4th Battalion, 60th Rifles - whereabouts 1870s

[Gadget]

Hi

I'm trying to locate a John Henry Evans (b.c. 1851, Paddington) who married in 1873 at Winchester.  His occupation is given as Corporal, 4th Battalion, 60th Rifles (precurser to Royal Green Jackets?) and residence as Winchester Barracks. By 1876 he was a porter on the railways.
I can find nothing definite about him before 1873. I searched the Nat Archive site but I gather that unless he was pensioned or an officer there would be no record.
Does anyone have any ideas about a possible search.
Thanks
Merched

[pwenlock]

1857.07.27 4th Battalion, 60th (The King's Royal Rifle Corps) Regiment of Foot
re-formed at Winchester for service in Canada
 1857 England   
  1860 Ireland   
 1861? at sea ship: Great Eastern
  1861 Canada   
  1861.11 Trent Affair 
  1862 Canada   
   Nova Scotia 
  1869 at sea 
  1869 England   
  1874 Ireland   
  1876 India   
  1881.07.01 4th Battalion, The King's Royal Rifle Corps 
  1881 Bengal   
  1885 Peshawar   
  1888 Chakratta   
  1890 Burma   
  1891 Burma 
  1892 England: Gosport   
  1895 Aldershot   
  1895.12 Gold Coast: Ashanti war (det) CompositeBn
  1896.01? Aldershot? 
  1898 Ireland: Cork   
  1901.02 personnel separated to form 19th and 25th MI Coys, later 25th Mounted Infantry Battalion
1902.01 South Africa   
  1903.10 Somaliland [three coys] 
  1903 England: Colchester 
  1905 Gosport   
  1909 India: Rawalpindi   
  1910 Chakratta   
  1912 Murree   
  1913 Gharial   
  1914.12 France and Flanders  27 Div
  1915.11 Macedonia   
  1918.07 France and Flanders  50 Div
  1919 England 
  1919 Quetta   
  1923 England 
  1923.02.08 disbanded at Winchester


Rgds
Paul

[Gadget]

Thanks Paul. So that means he should have been in England in 1871. I can't find him though. Was Winchester their main barracks/headquarters?
Merched

[pwenlock]

Winchester was certainly the Regimental home, but all the Light Division units were fairly transient in location & you may have to look further afield as at times they were stationed in both Portsmouth & Shornecliffe.  If they were in Winchester it is ikely they were either at Sir John Moore Barracks (now ATR Winchester) or Peninsula Barracks (now RHQ RGJ)

Have you tried the RGJ Museum at http://www.army.mod.uk/royalgreenjackets/museum/index.html

Yours aye
Paul

[casalguidi]

The 4th btn Rifle Brigade were indeed at Shorncliffe (Cheriton, Kent) in 1871 census

Casalguidi

[Gadget]

Thanks to both of you.
This confirms that John Henry  Evans was the Henry Evans, 19, Private, b. Middlesex London, listed at the Cheriton Camp in 1871.
Was 18 or 16 the official age for enlisting, and how would I find out when he left, given that he was 'other ranks' and the records of that period don't seem to exist.
Merched

[Zenigma]

Thanks to both of you.
This confirms that John Henry  Evans was the Henry Evans, 19, Private, b. Middlesex London, listed at the Cheriton Camp in 1871.
Was 18 or 16 the official age for enlisting, and how would I find out when he left, given that he was 'other ranks' and the records of that period don't seem to exist.
Merched

I'm also looking for someone in the 4th Batallion 60th Rifles in 1871.  His name is Private Charles Perkins.  I know that he served with the Regiment in Canada between 1/7/1867 and 18/10/1869.  He then came back to the UK.  The next time I can locate him is on his marriage certificate.  He was married in 1874 in Portland and is shown as living at the Verne Citadel.  However, I cannot find him in the 1871 census for Winchester Barracks, The Verne or the camp at Cheriton.  Any more ideas please?

[Gadget]

Hi
Do you have any other info on him - approx date of birth, where born, other names, etc.
Ancestry is renouned for transcription boobs or the original schedules could be in error. In such cases, you need to check various options - e.g. variations on Perkins.
Merched

[Zenigma]

Many thanks for getting back to me.  I do have a lot of information about him including a copy of his 21-year service record.  Unfortunately, apart from the postings to Canada and India, his UK postings just says 'Home Service'.  I'm able to find him in every census from 1851 to 1901 except 1871.  I have tried different variants for the spelling of the surname.  The only thing that's remotely close is Charles Pearson.  He's the right age and comes from the right area but is in Barracks at Woolwich with the Army Service Corps which doesn't sound right.  Our Charles Perkins was born c. 1849 he enlisted in the 4th Batallion, 60th Rifles on 26 March 1867.  His regimental number was 1828. During his 21 years we know he served in Canada, India, Winchester, Portland, Devonport, Fermoy and Mold.

If anyone knows of any other UK postings for the regiment in 1871 I'd love to know where he might have been.

Zenigma