Thomas Reid

Who was Thomas Reid?

Thomas Reid, was an Irish born Naval surgeon. He was educated near Dungannon, County Tyrone and around 1811 he entered the Royal Navy. In 1813 he passed the examinations of the Royal College of Surgeons in London, being admitted as a member in November 1815. On the 10 January 1814 he was appointed as a naval surgeon.

In the role as a surgeon superintendent he made two trips on prison ships, one in the convict ship Neptune carrying male prisoners departed 16 December 1817 and arrived on the 5 May 1818 at Sydney and on the Morley which departed London carrying female prisoners on the 22 May 1820 and arrived on the 29 August 1820 at Hobart with further travel to leave prisoners at Sydney.

Reid was a close associate of the prison reformer Elizabeth Fry and it was at the suggestion of Fry that Reid had taken on the role of surgeon superintendent for these journeys. It was to Fry that Reid dedicated his book, Two voyages to New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land.