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General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: Emma08 on Wednesday 18 March 15 10:27 GMT (UK)
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Hello,
This may be a stupid question, but, if someone was a sergeant in the 5th Irish Lancers in the la
1890s... Would they have to have been born in Ireland in order to enlist with the Irish lancers?
Would they need to have Irish parentage?
Thank you
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No, all regiments contained men from all countries. The 5th Royal Irish Dragoons, later Lancers, were reformed in the 1850s, and during the next sixty years only spent about one year in seven in Ireland.
Ken
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Thanks for your quick reply Ken :)
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Hi Emma
Are you looking for where your Sergeant came from? If so post what details you have of him. If you know his number that can be used to discover when he joined the 5th Lancers, for example.
Ken
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Hi Ken,
Yes I am trying to find out where he came from. I posted about him on here a few months back and managed to get his army number but I still can't find much else about him.
His name was Henry Stewart. His number was 2723. He was a staff sergeant farrier.
He served in India for a few years during the late 1890s, where he also married and had children.
Then it seems he was killed during the Boer War in 1900.
I know his father's name was Walter Stewart. And I may have tracked down a half sister... But that's it.
There seem to be strong links to Ireland for him. His wife was Irish and possibly his mother.
He was born approx 1867.
If I could find out his nationality or even when he enlisted that would really help.
He was my great great grandfather.
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2723 would have been issued in early 1885 when the 5th Lancers were based in Brighton. They may have had recruiting parties in Ireland, if the CO thought they should he recruiting more Irishmen.
As he died while still serving they would not have kept his record. But the muster books in the National Archives covering the year he enlisted may have his place of birth and age on enlistment. One problem - there is a note on the musters saying that some are missing:
WO 16/1203 5th Lancers
WO 16/1204 5th Lancers - most likely, but not clear when it starts.
WO 16/1221 9th Lancers (includes Rolls for the 5th Lancers and 20th Hussars for the period 15 March to 31 May 1885; Rolls for the period April 1883 up to and including October 1885 are missing)
In my experience it is always best to have a look and not rely on the description.
Ken
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OK thanks for all that Ken. Very helpful. I will see what I can find.
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Hi Ken,
Yes I am trying to find out where he came from. I posted about him on here a few months back and managed to get his army number but I still can't find much else about him.
His name was Henry Stewart. His number was 2723. He was a staff sergeant farrier.
He served in India for a few years during the late 1890s, where he also married and had children.
Then it seems he was killed during the Boer War in 1900.
I know his father's name was Walter Stewart. And I may have tracked down a half sister... But that's it.
There seem to be strong links to Ireland for him. His wife was Irish and possibly his mother.
He was born approx 1867.
If I could find out his nationality or even when he enlisted that would really help.
He was my great great grandfather.
Not specifically what you're looking for but I have found he was a Staff Sergeant Farrier and he actually died of desease on 13/02/1900
This is from The Boer war medals to British and Commonwealth forces 1899-1902 which is an exclusive collection on Forces War Records.
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Oh, he was also awarded the clasps:
Elandslaagte
Defence Of Ladysmith
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Thank you very much for that info :)
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You're welcome Emma.
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Hi Emma,
You say Henry married, was that when he was in India and was Henry's wife Mary Pauline Bissett Graham?
Maggsie
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Yes that's right!
They had two children together in India too.
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Hi,
Ok then........
They married on the 14Th November 1894
in Muttra Bengal India.
I noticed that his army papers are not listed, they may possibly be in the Kew.
My Grandfather was over there and was wounded in 1907. He came back to Ireland.
Have you got any army records?
I did see him as H Stewart as being deceased.
I will do a bit more searching and see if I can get him.
Maggsie
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Hi again Emma,
Another thing, at this time, not exactly sure when, any children born to Army people overseas, they started a new registration of births, they were registered in the Fathers Birth country, so if Henry was Irish then the children would have been registered as Irish and not English.
This happened with Spike Milligan.
What were their names?
M
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Then perhaps he was Irish!!
Their names were Mary Pearl Stewart and Henry Arthur Stewart born 1895 and 1897 I think
And their births were both registered in Ireland! I had been wondering why and thought it was because Mary (Henry's wife) was Irish... But it must have been because Henry was Irish too.
Maggsie what do you think?
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Hi
Maria Pearl Stewart b 18th September 1895
Baptised on the 22nd September 1895
Cant find Henry Arthur yet.
Maggsie
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Yes that's Mary Pearl.
On another related note...was it common for people named Mary to be baptised as Maria?
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Hi,
Maria, Marie, Mary all were the same.
That's why when you search go by the surname then narrow it down by each spelling.
There is a tree in Ancestry but I think they have quite a lot wrong they have Henry as Henry Graham.
Maggsie
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Thanks Maggsie
Henry Graham was Mary's first husband. Have replied to your message :)