1790-1857
Major wars in which British forces were involved:
Recent: Iraq, Afghanistan, The Fauklands, VietNam, Korea.
1939-1945 World War II
1914-1918 World War I
1877-1901 Boer Wars
1857-1860 Indian Mutiny
1854-1856 Crimean war
1805-1815 Napoleonic Wars
1775-1783 U.S. Revolution
1755-1762 Seven Years War
(French and Indian Wars)
1642-1649 Civil War and Cromwellian period
1455-1485 Wars of the Roses
Fort George, Madras was the first English / British fortress in India, completed in 1644 with a trading advantage via the Bay of Bengal to the Malaccan Straits.
Madras is today known as Chenii, Tamil Nadu, India.
Records
WO 12 - These records show an individual's enlistment dates, his movements and dischage dates as show below, notice the sections under "First Muster, Second Muster, and Third Muster", these are the locations of the soldiers at the time of their pay.
Image: General view of buildings in the Trimulgherry (Tirumalagiri) entrenched camp near Secunderabad,
photographed by Deen Dayal in the 1880s.
Trimulgherry was one of a group of artillery cantonment situated in the area of Secunderabad.
This photograph is from the Curzon Collection: 'Views of HH the Nizam's Dominions, Hyderabad, Deccan, 1892'.
The Regiment is significant to our ancestry in that in 1813 -1816, the 46th Regiment of Foot were stationed in New South Wales and and a young woman Ann Carver born at Richmond in 1798, married a Sergeant of the Regiment and accompanied him into India, where she remained for about 15 years. Her three military career husbands were either killed in battle or worn out by the marches and diseases contracted in service and Ann was an integral part of the regimental system and her children educated within its control.
Marriage on the strength of the regiment.
Adapted Extract from <www.royalengineers.ca>
In every company (100 men), 12 soldiers were given permission by the commanding officer to marry "on the strength of the regiment." "On the strength of the regiment" meant that the women and children lived in the same garrison as the soldier and drew rations at no extra cost. When the Regiment was moved to a new posting (approximately every two years) the family would travel with the regiment for free.
Only married men on strength or married men on leave could sleep out of barracks and only if the husband and wife were, in the opinion of the commanding officer, to be of "good character." Men still had to be regular in their duties and never leave their quarters after tattoo (9:30 or 10:00 p.m.).
If the husband died and the family wished to stay in the Colony, they were cut off rations immediately. If they wished to return to Britain they were put on the Widow and Orphans fund until the move could be completed. A woman could also remarry another man in the regiment and rarely was there a shortage of suitors. It was understood that in exchange for money, the women would do work for the army, including washing, an immense task that fell to the women. Other tasks would include repairs of shirts and uniforms. Sewing and knitting thus became organized activities. Garrison Needlework Associations formed in all garrisons. In married quarters, a woman was appointed daily to be an orderly, responsible for utilities and cleanliness of common areas and the stove.
Every married man with a family in the barracks was expected to pay a charge for a woman to keep the women's wash house and privies clean. The British government unofficially realised the positive influence of women in the barracks, by allowing the marriage percentage to be increased at border posts. The unwritten truism being: the higher the percentage of married men, the lower the desertion rates. There werbe also usually more children than women in the barracks. The 1861 census in Kingston shows that the average military family consisted of a husband, wife and at least three children.
Children of the Regiment
In 1812 all battalions and corps were ordered to establish regimental schools under the direction of sergeant schoolmasters. The aim was both to educate young soldiers and attested boys and also soldiers’ children. Regimental schools were open to both the sons and daughters of soldiers, and all were taught to read and write and were given some basic arithmetic tuition by the sergeant schoolmasters. Commanding officers were also encouraged to employ the “best qualified and best behaved women of each Regiment” to instruct the girls in “Plain Work and Knitting”. This was the regime that continued until 1840, and king’s regulations continued to encourage commanding officers to employ soldiers’ wives of good character to instruct the girls in useful domestic skills. (Source: TACA).
