aboard the ‘Eldorado‘, on 30 March 1867. He is listed as British Army, aged 35 years. He was known at that time as Michael GRACE.
Source 'The Folk From The Wind Wound Isle' by Margaret Worrall 2004
© 2004 Margaret Dawne Worrall
Published by Marie-Claire Nemec, Whitfield, Cairns
Printing by Cairns Plan Printing Services Pty Ltd,Cairns