I have an ancestor who became a Chelsea Pensioner in 1822, when he was discharged with a disability, aged 35 years. He had been in the army for 13 years, initially with the 19th Dragoons and, after only 129 days, he was transferred the the Royal African Corps on the Isle of Wight. I understand, from various sources, that the Royal African Corps was mainly made up of convicts and deserters.
His name was Gabriel Wood and was enlisted into the 19th Dragoons at Northampton on 12/12/1808.
On 20/04/1809 he was transferred to The Royal African Corps on the Isle of Wight and, according to WO12 musters & pay lists, served in Senegal & Goree from 1813 to 1815, was in Sierra Leone during December 1816 and in May 1817 was shown as "on passage to Cape". His military career thereafter seems to have disappeared from the WO12 records.
I understand that four companies of the Royal African Corps were disbanded in 1819, but in his book, The British Army in the West Indies, Roger Buckley writes,
"The three penal regiments raised for service in the West Indies were disbanded in 1819, four companies of the Royal African Corps were disbanded in West Africa. The remaining companies were kept in service until 1821, when they were broken up at the Cape Colony." I'm assuming that the "remaining companies" refers to the Royal African Corps, particularly as they were at the Cape Colony.
Gabriel's discharge papers, dated 12/10/1822, clearly state that he was in the Royal African Corps from 20/04/1809 until 29 Oct. 1822.
With regard to the question of deserters and criminals, I can only quote from other literary sources:
"On 25th April, 1804, the King approved of the regiment being named the Royal African Corps. This regiment was one of the several penal corps or “condemned battalions” raised about this time which were recruited from deserters and culprits from the hulks; a few [black soldiers], however, were also recruited and attached to this corps."
W.Y. Baldry, Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research,
Volume xiv, Number 56 (Winter 1935), pp.233-234.
“The practice of legal escape from prison was readily available to British army deserters. As in the case of culprits and criminals, incarcerated deserters could ordinarily change their prison sentences for service in West Africa and the West Indies.” again, Roger Buckley, and from the same publication. when referring to both the Royal African Corps and soldiers stationed in the West Indies.
Gabriel's WO16 Disability and Out-Pensions Admission records indicate that he was discharged with the disability of, "extensive Cicatrix on the left ankle", which basically means that he had scar tissue on his ankle, hardly a disability, I would have thought.
However, in the 1851 census, when he was living with his wife at Oundle, Northamptonshire, he was described as a Chelsea Pensioner and 65 years of age. Could gabriel have deserted from the 19th Dragoons and upon capture been given the option of a prison sentence or service with the Royal African Corps and still have qualified for a Chelsea Pension?
There is one other conundrum, his discharge papers state that he had been in Africa from 1810, but he cannot be traced in the WO12 records until 1813. He was married at Northampton during December 1808 and a child was born to his wife in 1812, when Gabriel was named as the father and described as a soldier. I'm assuming that members of the Royal African Corps did not enjoy home leave in those days and realise, of course, that Gabriel may not have been the father.
Also found the following passage, which is taken from, Cambridge History of the British Empire: Eric E. Anderson, when describing the frontier conflict at the Cape in 1817:
“The Royal African Corps too, comprising foreign adventurers and captured British deserters, was a constant source of annoyance to the inhabitants.”
Would value the observations on these quotes from anyone who has a knowledge of The Royal African Corps
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Topic: Royal African Corps 1809-1822 (Read 9934 times)