Frederick Chidley Irwin

Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Chidley Irwin, KH (22 March 1794 – 31 March 1860) was acting Governor of Western Australia from 1832 to 1833 and 1847 to 1848.

Born in 1794 in Drogheda, Ireland, Frederick Chidley Irwin was the son of Reverend James Irwin and Elizabeth Chamney.

In 1808, he was commissioned into the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot. He saw service in Spain and Portugal, and took part in several major battles of the Peninsular War (1807-1814), for which he was awarded a medal. In 1816-17 he was stationed in Cape of Good Hope, and later in Ceylon. states:He entered the army on 25 March 1808 and served in the Peninsula from April 1809 to February 1814 including the capture of Oporto, battles of Talavera and Fuentes D'Onor, siege and storm of Cuidad Rodrigo, siege of Badajoz and capture of the castle by escalade, on the 7th April, 1812, battle of Salamanca, capture of Madrid and the Retiro, battles of Bittoria and the Pyrenees, besides various affairs and skirmishes on the advance and retreat of the army.

He also served the Kandyan campaigns in 1817 and 1818 in Ceylon.

Swan River colony The Foundation of Perth. F.C. Irwin to the right of the Governor.First meeting of the Legislative Council In 1828, the British government decided to establish a colony on the western coast of Australia, and a cousin of Irwin's, James Stirling, was appointed its first Lieutenant-Governor. Irwin was subsequently sent to the colony as a major in command of a detachment of the 63rd Regiment of Foot, whose mission was to protect and help establish the colony. He arrived with his men on board HMS Sulphur in June 1829 after a journey of three and a half months.

Irwin's position as officer commanding the troops afforded him the further position of Vice Chairman of the Legislative Council appointed by Stirling in January 1831. At this time most pressing issue was conflict with the Noongar Wadjuk people of the Swan Valley. After settlers were killed, including two men at Bull's Creek in April 1833, Irwin's executive council declared Yagan, Midgegooroo (Yagan's father and a Noongar leader), and Munday outlaws, placing a bounty on their capture "dead or alive." While there, he published The State and Position of Western Australia, the first published account of the colony. It provided an overview of the region's geography, the condition of the settlers, and local Indigenous populations intended to guide future emigrants. He also married Mary Russel(l) on 13 July 1834 in Strachan, Kincardineshire, Scotland. She died five weeks later on 26 August 1834 and they had no children.

While in the United Kingdom he also sought religious assistance for the colony. The Western Australian Missionary Society, formed in part by Irwin , appointed the Reverend Dr Louis Giustiniani to establish a Moravian-style mission. He arrived on Addingham on 26 June 1836.

Irwin's second marriage was to Elizabeth Courthope. They married on 28 December 1836 at Saint Clement Danes, Westminster, London. She was a sister of the auditor-general of Western Australia, Edward Lane Courthope. Irwin and Courthope had at least twelve children, nine of which who lived to adulthood. The Medal includes nine bars or clasps representing the battles in which Irwin fought. It was purchased from Sotheby's London for the equivalent of just over $AUD10,000 while on his second disastrous exploration expedition along the Western Australian coast.

The Irwin Army Barracks (originally the Irwin Training Centre) in Karrakatta were ceremonially named on 5 December 1948 in recognition of his place in Western Australia's military history as the first military commandant. Prior to this, the area was known as Karrakatta Camp and was set-aside as a military training area by the Western Australian Colonial Government in 1895.

In 1991 the Frederick Irwin Anglican School (originally Frederick Irwin Anglican Community School) was opened and named in honour of his contributions to Western Australia.

The Shire of Irwin, and Irwin Streets in Perth's central business district, Fremantle, and Leeming also all pay tribute to Frederick Irwin. There is also Irwin Street in Yarralumla, ACT.

A commemorative plaque was erected during the State's 150th anniversary at St George's Terrace that reads "1840 Major Frederick Chidley Irwin Commandant".

Descendants +Frederick Courthope Irwin • Lieutenant of the British army • Born 31 Jan 1838, at sea (baptised Perth, WA, Aus) • Died 24 Aug 1861, Nasirabad, India — died of cholera aged 23James Chamney Irwin • Born 9 Jul 1839, Guildford, WA, Aus • Married Mary Keeling (details unknown) • Died 9 Sep 1877, Wycheproof, VictoriaJohn Langhorne Irwin • Born 5 Apr 1841, WA, Aus • Married Mary Maloney; children: Emma Langhorne Irwin, Frederick Chidley Irwin • Died 12 Apr 1882, Echuca, VictoriaSydney Graves Irwin • Born 1843, Upper Swan, WA, Aus • Died 6 Mar 1847, Perth, WA — meningitis, aged 4Emma Jane Irwin • Born 1845, Upper Swan, WA, Aus • Married Rev. John Julius Baker, 1867, England; children: George Frederick Baker, Dr Clement John Baker, Caroline Elizabeth Baker, Arthur William Baker, Mabel Emma Baker, Sophy Conyers Baker, Francis Sidney Baker • Died 24 May 1923, Hawthorn, Sussex, Eng — resided in Little Hallingbury, Essex until husband's death, then moved to SussexAndrew Clarke Irwin • East India Merchant • Born 1846, WA, Aus • Married Anna Julia Baker, 1875, India (sister of Rev. J J Baker); children: Sidney Conyers Irwin, Guy Irwin, George Chidley Irwin, John Langhorne Irwin, Margaret Sophy Irwin, Elizabeth Julia Irwin, Margaret Emma Faith Irwin • Died 20 Feb 1902, Edmonton, Middlesex, EngSidney Thomas Irwin • Schoolmaster • Born 1848, WA, Aus • Never married • Raised his niece Margaret after her parents died • Died 8 Sep 1911, Bristol, EngElizabeth Mary Irwin • Born 1849, Henley Brook, WA, Aus • Married Frederick Haller Stevens, 1886, England — Stevens was a mathematics teacher who worked with Sidney Irwin • Died 12 Jul 1926, Bristol, EngHarriet Frances Irwin • Born 8 Jul 1851, Perth, WA, Aus • Never married • Died 29 Apr 1915, Bristol, EngMargaret Ellen Irwin • Born Apr 1853, Perth, WA, Aus • Died 22 Nov 1853, Perth, WA, Aus — aged 7 monthsArthur William Irwin • Born Jun 1854, Eng • Died 29 Nov 1854, Bath, Somerset, Eng — aged 5 monthsEmily Agnes Irwin • Born Apr 1857, Eckington, Worcestershire, Eng • Married Thomas Hastings Henry Crossley, 1883, England — Crossley's mother was Elizabeth Helen Irwin; child: Guy Hastings Irwin Crossley • Died 3 Jun 1940, Eastbourne, Sussex, Eng