Conclusion
When I started researching Thomas WALTON I had no expectations of where the search would lead. To discover a professional Imperial soldier, a veteran of the battles of Balaklava, Inkerman and Sebastopol who later served in India and who subsequently joined a colonial military unit and fought in New Zealand’s Taranaki War, was the last thing I expected.
While I didn’t find a definitive baptism record for Thomas Fellows WALTON in Cambridge CAM ENG, the nearest, that of Thomas Jonathan WALTON in 1833, the only child in his family to lack the middle name of ‘Fellows’, suggests that this was the same individual and that he later discarded the middle name of ‘Jonathan’ and adopted ‘Fellows’.
Interestingly, Thomas Fellows WALTON’s New Zealand death certificate states that he died at the age of 51, exactly the correct age if he was indeed Thomas Jonathan WALTON. If so, he was aged 21 when he fought at Balaklava and Inkerman, and 27 when he arrived in New Zealand in early 1861. He was 35 when he was wounded at Te Ngutu o te Manu and 38 years old when he tried to save the life of Henry MEARS in 1871.
There are still a few little puzzles that need to be investigated:
1) When did Thomas WALTON attest for the British Army and to which regiment?
2) When was he discharged from the 57th Regiment?
3) When were the Taranaki Mounted Volunteers disbanded?
Thanks to everyone who not only read the topic but provided information and encouragement during this little experiment. I thoroughly enjoyed the new discoveries and especially the banter (although the mental imagery of a school class fighting for seats was slightly disturbing!) and I hope you enjoyed the story.
The answers to the questions above (if I find them) will be added in a post script at some later date.
Thanks again for reading Thomas WALTON’s story.
Spades