British Cantonment in India
Many cities in the Indian subcontinent, such as Ahmedabad, Belgaum, Mhow, Bangalore, Ambala, Kanpur, Bathinda, Delhi, Pune, Sialkot, Secunderabad, Trichy, Meerut, Ramgarh and Rawalpindi, contained large cantonments of the former British Indian Army. Cantonments were established during the British era usually in their military areas where both civilian and military personnel resided. There were in total 62 cantonments and for the 46th Regiment the following were important:
Secunderabad: The largest British military station (cantonment) in India, foundered at the end of the 18th Century formed in 1806 as a British cantonment. It is now merged with the ancient city of Hyderabad. Refer Image in LHS column.
District: Hyderabad
State: Andhra Pradesh
Region: Telangana
Cannanore (Kannur): has an elevation of 1.02 metres along the coaand st of the Arabian Sea
District Kannur
State Kerala
Bellary (Bellari): British occupied 1808 AD and ceded districts were split into Bellary and Kadapa districts.
State Karnataka
District Kannur
Subdistrict: Bellary,(Bellari)
Region Bayaluseeme
Military Terms in the 19th Century
All soldiers must take an oath of allegiance upon joining the Army, a process known as attestation.
Life in the mid-nineteenth century British Army was harsh. Soldiers were mainly recruited from the rural working class and often enlisted under dubious circumstances. Their barracks were squalid and overcrowded. Daily rations consisted of a pound of bread and coffee for breakfast and three quarters of a pound of boiled meat for lunch. They earned a basic wage of a shilling a day but little was left after money was deducted for food, laundry, haircuts and medical treatment. With that in mind, a free passage to a new land; six months employment and a grant of land would have been an attractive choice for many service pensioners.
Historically, a full-strength regiment was one thousand men, commanded by a Colonel. The Regiment was an administrative unit responsible for recruiting, training and administrating a soldier's military career. They recruited men from specific places, the name for which were used as an alternative identification to a number for the Regiment. Under the regimental system of the British Army each regiment was a formally organised, permanent military force and had a long history. This developed it's unique "esprit de corps" and a competitive attitude to other regiments.
A Regiment was made up of 10 Companies and each company is commanded by a major, the officer commanding (OC), with a captain or senior lieutenant as second-in-command (2IC). Several battalions are grouped to form a Regiment.
A Battalion was the basic functional unit and its commanding officer had a high degree of autonomy. It was numbered within a regiment (as 1st Battalion etc.), and was the smallest military unit capable of independent operations. It consisted of around 300–1,200 soldiers made up of between two and seven companies, commanded by either a lieutenant colonel or a colonel.
The HQ company contains signals, quartermaster, catering, intelligence, administration, pay, training, operations and medical elements.
The support company usually contained a Guards Division responsible for the safe passage of convict aboard ships. Once on land these duties fell to resident soldiers and enrolled Pensioner Guards and Warders.
The pensioners were not retained as permanent convict guards after the voyages and in many cases their families traveled with them. Generally they sought work among the free settlers in the colony, but were always on hand to help in case of an outbreak among the prisoners. To encourage them to stay in the colony, they were offered an allotment of ten acres of land which they could select and lease for seven years and then own freehold. As an extra incentive, a gratuity of £10 was given to each of them and they were promised the use of convict labour to help clear the land."
The history of the Indian Medical Service (IMS) dates back to 1612 when on the formation of the East India Company into a joint stock business, the Company appointed their first Surgeon General. The company expanded activities and established a regular body of troops in India. As a consequence, commenced employing Military Surgeons from 1745 onwards. "It was not until 1764 that these Surgeons were made into regular establishment of the company’s armies. Thus the Bengal Medical Service was formed in 1764, the Madras Medical Service in 1767 and the Bombay Medical Service in 1779 for the three Presidency Armies of Bengal, Madras and Bombay respectively.
Research: text of "A history of the Indian Medical Service, 1600-1913 [electronic resource]" - A History of the Indian Medical Service 1600-1913 BY LT.-COLONEL D. G. CRAWFORD Bengal Medical Service, Retired List - 13 Volume I LONDON W. THACKER & CO. 2 CREED LANE E.G. Calcutta & Simla THACKER SPINK & CO. 1914 All rights reserved "That ye may tell it to the generation following '* Psalms xlviii., https://archive.org/stream/b21352148/b21352148_djvu.txt
Noted: Surgeon Major / Assistant surgeon John Stormont(h) served in Bengal 1767 - 1788:- There are 9 references to John Stormont / Stormonth.
