Soldier in 15th Hussars 1845 onwards

[Jill123]

Can anybody help me please? I've just joined and would like to find info on my ancestor's army service. His name is Anderson Marsh and he joined the 15th Hussars in about 1840-ish. His number was 1325.He sailed for Bangalore in 1845, and I think he may have taken part in the Crimea War as well. He ended his life as a pauper and committed suicide in 1871.
      I would love to find out some more about the poor man.
Thanking you in advance.

[scrimnet]

Have you searched for his records at Kew??

[liverpool annie]

Hi Jill and welcome to RootsChat !! 

How did you find out the information you already know about Anderson ? was that family history ?

I thought you may be interested in this as a little background ... though most of it is either earlier or later than your soldier !

http://www.hussards-photos.com/UK/UK_15.htm

Annie 

[Jill123]

Hello Annie,
...and thanks for the welcome.Isn't this a wonderful site?
        Many thanks for replying. Finding out what little we know about him has taken two years of searching so far. Found info in BMD records, censuses, Ancestry and, amazingly, some old family letters from the 1850's turned up, written from/to his brother and father - that's where the link to The Crimea in 1854 was hinted at. I've already discovered the 'Hussards' site - but no real joy there because, as you say, the dates don't coincide. What I really need is a look at the army lists for around 1854 and the Bangalore 1845 army lists. Is there a site that has these? Or does anyone have a CD of these lists? Also, he was probably overseas again in 1861 as there is no census record of him in the UK.
  Jill 

[Jill123]

...and Hi Scrimnet,
     Kew is over 300 mls away, on the other side of the country! But yes, they probably are. But the dates are too wide to pay for an archivist to go through them for me. Thanks for the suggestion though.
     I have emailed two army museums for any info but, as yet, haven't received a reply.
     My feeling is that he was deeply scarred/ traumatised by his time in The Hussars and that's why he took his own life. Probably a bit fanciful.........!
            Jill

[km1971]

Hi Jill

I have a 1850 Army List and that says that the 15th Hussars were in Bangalore, and that they embarked for India on 11 July 1839. Army Lists only list officers, so what were you expecting from them?

Army records of this period record virtually no FH information. so you will not get his wife and details of any children. The best you can hope for is when he enlisted and was discharged; where he served; and his place and year of birth. If that is what you are after you will have to employ a researcher as there is nothing available on line for men discharged between 1855 and 1913. Although there is a project to provide digitised access to WO97 by 2011. Here is a link for researching military men in Kew - http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/militaryhistory/army/step4.htm

You have to hope that he was discharged after 1854 as he is not listed in the index of surviving papers for men discharged before then.

If you get no joy on this site you could ask for a medal roll look up on the British Medal Forum, for a possible Crimea medal and maybe a LSGC (Long Service Good Conduct). The latter could be awarded after 18 years service.

Regarding his sad end, men did not join the army for the money, and any pension would have only been half what he would need to survive. If he had a disability this may have stopped him earning enough to feed him and his family properly. I am sure that most men coming back from India would have had malaria. 20 years earlier, service in either the East or West Indies earned you double service towards a pension.

In 1861 they were in Dublin, but that would imply 20+ years service.

Ken

[Jill123]

Hi Ken,
     Many, many thanks for your interesting and helpful reply.
Anderson Marsh (born 18 May 1822 and lived in Cambridge) enlisted in The 15th Hussars sometime between 1841 and 1844 when he sailed for Bangalore. Was this the Sikh Wars?
      From all the info I've gleaned so far he never married or had a family, so really I was just after his service record ie where he enlisted, where he served etc.
     Many thanks for the Kew link and 2011 info. The British Medal Forum also sounds a good bet - will try that.
     He was in Addenbrooks Hospital, Cambridge, when he committed suicide in 1871 so, yes, he could have had a disability. Thanks for the interesting pension info.
   Re Dublin in 1861, do you think it was feasible that he was in the services for 20 years? As that could be a good bet as to his whereabouts if it was.
     Thanks again for taking the time and bother,
                                 Jill

[km1971]

Here is a link that gives background to most battles - www.britishbattles.com

You have to remember that from sending out a request for more men in India to actually getting them would take about 12 months. So why they were sent is anyones guess. It could be the normal rotation of regiments in India.

Best not to guess about the 20 years service. It is hard enough uncovering facts, without having to guess why things happened. It would be unusual for a man to be still in the saddle in his 40s. Especially if he stayed a Private.

Have you tried looking for an inquest for his death?

ken

[van]

Dear KM1971,
Thanks for your very helpful observations and advice. I'm Jill's (fifth) cousin, Virginia and we help each other solving family mysteries like Anderson's life story. We think that Anderson must still have been enlisted in 1861 because the information we received recently, a snippet from a family bible kept in the USA and forwarded to us by another (fifth) cousin, referred to Anderson being in the 15th Hussars...I found a Wikipedia reference today that claimed that the regiment was given that name only in 1861...so presumably he must have lasted that long before leaving (or Wikipedia's incorrect on this). Will check out your other hints. Many thanks again, Virginia