88th Connaught Rangers

[Joy Dean]

I have received a copy of a letter sent to my great-grandmother by her brother John McCusker, dated March 1878. He was in Komgha, Cape Colony Frontier.

I have explored various sites about the 88th Connaught Rangers, and I would love to know more about his service records. However, that is all I know about him!

I have explored the national archives site, just in case I ever manage to get to Kew, but felt rather lost in the site. Does anyone know, please, is Kew the only place that would have any records about him?

Thank you.

[km1971]

Does anyone know, please, is Kew the only place that would have any records about him?

Yes, for the moment. Surviving records are being put online by Findmypast. But not until 2011.

A war was going on with various tribes from 1877 to 1879. The last year being the Zulu War. And the first Boer War was a few years later. Someone online may have a medal roll for the first one. No medals were given out for the second, as we lost. That will give some information without visiting Kew.

Ken

[Joy Dean]

Thank you. Yes, I had read about that in the sites I had explored.


He said in his letter -

I am about three thousand miles from Cape Town up through the country.

The war is near all over now. There was only about 8 men killed and wounded since the beginning of it. I have escaped lucky enough myself. I think we will be going to Cape Town very soon.

two more Regiments come out to the Colony, the 90th and the second 24th so I think that when we get back to Cape Town we will have a long stay in it before we are sent up here again.


Sec Corpl John McCusker
N1280 B Company
88 Connaught Rangers
Komgha
Cape Colony Frontier

PS The 88 has got great praise from the General for their bravery.

[NEILKE]

hi sorry cant help with your research  but i can say for certain the connaught rangers were a solid and a hard fighting force in every battle they fought may suggest reading Bernard Corwalls Sharpe the novells are set ealier than the time you are looking  1800s at but they still make good reading.
regards neil

[Joy Dean]

Thank you.

[John Young]

JoyKM,

I'm just back from that neck of the woods, he is writing about the 9th Cape Frontier War 1877-8 against the amaXhosa people, under the leadership of Sandile.

The fighting took place in the Eastern Cape.  The British base of operations was in King William's Town, and the amaXhosa strongholds were in the Amatola mountains.

He has somewhat exaggerated the distance at the most he would have been about 900-950 miles from Cape Town.

I'll do some checking for you for you when I get home and see what bar to the medal he's entitled to.

Isandlwana

[km1971]

The casualty roll shows that his numbers for killed and wounded was only one out – 9 instead of 8. These were at two actions – Draaibosch and Chichaba – which if you google will give you a few useful links to the 88th Foot in 1887-78, including these two:

http://www.northeastmedals.co.uk/britishguide/zulu/despatch1_south_africa_1877_1878.htm

http://freespace.virgin.net/ecliptica.ww/meet_the_ancestors/charles_edward_n.html

The 88th also had a casualty at the battle of Gingindlovu in the Zulu War of 1879.

Ken

[Joy Dean]

Thank you, both of you.

Perhaps it had seemed like three thousand miles. 


One other thing that he said in his letter, apart from talking about family things, the weather, that he had "seen on the papers that peace is proclaimed between Russia and Turkey", and that he thinks he "will be getting eight or ten pounds cattle money that we took from the enemy" -


"Sergt Seavers is going to be pensioned off. He got a bullet through the head. It went in his mouth and came out under his ear and took a piece of his tongue away. He will be dumb for life."

I had found mention of this person in these sites:
http://www.northeastmedals.co.uk/britishguide/zulu/despatch1_south_africa_1877_1878.htm
http://britishmedals.net/files/cassa.htm

[John Young]

JoyKM,

I have found him on the Medal Roll which is held at TNA under reference WO 100/47.  In addition I also have him recorded in my own files with the following information Private 1280 John McCusker, 88th (Connaught Rangers) Regiment of Foot.  He saw service against the amaXhosa, for which he would have been entitled to the 1877-8 Bar to the South Africa General Service Medal had he lived.  However, he appears to have died prior to the compilation of the 88th's submission of the medals in 1881.

It might well be worth your while checking the Pay & Muster Rolls of the 88th between 1878 - 1881 to establish where and when he died.

Isandlwana