43rd Regiment, South Africa 1856

[PeeCeeBee]

I have recently come across an article regarding the family in which it mentions 'a silver war medal with "South Africa, 1856" inscribed on it.  The soldier who won this decoration was Thomas Harris, 43rd Regiment'...
Can anyone tell me more of this service and how I may search for the record for Thomas Harris.  As far as I have found with the family research this family lived in Gloucestershire...
Regards
PCB

[hanes teulu]

Inscribed "South Africa, 1856"

Checking "Stations of the British Army" the 43rd left South Africa late 1853. Reported in the newspapers in December 1853 as "on passage to East Indies". They were involved in the Eighth Kaffir War 1850-53.

In 1856 they were at Bangalore (May), Madras (June) and still at Madras in December 1856.

Headquarters were at Chatham.

[km1971]

This is probably his medal roll entry - 
http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/1686/31794_221388-00219/2084841?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fgst%3d-6&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnSearchResults

It looks as if it was sent (ie returned) to the War Office in June 1856. So he had probably been discharged or had died before then. I cannot find a service record on Findmypast. Again suggesting he had either died or not served long enough for a pension.

The best way forward is to research the muster books in Kew, starting with October 1851 when they arrived in the Cape, and then working forwards and backwards to discover his army service. Or just forwards to discover what happened to him. He is not listed as a casualty of the fighting

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xhosa_Wars#Eighth_war_.281850.E2.80.931853.29

Ken

[PeeCeeBee]

Many thanks Hanes Teulu and Ken - will do some digging and try to make sense of all this.  Military is all confusing to me!  This is the first member of the family I have found connected to the military at all, so very new ground.
I have never seen the medal mentioned, so cannot check the details on it - can only go on the newspaper article... in fact this is a very new find for me, and I am hoping it may help me determine that I have the correct HARRIS family attached to mine - as someone else has another one, but has little detail or documents to prove their connections.
I appreciate the replies.
Regards
PCB

[ellesem]

Hello there,
I have only just joined this forum. I was trying to find out about a medal which is in my husband's family and came across your post about the same person/medal.  It is the Harris medal, Africa 1853 won by Thomas Harris.  We have this medal in our possession (currently getting it mounted).  The medal has been in the family for as long as my husband can remember (he's 75yrs old now) and his uncle who previously had the medal bore the Harris name as his second name.  I wonder if you and my husband are related somehow??  Reading your post further, you mention that you have a newspaper article about the medal?  Would it be possible that we could have a copy of the article.  We live in South Australia.
Cheers
LSM

[PeeCeeBee]

I am a descendant of Richard DAY who married Eliza Ann (nee FOLLAND), and I am assuming the medal stayed with the Thomas DAY branch. I too am in South Australia... if you check on Trove you will find the article http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/110149718?searchTerm=Thomas%20harris%20south%20Africa%201856&searchLimits=l-state=South+Australia#
which is an interesting article in itself.
Am happy to share what detail I have.
Regards
Paula