Henry Miller (British Army officer) facts for kids
Henry Miller (1785–1866) was an important British Army officer. He is best known as the first leader, or commandant, of the Moreton Bay penal colony in Queensland, Australia. A penal colony was a place where people who had committed crimes were sent to live and work.
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Early Life and Army Start
Henry Miller was born in 1785 in Derry, Ireland. His father was a clergyman. Henry joined the army when he was very young, at just 14 years old, in 1799. He became an ensign in the 40th Regiment of Foot. About ten years later, he got married. His oldest son, also named Henry Miller, was born in Derry in 1809.
Serving in Wars
Miller's regiment, the 40th, fought under the famous Duke of Wellington in Europe. This was during the Peninsular War. In 1812, Miller was part of a tough battle to capture a place called Ciudad Rodrigo. Many soldiers were lost in this fight.
After that, Miller and his regiment crossed the Atlantic Ocean. They were involved in an attack on New Orleans in 1815, which was not successful. Their commanding officer was killed there.
Miller then returned to Europe. He was present at the very famous Battle of Waterloo. This battle was his last time serving in a war. For his bravery, he received several medals, including the Peninsular medal and the Waterloo Medal. After the war, his family joined him in Paris.
Moreton Bay Penal Colony
After the Battle of Waterloo, Great Britain focused more on its growing empire. In 1823, Miller's regiment was ordered to go to New South Wales in Australia. Lieutenant Miller and his family traveled there.
The governor, Sir Thomas Brisbane, decided that only married officers with families should lead the new settlements. So, on 12 September 1824, Lieutenant Henry Miller was officially chosen to start the Moreton Bay penal colony. However, he had already arrived there a few months earlier from Sydney on a ship called the Amity.
Life at the Moreton Bay colony was very basic at first. There were no proper buildings, only simple huts. The only way to connect with other places was when a ship arrived from Sydney. It was in these early days that Miller's wife gave birth to a son. He was named Charles Moreton Miller. He was the first European child born at Moreton Bay, making him the first person born in what is now Queensland.
Henry Miller stayed at Moreton Bay for about 18 months. Then, another officer from the 40th Regiment, Captain Peter Bishop, took over as commandant.
Life in Van Diemen's Land
After leaving Moreton Bay, Henry Miller returned to Sydney. From there, he moved to Van Diemen's Land, which is now called Tasmania. In 1828, his regiment went to India, but Captain Miller stayed in Hobart. He took on a new role with the army's supply department.
His oldest son, Henry, was 15 when his father was at Moreton Bay. This son later worked in Hobart. However, he eventually moved to a new settlement called Port Phillip. He became a very important person in the city of Melbourne.
Later Life and Legacy
Henry Miller's first wife passed away in Hobart in 1840. In 1842, Captain Miller married again to Miss McQueen.
Henry Miller died in Hobart on 10 January 1866. His second wife died much later, in 1891. She is buried in Hobart with her son, Ernest George Miller. Over time, Captain Miller's own grave in Hobart fell into disrepair.
