O'Dea's of Clare and Sth Australia and Dillon's of Lismullen

[AlStaunton]

A Great Great Uncle on my paternal Grandmothers side of the family, Anthony Reese married Honora O'Dea in 1880 at Alma Catholic Church South Australia. Honorah was the ninth child of Patrick and Eliza O'Dea who had migrated from Cloncashen, County Clare on the ship "Birman" arriving in 1840.
One of their Daughters Laura Maud Reese was born in Adelaide, South Australia, first married John Lachlan McCliver. He died Hillside, Salisbury, Rhodesia 18 Jan, 1911.

John Lachlan McLiver service no.9238, served with South Island Regiment - F Squadron, as part of the 10th NZ contingent to the Boer War, departing Wellington, NZ 19 April 1902, on ship Norfolk. His occupation was given as Miner. He returned to South Africa sometime after being discharged from military service after the end of the Boer war.

I haven't been able to find when or where the wedding took place, but searching I have found McLiver's from Norfolk Island and John Lachlan McLiver born 2 Jan 1877, Norfolk Island son of Capt John Archibald McLiver, who was born 1842 Auckland, New Zealand and Almira Emeline Christian, born 24 Dec 1847, Pitcairn Island, died 1918, New Zealand.

After his death, Laura departed Cape Town, South Africa, on the ship Medic, arriving in Port Adelaide, South Australia, 14 Jun 1911. On 21 Dec 1911, she departed Port Adelaide on the ship Aeneas for London, where she met Lt Robert Dillon. They were married in Jan 1912 in Surrey England. From this marriage came two children.
(1) Robert William Charlier Dillon b. 17 Jan 1914, London, England, d. 25 Dec 1982, Co Wicklow, Ireland.
(2) Laura Maud Dillon b. 01 May 1915, London England, d. 1960.

Laura Maud (Reese) Dillon died 1 May 1915, after giving birth to her daughter, and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Greater London, England. Laura Maud Dillon who was rejected by her father and sent with her brother to live with his unmarried sisters in Folkestone.

John Fox Dillon 7th Baronet of Lismullen, Meath, Ireland had no male heirs, so the title went to the next related male. Lt. Robert Arthur Dillon, the 2nd cousin of John Fox Dillon was next in line to the title of Baronet but as he predeceased John Fox Dillon, in 1925 the title of 8th Baronet of Lismullen was bestowed on his son Robert William Charlier Dillon who became the 8th and final baronet of Lismullen having failed to produce a heir.


Laura Maud Dillon studied medicine and became a doctor in Dublin and went on to become the worlds first female-to-male transsexual to undergo phalloplasty. She changed her name to Laurence Michael Dillon.

In 1946 Dillon published Self: A Study in Endocrinology and Ethics, a book about what would now be called transsexuality, though that term had not been coined yet. He described "masculine inverts" as being born with "the mental outlook and temperament of the other sex", using Stephen Gordon in the novel The Well of Loneliness as an example. Since this form of inversion was innate — a hidden physical condition similar to intersexuality — it could not be affected by psychoanalysis and should instead be treated medically. "Where the mind cannot be made to fit the body," he wrote, "the body should be made to fit, approximately at any rate, to the mind."

Self brought him to the attention of Roberta Cowell (born Robert Cowell), who would become the first British transwoman to receive male-to-female sex reassignment surgery. Though Dillon was not yet a licensed physician, he himself performed an orchidectomy on Cowell, since British law made the operation illegal. Cowell's vaginoplasty was later performed by Gillies.

Dillon had not revealed his own history in Self, but it came to light in 1958 as an indirect result of his aristocratic background. Debrett's Peerage, a genealogical guide, listed him as heir to his brother's baronetcy, while its competitor Burke's Peerage mentioned only a sister, Laura Maude. When the discrepancy was noticed, he told the press he was a male born with a severe form of hypospadias and had undergone a series of operations to correct the condition. The editor of Debrett's told Time Magazine that Dillon was unquestionably next in line for the baronetcy: "I have always been of the opinion that a person has all rights and privileges of the sex that is, at a given moment, recognized."

The unwanted press attention led Dillon to flee to India, where he spent time with Sangharakshita in Kalimpong, and with the Buddhist community in Sarnath. He finally came to his dreamed-of goal, the Rhizong monastery in Ladakh. He was ordained a monk of the Gelukpa order, taking the name Lobzang Jivaka, and spent his time studying Buddhism and writing. Despite the language barrier he felt at home there, but was forced to leave when his visa expired. His health failed, and he died in hospital at Dalhousie, Punjab, on 15 May 1962, aged 47.

Two books by him were published in London in 1962: The Life of Milarepa, about a famous 11th century Tibetan yogi, and Imji Getsul, an account of life in a Buddhist monastery.
Out of the Ordinary, A Life of Gender and Spiritual Transitions, his autobiography, completed 15 days before his death, but not published until 2017.


Updated 3 Nov 2022
Al Staunton
Adelaide
South Australia

[AlStaunton]

Conrad Frederick Reese a brother of Laura Maud (Reese) Dillon was born in Adelaide South Australia 21 Sept 1888 and was the sixth child of Anthony Reese and Honora O'Dea
Conrad joined the Royal Navy, Australian Station, in 1906 and served in this until 1911, serving on HMS Challenger and Psyche. When the Royal Australian Navy was formed, he transferred to that, and in which he served in until 1919. During his service in the R.A.N. he served on the ships HMAS Yarra, Australia, Sydney and Pioneer.
For service in WW1 he qualified for and was awarded 1914-15 Star, War medal and Victory Medals.
In 1921 he travelled to Russia as a communist delegate to attend the Congress of the third Communist international in Moscow
He died 3rd Sept 1921, in Sydney.

[thomaslewton]

Hello, i realise this was a few years ago now, but i am researching the story of michael dillon for a new medical history documentary to be broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK. I'd be grateful if you were available to speak to me AlStaunton. Thank you,

Thomas Lewton
0044 7526538109
thomas.lewton[at]blakeway.tv