William Littlejohn O'Halloran (5 May 1806 – 15 July 1885) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer and public servant in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

Early life and army

O'Halloran was born in Ireland on 5 May 1806(or born at

Berhampore Berhampore (, ) is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. As of 2011 census, Berhampore urban agglomeration had a population of 305,609 and is the seventh largest city in West Bengal (after Kolkata, Asansol, Siliguri, D ...

, India, and came to England in 1811) the son of Major-General Sir

Joseph O'Halloran Joseph O'Halloran Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, GCB (13 August 1763 – 3 November 1843) was a major-general in the East India Company. Background O'Halloran was the youngest son of Sylvester O'Halloran, born in county Limerick, Ir ...

, G.C.B., a grandson of Irish surgeon

Sylvester O'Halloran Sylvester O'Halloran (31 December 1728 – 11 August 1807) was an Irish surgeon with an abiding interest in Gaelic poetry and history. For most of his life he lived and practised in Limerick, and was later elected a member of the Royal Iri ...

, and brother of

Thomas Shuldham O'Halloran Thomas Shuldham O'Halloran (25 October 1797 – 16 August 1870) was the first Police Commissioner and first Police Magistrate of South Australia. Early life O'Halloran was born in Berhampore (now Baharampur) India, the second of eight sons of ...

. He entered the army as ensign in the

14th Foot The West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) (14th Foot) was an infantry regiment of the British Army. In 1958 it amalgamated with the East Yorkshire Regiment (15th Foot) to form the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire which was, on ...

in 1823 (or 11 January 1824), and after brilliant service in India, particularly at the siege and storming of

Bhurtpore Bharatpur is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, south of India's capital, New Delhi, from Rajasthan's capital Jaipur, west of Agra of Uttar Pradesh and from Mathura of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Bharatp ...

, Bengal (medal), obtaining his lieutenancy in action. In April 1827 he exchanged into the 38th regiment; served on the staff, with his brother, Major T. S. O'Halloran, of his father at

Saugor Sagar is a city, municipal corporation and administrative headquarter in Sagar district of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Situated on a spur of the Vindhya Range, above sea-level. The city is around northeast of state capital ...

, Central India; and was employed on recruiting service in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

from 1832 to 1834. In the latter year he embarked for

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

with a detachment of the 50th regiment. Thence he sailed for

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

, joined the 38th regiment at Chinsorah in 1835, and accompanied it to England in 1836. He obtained his company by purchase on 29 December 1837, and retired from the army in April 1840.

South Australia

O'Halloran emigrated to the

colony of South Australia In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...

, arriving in

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...

in August 1840 aboard the barque

Lalla Rookh ''Lalla Rookh'' is an Oriental romance by Irish poet Thomas Moore, published in 1817. The title is taken from the name of the heroine of the frame tale, the (fictional) daughter of the 17th-century Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The work consis ...

. In August 1841 he was appointed a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

, appointed a member of the Audit Board in 1843, and subsequently became private secretary to Governor Sir

George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Go ...

, and clerk of the Executive Council. He was appointed Auditor-General, in succession to Francis Singleton, in 1851, and held the position till 1868, when he finally retired from the public service.

Family and later life

O'Halloran married in 1831 Eliza Minton, daughter of John Montague Smyth. They had two daughters and three sons, the eldest of whom,

Joseph Sylvester O'Halloran Joseph Sylvester O'Halloran, (28 March 1842 – 29 January 1920) was Secretary of the Royal Colonial Institute 1883 to 1909. Career in Australia O'Halloran was born at Adelaide, South Australia, was the son of Captain William Littlejohn O'Hall ...

was secretary to the Royal Colonial Institute. He died on 15 July 1885.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ohalloran, William Littlejohn 1806 births 1885 deaths Settlers of South Australia Australian Anglicans Australian people of Irish descent West Yorkshire Regiment officers