Thomas Braidwood Wilson

Thomas Braidwood Wilson FRGS (bapt. 29 April 1792 – 11 November 1843) was an Australian surgeon and explorer. He was baptised in Kirknewton, West Lothian, Scotland, the son of James, and Catherine Boak.

Sea voyages Wilson studied at Edinburgh University and became a Doctor of Medicine. He joined the Royal Navy in 1815 and made nine voyages to Australia as a surgeon-superintendent on convict ships.

The times were very dangerous and many of the sea voyages were eventful. In 1829 he travelled on the return journey of the to Australia when it was shipwrecked in the Torres Strait. Wilson and some of the crew rowed to Timor.

The following table details the nine voyages Wilson made as a surgeon-superintendent on convict ships.

Exploration Wilson sailed in the ship, to the Swan River in Western Australia with Captain Collet Barker. From there he explored the region inland from King George Sound. Captain Barker was the Commandant at King George Sound and provided the provisions for the expedition. Wilson named the hill overlooking the future township of Mount Barker in his honour. During these expeditions Wilson collected seeds and species to bring back to his friend, Allan Cunningham at the Sydney Botanical Gardens. A species of grevillea from Western Australia, Grevillea wilsonii, was named after him. Wilson's inlet in Western Australia is also named after him. King George Sound is now home to the thriving town of Albany.

In 1833 Wilson was granted a fellowship of the Royal Geographical Society.

Journal and travel writing Wilson wrote of his travel experiences and published them in 1835. The title page of the book describes the contents as:

...an account of, the wreck of the ship "Governor Ready" in Torres Straits; a Description of the British Settlements on the Coasts of New Holland, more particularly Raffles Bay, Melville Island, Swan River and King George's Sound; also, the Manners and Customs of the Aboriginal Tribes: with an Appendix, containing Remarks on Transportation, The Treatment of Convicts During the Voyage, and Advice to Persons Intending to Emigrate to the Australian Colonies. – by T. B. Wilson, M.D. Surgeon, R.N. Member of the Royal Geographical Society

In the preface Wilson states that his aim was to inform those interested in "Australian affairs" and provide amusement to the general public. He became a pastoralist and was noted for the good management of his land. He was on many local committees and took an active interest in district affairs.

At Wilson's death his daughter, Mary Braidwood Wilson, was 16. She kept a diary that covered her life after her father's death, and during her marriage to Stewart Marjoribanks Mowle. The diary is now in the National Library of Australia and is seen as a clear and detailed record of early expatriate life in Australia.

Death and grave site The location of Braidwood Wilson's grave viewed from 80 metres past the first stile. The fourth stile and most elaborate on the route to Thomas Braidwood Wilson's grave.Wilson's third child, Thomas Braidwood, died at the age of five months on 23 September 1837 and Wilson built a vault at the top of a hill just north of the town for his burial. His wife died not long after on 29 January 1838 and was also buried in the vault. The location boasts a beautiful view over the town of Braidwood and a large pine tree has been grown adjacent to the vault. thumb The grave stone of Thomas Braidwood Wilson. His wife and youngest son are interred here as well.

During the drought and depression of the early 1840s Wilson was declared bankrupt and on 11 November 1843 it is thought that he probably committed suicide. He was buried with his wife and child in the vault. The grave site fell into disrepair but was repaired and a path from the town added some time after April 2006. The route to the site is unclear (mapped here) and the absence of a track indicates it is rarely visited. The public way was in general use during the late 19th century and until the early 2000s. Community projects were arranged to restore the grave site in 1894 and in 1935, and the stiles were built with a Community Bicentennial Grant in 1988. On change of ownership of the property on which the grave sits, access was closed off by the owner in about 2005 and it is now rarely used as the stiles have been deliberately broken or locked off. Strong community pride in the site has seen several attempts at rectifying this, and The route commences with the first stile at the corner of the Kings Highway and Wallace Street at the North end of town and is a walk. You must proceed from stile to stile as barbed wire fences block alternative routes. From the second wooden stile (in poor repair) head to the north east of the paddock to the third metal stile and from there east to the fourth stile. If the stile is locked proceed north along the fence to the gate. From here the route is obvious.

A view from Braidwood Wilson's grave south towards Braidwood.