LENEHAN, Robert William
| Service Numbers: | Not yet discovered |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Major |
| Last Unit: | Bushveldt Carbineers (BVC) |
| Born: | Petersham, New South Wales, Australia, 16 August 1865 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | St Ignatious College, Riverview, New South Wales |
| Occupation: | Solicitor |
| Died: | Liver cirrhosis, Private Hosptial, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 20 May 1922, aged 56 years |
| Cemetery: |
Field Of Mars Cemetery, Ryde, NSW |
| Memorials: |
Boer War Service
| 1 Oct 1899: | Involvement Captain, 1st New South Wales Mounted Rifles | |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Jan 1901: | Embarked Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Captain, 1st New South Wales Mounted Rifles, SS Moravian, Sydney | |
| 22 Feb 1902: | Discharged Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Major, Bushveldt Carbineers (BVC), Following Court-Martial returned to Australia as a civilian under Martial Law. | |
| 25 Feb 1902: | Embarked Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, SS Aberdeen, Cape Town for return to Australia - arriving Melbourne 25 March 1902. |
Help us honour Robert William Lenehan's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Kathleen Bambridge
Son of Henry nad Mrs. M.L. Lenehan, of Egeorge Street, Marrickville, NSW
He was a Major in the South African war and was there made the scapegoat for the incident of which he claimed that he was entirley innocent. The detachment of Bushvelt Carbineers, under Lieutenant Morant, captured a Boer and made him appear before a court martial. Morant had no right to do this. The prisoner was shot, then a missionary hearing of this started travelling to Pretoria to report these action, he was shot by Lt Hancock. Morant, Hancock a Canadian and a Victorian were tried by court-martial and were found guilty. The Canadian and the Victorian were spared while Morant and Hancock were shot. All this time Lenehan was more than 100 miles from the Portuguess border, where the Carbineers had been working, and he knew nothing of the incident. But he was the officer commaning, and when it was all over, he was sent for by Lord Kitchener and reprimanded, discredited, and sent back to Australia. Kitchener would listen to no defence. He tried to get the case reopened but failed. This decision stopped him from serving in the Great War. Instead he was given for a time , command of the Menagle Light Horse Camp. Colonel Lenchan 57 died in a private hospital in Sydney 1922.
Click images to start slideshow.