Page 251: -
Page 274: - Page 273: - A letter from the Secretary to the Governor-General in Council, dated 30th June, 1786, contained in the Proceedings of the Calcutta Medical Board of 5th July, 1786, confirms the Board's nominations of Surgeons to the charge of five General Hospitals, of which three were then in existence in Bengal, outside Calcutta, while the establishment of the two last was ordered.
Andrew Hunter......... Berhampore.
John Stormont . . . . . Dinapore.
John Laird ............... Cawnpore.
Francis Balfour ........ Chunar.
Thomas Hamilton .... Futtyghur.
Page 307
Page 403 - ....leave to intercede in his behalf as very skilful in his profession and always paid strict attention to his duty."....Fort William General Letter, dated gth Feb., 1782, para. 30. " M"^ John Stormonth, an old Surgeon in your Service, has resigned, and takes passage on the Dartmo^ith." Para. 31. " M"^ Stormonth recommended for leave to return to Bengal, Avith his full Rank in the Service, agreeably to the representation respecting him in our General Letter p. Hector dated May 1777."
Proceedings Medical Board, Calctitta, i^th Jan., 1789.
" M"^ Stormont is permitted to resign the Honble Company's service and to proceed to Europe in the Prudentia. It will be recommended to the Honble Court of Directors to allow him to return to Bengal withoiit Prejudice to his Rank, on his application to them for that purpose."
Sources:
Refer genealogical websites like http://www.findmypast.com. If the soldier father was stationed in India before 1949, the British Library's India Office Family History Search website, consider: http://indiafamily.bl.uk/UI/,
Source: Microfiche: GMF Box 6 - Australian Misc. The British Army in Australia by James Hugh DonohoeIndex of Personnel / Microfilm : AJCP Reel 3796 - 46th Regiment of Foot 25th Sept - 24th Dec. 1815: Listings show - rank, Pay + allowances, for period from & to; Nos of days; rate per dime ; Pounds shillings pence; Musters 1 - 2 - 3 and reasons for an absence.
Wiki-pedia - Secunderabad or Sikandar-a-bad is located in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Named after Sikandar Jah, the IIIrd Nizam of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, Secunderabad was founded in 1806 AD as a British cantonment. Although Hyderabad and Secunderabad are together referred to as the twin cities, they have both different histories and cultures, with Secunderabad having developed directly under British rule until 1948 and Hyderabad as the capital of the Nizams' princely state.[1] Geographically divided from Hyderabad by the Hussain Sagar, Secunderabad is no longer a separate municipal unit and has become part of Hyderabad. Both cities are collectively known as Hyderabad and together form the sixth largest metropolis in India. Being one of the largest cantonments in India, Secunderabad has a large army and air force presence
References:
There are two online histories of the 1st.(Royal Scots) regiment that cover the period that Thomas Marlow Served (1809-1816):
2. http://www.archive.org/stream/lowlandsc ... 6/mode/2up
Soldier who fathered a child while posted overseas, the GRO Army Birth Indexes (1881-1965), the GRO Army Chaplains' Birth Indexes (1796-1880) and the GRO Regimental Birth Indexes (1761-1924) may contain details of his child's births;
Term: Regiment (Civil War) Definition: A regiment was made of 10 companies. One company had between 83 and 101 men, so a regiment had a minimum of 830 men and a maximum of 1,010 men. Field officers for a regiment were a colonel, lieutenant colonel and a major. Generally, every regiment had the same number of officers. In order of rank, they were:
Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel
Major
Adjutant (a Lieutenant)
Regimental Quartermaster (a Lieutenant)
Assistant Surgeon
Sergeant Major
Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant
Regimental Commissary Sergeant
Hospital Steward
Each regiment also had 2 principal musicians and 24 musicians for the band.
John Cliffe Watts (7 May 1786 – 28 March 1873) was an Irish military officer and architect who designed some of the first permanent public buildings in the young British colony of New South Wales, and who also later became Postmaster General in South Australia.