Serjt. Major MUNRO 2nd Battn, Rifle Brigade.

[wilcoxon]

I have a Charles Fraser Munro  born Scotland  who died in 1884 aged 60 in Wrexham .
His grave inscription states he was  SERJT. MAJOR 2ND BATTN, RIFLE BRIGADE.
In 1861 his wife Jane  a soldiers wife aged 31 is in Winchester, Charles isn`t there, but there is a daughter Elizabeth born Canada c 1852.
By 1871  the whole family is in Wrexham.
I found a Chelsea Pensioner record  for Charles Fraser Munro  dated 1863, but can`t view it as it`s on a pay to view site.
Can anyone shed any light on Charles and the link to Canada. Any thing else would be great.

[AMBLY]

Hi wilcoxon

Examination of Invalid Soldiers: For Discharge 15 Sep 1863
Sergeant, Charles Fraser MUNRO, Rifle Brigade, 2Bn
Age 39 years, Clunie, Aberdeen
RANKS & time served
Sergeant =  13y, 6m
Corporal =  2y, 2m
Private: 5y, 8m
(There is no period of service noted in the ranks: S.M., Q S.M., Drummer/Trumpeter)
TOTAL Service: 21ym, 11m less 6m deduction for u age = Final TOTAL 21y, 5m
Rate of Pension: 2/-  (ie: 2s/0d)
Foreign Service: America 9Y, 11m,  Crimea 2Y, 5m, India 5Y
Character: Very Good, 4 marks
Disability or Cause of Discharge: Completed Service
Description:  5', 7" tall, black hair, black eyes, dark complexion

According to this record, up until discharge 1863, his rank was never Sergeant Major; his highest rank was Sergeant.

From the above dates:
Joined up around mid October 1841, underage
Pension dates from around mid April 1842 (when he became of army age, 18)
So, possibly born around mid April 1824 (turned 18 about April 1842)?

Note: His Foreign service adds up to 17y, 4m, and his total service from the time he joined up was  21Y, 11m. Therefore, his Home Service: must be approx 4years, 7months?

Cheers
AMBLY

[AMBLY]

More Service Record:

Regimental Board, VERIFICATION OF SERVICE
Winchester, 2 September 1863, to cause the discharge of:
#1699, Sergeant Charles Fraser Munro, 2nd Batt'n of Rifle Brigade
Who requests his own freee Discharge with Pension after having served 21 years.
Service: 21 years & 131 days, after making every deduction required.
America 9Y, 11m
Crimea 2Y, 5M
East Indies 5Y

• Character: Very good
• He was in possession of 4 Good Conduct Badges when he was promoted, which had he not been promoted, he would still be in possession of.
• He is in possessiion of the Crimean Medal, and clasps for Alma & Sebastopol, also Turkish Medal and Indian Medal and French War Medal.
• He was twice charged by Court Martial. but no record of being in defaulters book
• No Wounds or Injuries noted

His Service Record has him joining up 14 Oct 1841, underage, and his pensionable Service dates from 14 April 1842 (from when he turned 18?)

He got himself imprisoned for 10 days almost exactly a year later, 15th to 24th April 1843. Perhaps he skived off to celebrate his birthday? He also had a bit of bother in 1860, in arrest for 4 days and demoted from Sgt down to Private for a month before regaining his rank of corporal. It took him another 2 years to get back up to Sergeant:

Promoted to Corporal, 6 June 1847.
Promoted to Sergeant, 20 March 1848
Promoted to Color Sergeant  1 Apr 1853
Deprived of Color, 25 Apr 1853, reduced to Sergeant.
In Arrest 22 to 25 Jun 1860
Reduced to Private 26 Jun 1860
Promoted to Corporal 27 Jul 1860
Promoted to Sergeant 19 Jun 1862, held until Discharge 15 Sep 1863

Charles Fraser Munro
Attested at Glasgow on 14 October 1841
Aged 17 years and 6 months *
A Labourer, born Clunie, Aberdeen
When discharged in 1863, his intended place of residence was:
Denbeigh Militia, Wrexham.

*This agrees with a birth of around April 1824.

Cheers
AMBLY

[AMBLY]

