Carolyn,
That’s a very nice piece of paper to have in your possession. It looks like the officer who signed it was a Brevet Major in the 68th Light Infantry by name of what looks like Lewis.
Looking through some newspapers I see that there was a John Edward Lewis in the 68th Foot promoted to Brevet Major in April, 1855. In February, 1857, he was promoted to Brevet Lt. Colonel, and he died 1878, at Chatham, aged 72.
In The Morning Post (London), Tuesday, December 11, 1855, there’s a notice: “Brevet-Major Lewis, 68th Regiment, supernumerary of his rank with the service companies, will proceed to Malta.”
In The Newcastle Courant, Friday, January 26, 1855, there’s an item:
“Two captains, four subalterns, six sergeants, two drummers, and 100 rank and file from each depot of regiments in the Crimea are ordered to be in readiness for immediate embarkation for Malta, where they will form a provisional depot to the army under Lord Raglan”
So we have detachments from the depots of various Crimea regiments going to Malta, and the ones stationed at St. Georges Bay under the command of Brevet Major Lewis.
The 11th Foot didn’t go to the Crimea but the 18th did. They don’t seem to have any connection, weren’t sharing a depot or anything like that. It seems he was there doing what he did best. Maybe he was ‘borrowed’ in much the same way as the Major was.
The date on the paper would be about the same time as the 18th regiment left the Crimea, and thereby no longer needed a depot at Malta. There’s a report in the Cheshire Observe, Saturday, June 21, 1856, of the 18th regiment sailing from Liverpool to Dublin on the Cleopatra.
Rex
