7. Peter Sheridan

Above: The birth certificate of Peter Sheridan, son of Nicholas Sheridan and Bridget McGrath.

Above: This may be the only photo of Peter Sheridan that we have in our family collection, and even so his identity is only guess work. The photograph is of the Yarrawonga Rifle Club, and the original is held by the Yarrawonga & Mulwala Historical Society. It has been tentatively dated as c. 1902, and a local lady has identified who she thinks the men in the photo may be:-

Back: Richard Pitman, Bob Clarke, Charlie Stewart.
Middle: James McDonald; _____ Sheridan; _____ Cavanagh; _____ Browning
Front: _____ Sheridan; ____ Browning; ______ O’Shea.

That two of the men have been nominated as being Sheridans only narrows things down a little, as of the seven Sheridan boys, at least four were members of the Yarrawonga Rifle Club...my great-grandfather Paddy and his brothers Jack, Nicholas and Peter.
I have a photograph of Nicholas taken during WW1, and I think the Sheridan in the front row may be him. I also have photographs of Paddy and Jack, and the Sheridan in the second row is definitely not either of them. Besides...if the date of 1902 is correct it cannot be Jack Sheridan as he died in 1900. That leaves a guess as Peter Sheridan for the man second from the left in the middle row.

Peter Sheridan was born on December 2, 1877, at Moolort, Victoria, the seventh child and fifth son born to Nicholas Sheridan and Bridget McGrath. He had started school at Carisbrook when his family relocated to Yarrawonga, and the rest of his education was conducted at the local Catholic School.
Peter's occupation was a sawyer prior to his joining the Army in 1914. The following newspaper article appeared in the Argus newspaper on Monday 27 November 1911:-
"STRUCK BY PLANK. Yarrawonga, Saturday. A serious accident happened yesterday to Mr Peter Sheridan at the Redgum Sawmill, about six miles from Mulwala, on the Tocumwal road.Mr C. Abbott was loading planks when one of the skids broke. The plank struck Sheridan on the back, knocking him insensible. He was brought into Yarrawonga. It is feared that Sheridan has sustained internal injuries."

Peter Sheridan joined the 5th battalion A.I.F on September 15, 1914, aged 36, for service in WW1. He embarked at Melbourne for service overseas with the 5th Australian Infantry Battalion per His Majesty's hired transport 'Orvieto' on October 21, 1914. A postcard showing a sketch of the 'Orvieto' ,which I will scan and place in another blog entry, has the following message written on the reverse...
" Mr. P. Sheridan, c/- M. Stickey, Butcher, Berrigan, NSW, Australia.
HMAT Orvieto No. 3.
At Sea 13/11/1914.
Dear Bro. & Sister, Just a few lines to let you know that myself and Hughie are quite well and enjoying good health. trusting that you are all enjoying the same blessing. We are having an enjoyable trip, we are not allowed to write anything about the trip. I will write from England. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas & happy New Year. Nick is well. Peter. Write soon."
(NOTE: Hughie is Peter's step-nephew- the stepson of his sister Rose Annie, and Nick is his brother Nicholas Sheridan.)


Peter fought in the Gallipoli Campaign, as did his brother Nick and Hughie Marshall.He was sent home for ‘6 months change’ after becoming very ill with bronchitis, and discharged the following year due to ‘ bronchitis and bad teeth’. His medical description as given by Dr. Jamieson of Yarrawonga was:" 5 feet 9 inches tall, 11 stone, 35 inch chest, fair teeth."
After the War, Peter Sheridan worked as a fettler with Victorian railways, and later lived in a boarding house in Frankston. He never married, and spent every weekend with his eldest sister, Rose Annie Marshall, and her family at Baxter, which was only five miles away.One of Rose Annie's sons, Bill Marshall, remembered well the weekend visits of his Uncle Peter....
" He was a very kind-natured man, and we used to get on very well with him. He was very fond of his drink of wine, and never saved any money, but Mum used to help him when funds were low, and was a mother to him."

Peter Sheridan died as the result of a badly perforated stomach ulcer in the Prince Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, on December 16, 1941. he was 64 years of age, and was buried in the Frankston Cemetery.