Michael ‘Mick’ Bryan Philip Sheahan

SHEAHAN, Michael ‘Mick’ Bryan Philip- – – SPC 1912

DoB:- – 1896, Carlton, VIC

Father:- – Michael Sheahan

Mother:- – Mary, nee Brodie

Michael Sheahan was a boarder at St Patrick’s from the Melbourne suburb of Carlton. His brother Francis Joseph Sheahan (SPC 1907-1908) also enlisted for service in WWI.

In the College Annual of 1916-1917, there was a tribute to this former student for his bravery in going to war -“

-‘Gunner M B Sheahan left Australia with the 6th Battery 2nd Field Artillery Brigade, 1st Division, October 1914. He served throughout the campaign at Gallipoli until the evacuation. At present Mick is with his battery in France, and judging by his letters seems to be in excellent spirits.’

Service No:- 1263

Rank:- – Gunner, Driver

Unit:- – 6th Battery

Mick Sheahan enlisted on 17 August 1914, aged 21 years. He was five feet, five inches tall, with a fair complexion, blue eyes and red hair. He was a single man, and his occupation was clerk.

Gunner Sheahan embarked from Melbourne on 20 October 1914 aboard the Shropshire. After arriving in Egypt and undergoing training in preparation for the Turkish Campaign, Sheahan had to be hospitalised and was classed as -‘off-duty’ from 17 March 1915 while he recovered from venereal disease. He met up with his unit at Gallipoli, but suffered an attack of dysentery, and was transferred to a rest camp on Lemnos in September 1915. He rejoined his unit once more on 6 October at Gallipoli, where he remained until the Anzac evacuation in December 1915.

He proceeded overseas to service in France, where in June 1916 he was charged with the offence of -‘drunkenness and neglect of duty’. A few months later he was hospitalised with scabies.

In January 1917, Sheahan was the subject of a Field General Court Martial held at Montauban. The charge was: When on active service, absenting himself without leave from 11pm on 15 December 1916 to 4.30pm on 16 December 1916. The finding was guilty, and he was sentenced to three days confined to barracks.

Later that year, in July 1917 he was wounded in action in Belgium, suffering severe gunshot wounds to his chest and neck. He was transferred to hospital in England for several months. However, it was decided that he be returned to Australia for -‘a change’ in January 1918. He boarded the Corinthic and after his arrival in Australia, was discharged on 25 June 1918.

Back in Australia, Mick Sheahan married in 1925 at the age of 29 to Veronica Ann Carolan, in Melbourne. They had one son in 1930. Mick married a second time, to Eunice Millicent Nicholls in Ballarat, in 1936. They had no children.

Mick died on 14 April 1969, aged 72 years. He was buried at the Melbourne General Cemetery in Carlton.