RootsChat.Com

Thanks!
Thomas and Bridget are also my twice great grandparents. I was born in Manchester.
Happy to let you know the line of my connection to Thomas and Bridget if you would like to share your wife's line to them as well.
If you wish to use a personal message to reply, that's fine with me.
Yes, I wondered if we had a connection!
Christopher

Hi Christopher

There were several Thomas O’Briens in the 88th Foot serving in the Crimea. The one blinded had regimental number 3677. FindMyPast appears to have only his service record. They did not keep records of men killed while serving or who left without sufficient service for a pension. His record lists some under age service from which you can deduce his probable date of birth as 6th January 1837. It also has his place of birth as Rahoon, Galway. But the writing is not clear for the parish.

He arrived in the Crimea in 1855 – so after the battles of Alma and Inkerman. The medal roll is on Ancestry. He would have received the medal - http://tinyurl.com/oz2zbsf - with a clasp for Sebastopol (which was a siege lasting a year). I cannot find him on the separate Sebastopol roll. He would also have received a Turkish Crimea medal, which were issued unnamed.

The last page in the record has a long list of what appear to be increases in his pension. The last one 'DD to WO' with a date of 1901, probably means 'documents despatched to War Office', and confirms the information you have of when he died.

Both FindMyPast and Ancestry appear to be offering three month free trials at present.

I think you should ask a moderator to moved this to Armed Forces.

Ken

Many thanks for this excellent information! I have downloaded the service record on FindMyPast.

FindMyPast states the place of birth as Rahoon which is a suburb of Galway, so that looks fair enough.
By under-age service, did you mean under age 18 (which was perhaps the minimum age for joining)? His attestation was on 9 November 1854, at age 17y 10m. That would put his date of birth as 9 January 1837 or perhaps slightly earlier: perhaps I have missed something when you deduce 6 January 1837.

I have found a book, "The Crimean Campaign with the Connaught Rangers 1854-55-56" by N Steevens. This mentions the initial injury to Thomas O'Brien on 7 June being in connection with the attack on the "Quarries". It doesn't give any specific information about his subsequently being blinded.

I will ask the moderator re moving this to Armed Forces, as you suggest.

Once again, many thanks
Christopher

think this is them on 1891 in Manchester - matches the 1901 in many details (eg 1901 he is a blind Crimean pensioner)

Thomas Obrien    50 - b Galway, pensioner, blind
Bridget Obrien    48 - b London
Michael Obrien    28 - son b Dublin. Groom, married
Henry Obrien    20 - son b Dublin. Labourer, single
Emma Obrien    29 - daughter in law b Liverpool
Mary A Obrien    8
Edward Obrien    6
Henry Obrien    4
Rachael Obrien    1

The young children say son and daughter but I'm assuming this probably refers to Emma as mother.

Given the sons' birthplace, you may need to look in Ireland for a marriage,
RG12, 3237, 112, 21

Many thanks - haven't yet got to grips with the Irish records!