ABSTRACT
Thomas McKiernan was born in Granard, County Longford, Ireland in 1838. His father, a fairly comfortable tenant farmer, died when he was two, and he was raised by his mother. Against her wishes, McKiernan enlisted in February 1853, joining the 3rd Regiment of Foot (the Buffs). He wanted to see action, however, so in 1854 he transferred to the 50th Regiment of Foot (the Queen’s Own) who were about to be sent to the Crimea. McKiernan fought throughout this war, and subsequently served with his regiment in Ceylon, New Zealand, and Australia, before returning to Britain in 1869. He rose to the rank of colour sergeant, but as the excerpt below indicates, he had to transfer to the militia after his wife died, in order to care for his children. Subsequently, he worked in both the Convict Service and Customs, before becoming a drill instructor for the Rifle Volunteer Corps until 1888.
