Rookwood Cemetery Discoveries

  Welcome to "TweenXmas", a name given by me to that time between Christmas and the New Year! For this blog I have some additional information about a rather remarkable man I dedicated a blog to on 28th March this year. Today’s blog will be referenced as WILLIAM BLAND with enhancements! Take a look at the original blog by clicking on his name in the labels area at the end of this blog. Dr William Bland - Parliament of NSW A few months ago, the State Library of NSW opened a new ground floor area devoted to its vast collection of photographs. Its inaugural exhibition "Shot" displays 400 photographs taken by 200 photographers over 3 centuries and is displayed as a series of galleries. It displays people going about their general business at the time, in sadness or at play and shows scenes from past pivotal events in our history. The images are displayed on various mediums from daguerreotypes and glass negatives through many changing technologies to what we...

  The subject of today's blog is a multi-faceted man whose life would seem to have been taken from the script of a movie. Murderer, convict, surgeon, author, politician and philanthropist - this is a story of a man who is not totally forgotten but is deserving of more recognition. WILLIAM BLAND William was born in London on 5th November 1789, the second son of Robert Bland an obstetrician, and his wife Mary. He followed his father into the medical profession and in 1809 qualified for entry into the Royal Navy's medical service as a "surgeon's mate". He was promoted to Naval Surgeon in 1812 and was stationed aboard HMS Hesper on the East Indies Station. On 7th April 1813, Bland shot and killed Robert Case, the Ship's Purser, in a duel on Cross Island in Bombay Harbour. A disagreement had arisen between Case and William Randall, the ship’s First Lieutenant, which Bland tried to stop. Case continued to make remarks about Randall in his absence and was def...