INDIA - Sind Volunteers

[wyndham]

My grandfather was with the 1st Worcestershire Regiment in India where at one stage in 1887 he was shown as being a Sergeant Major attached to the Sind Volunteers.

I have been in contact with the Worcestershire Regiment museum and they can shed no light on this period of his service.  All they said, that at the time, the Worcesters were in Sind Province.   (Even his service record from the NA adds no further information.)

I am seeking any information as to what the Sind Volunteers were and their role at this time.  Also any details as to why British Army personnel would be seconded to this type of force.     

[liverpool annie]

Hi Wyndham !

I found when I was researching my soldiers that many NCO's from the British army were recruited in help train the Indian regiments .... there are others here who can give you far more information than me - but you may be interested in some background !

http://www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/armycampaigns/indiancampaigns/campafghan1878maiwand.htm

http://www.garenewing.co.uk/angloafghanwar/

Annie 

[wyndham]

Annie,

Thanks for the 2 references.  I have had a brief glimpse and will read in depth tomorrow.  Unfortunately they relate to campaigns in Afghanistan and the borders and are prior to the date I am interested in, but as you say, very interesting backgound.

[km1971]

I too can only find references to the Sind Horse, which was first raised about 1830.

If his papers give no details it would probably indicate a short term assignment during a temporary emergency. It was not uncommon for Senior NCOs to be attached to part-timers for training and discipline.

The only sure way of finding the duration at least would be to hope that the Muster and Pay Books survive in Kew (in series WO12/16, WO = War Office) for the Worcester Regiment. These are books listing details of the monthly muster (roll-call) and quarterly payments made to Other Ranks. Any man not with the regiment - sick, on leave, temporary assignments etc - will be listed. There could also be details of the travel expenses he would have received if applicable. And you may find other men on assignment as well.

The problem is that these start to disappear during the 1880s, ie the War Office threw them away. I believe the latest to survive is about 1895, so you may be lucky. But they are original documents, so you will have to visit Kew or employ a researcher.

Ken

PS: I have searched for "sind volunteers" in TNA catalogue - http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/search.asp?j=1 - and it comes up blank. If you can scan and post the document that mentions the outfit you could get a second opinion.

[themonsstar]

Could it be "Scinde" as there were:

The Scinde Horse
14th Prince of Wales's Own Cavalry raised 1839.

13th The Frontier Force
6th Royal Battalion (Scinde) raised 1843.

[tickerwheel]

Hello Wyndham,

Sorry for not replying earlier to your post about Chillianwallah and your query, but I  see that you are getting responses from more qualified people than me.  I was just looking for a relative of a friend initially and then became interested in the Chillianwallah affair.

I would think that it is definitely Scinde as suggested by themonsstar. There are other regiments that are allied to regiments of this name in the British Army. It is a former region of Pakistan.  I do know that there are other references to the way that you spell it also - seems to be a choice of spelling at the moment.

This is a quick reference to where the 1st Bn were located, from their website.  I think that it is quite possible from an earlier suggestion that this was a "local attachment" for training/supervision etc.

1877 England: Aldershot (1877 and 1878)
1879 India: Mhow (1879 and 1880)
1881 India: Mhow - (July) 1st Battalion, The Worcestershire Regiment established
1881 India: Bombay
1882 India: Nasirabad (1882 and 1883)
1884 India: Karachi (1884 to 1886)
1887 India: Quetta (1887 to 1889)
1890 India: Poona (1890 to 1892)
1893 India: Poona - Kemptee
1894 India: Kemptee
1895 Burma and Aden: Rangoon



Neil

[wyndham]

To:  (1)  Ken

       (2)  themonsstar

       (3)  Neil

Thank you all for the posts.

The only reference I have to his involvement in the Sind Volunteers is the birth certificate of his first child in December 1885 in Karachi and he is shown as a Sergeant, 1 Worcester Regt and Sgt Major in the Sind Volunteers.

Karachi is, according to Google Earth, in Sindh province.  His service record only shows the dates of his service in the East Indies (India) during which he was stationed in Karachi from 1884 to 1886.

As to the suggestions regarding Sind/Scinde/Sindh, I must admit I am in the dark but I have no doubt I will be rescued!!

[liverpool annie]

Maybe if you could post his name .... somebody maybe able to find him for you !

Annie 

[wyndham]

Annie,

Thanks for your latest suggestion.  I have virtually full details of his military career, all 25 years and 171 days, including his time in India.  As Ken (km1971) points out it was probably a short term assignment.                                                                                   
Around the same time he was also shown on a short secondment to the Gloucestershire Regiment as well.  This included receiving a new regimental number from the Gloucesters!  Despite acquiring this new number, the Gloucestershire Regiment Museum had no details of him whatsoever.

I started this thread as I was purely interested in the  Sind Volunteers.  I have a feeling it was a very short lived unit and has now disappeared into the depths of time.