2 Btn, Rifles - In Distributions of the  British Army
2 Oct  1841: In Bermuda, Depot: Dover, (the Regiment went)into Foreign Service Sep 1841
14 Oct 1841 CFM Joined up. (per service record)
1 Jan 1842: In Bermuda, Depot: Dover, Into Foreign Service  Sep 1841
14 April 1842 CFM is now of age, 18years, and on Army pay (from service record)
1 Jun 1842:  In Bermuda, Depot: Dover, Into Foreign Service  Sep 1841
2 Jul 1842: In Bermuda, Depot: Dover, Into Foreign Service  Sep 1841
Approx July 1842, CFM began his first foreign service, with 9y 11m in Canada *
4 Mar 1843: In Halifax NS, Depot:Isle of Wight, Into Foreign Service  Sep 1841
2 Dec 1843: In Halifax NS, Depot:Isle of Wight, Into Foreign Service  Sep 1841
20 Nov 1845: In Halifax NS, Depot:Isle of Wight, Into Foreign Service  Sep 1841
3 Apr 1847: In  Canada, Depot:Isle of Wight, Into Foreign Service  Sep 1841
3 Feb 1849: In Canada, Depot:Isle of Wight, Into Foreign Service  Sep 1841
6 Apr 1850: In Canada, Depot:Isle of Wight, Into Foreign Service  Sep 1841
1 Mar 1851: In Canada, Depot:Isle of Wight, Into Foreign Service  Sep 1841
3 Apr 1852: In Canada, Depot:Chatham, Into Foreign Service  Sep 1841
28 Aug 1852: In Canterbury (Kent) Depot:----, Returned from Canada Jun 1852
2 Apr 1853: In Canterbury (Kent) Depot:----, Returned from Canada Jun 1852
1 Apr 1854: In Malta, Depot: Portsmouth, Into Foreign Service Feb 1854
2 Sep 1854: In Turkey, Depot: Portsmouth, Into Foreign Service Feb 1854
6 Jan 1855: In Crimea, Depot: Portsmouth, Into Foreign Service Feb 1854
3 Mar 1855: In Crimea, Depot: Portsmouth, Into Foreign Service Feb 1854
3 May 1856: In Crimea, Depot: Aldershot, Into Foreign Service Feb 1854
5 Jul 1856: In Crimea, Depot: Aldershot, Into Foreign Service Feb 1854
9 May 1857: In Aldershot, Depot: Winchester, Returned from Crimea Jul 1856
30 May 1857: In Aldershot, Depot: Winchester, Returned from Crimea Jul 1856
3 Jul 1858: In Oude (India), Depot: Winchester, Into Foreign Service Aug 1857
1 Jan 1859: In Lucknow (India), Depot: Winchester, Into Foreign Service Aug 1857
3 Sep 1859: In Lucknow (India), Depot: Winchester, Into Foreign Service Aug 1857
31 Mar 1860: In Sabathoo (India), Depot:Winchester, Into Foreign Service  Aug 1857
2 Jun 1860: In Sabathoo (India) Depot:Winchester, Into Foreign Service  Aug 1857
5 Apr 1862: In Bengal (india), Depot:Winchester, Into Foreign Service  Aug 1857
Approx Jun/Jul Aug 1862, CFM returned home, to finish his last approx 1 year, 3mths of service*
4 Apr 1863: In Bengal (India), Depot:Winchester, Into Foreign Service  Aug 1857
2 Sep 1863: CFM Discharge process begins, and ends 15 Sep 1863.(per service records)

* my interpretation
Breaking down his Service terms to years/months - my interpretation based on Distribution List and Service Records:
AMERICAS 9 years, 11 months: July 1842, to Jun 1852
CRIMEA 2Y, 5months: Feb 1854 to Jul 1856
EAST INDIES / INDIA 5 years: Aug 1857 to /Jul Aug 1862

HOME SERVICE has to be approx 4 Years & 7 months, if he served a grand total of 21 years, 11 months:
Home: Oct 1841 to Jul 1842  = 9 months.
Home: Jun 1852 to Feb 1854 = I year, 8 months. Total 2 yrs, 3mth to date.
Home: Jul 1856 to Aug 1857 = 1 year, 1 month. Total 3 yrs, 4mth to date.
Home: approx June/Jul/Aug 1862 to Sep 1863 = 1 year, 3 mth. Total  4yrs, 7mth to end.

Note:
* He joined up 14 Oct 1841 underage, and apparently came of Army age (18) in April 1842
* He was in the Americas for 9 years & 11 months.
* He left Canada in June 1852.
* His service records does not say he was ever in service in Bermuda (which is a 'service location' in itself).
* He must have therefore been Home from join-up October 1841 until July 1842 (about 8 or 9 months) at the Dover Depot, until  going  to the Americas (Canada) to join the Battalion around July 1842, just after he turned 18. This likely coincided with the Battalion's move from Bermuda to Halifax, which occurred sometime between 2 Jul 1842 and 4 Mar 1843.

His Canada born daughter must have been born no later than June 1852.

Cheers
AMBLY

[wilcoxon]

Thanks so much for this. I`ve found a Canadian Military History /The British Garrison and Montreal Society,1830-1850 page which is interesting.
 In another census the daughter is down as being born in Kingston. So  from looking at this page  there was no fighting going on  when Jane was there.
Many  thanks.

[wilcoxon]

There were several British garrisons in British North America, one of which was at  Kingston. Imperial (British) troops were deployed at the site of Fort Henry from 1813 to 1870. British garrisons included the Royal Regiment of Artillery, 24th Regiment of Foot, Black Watch, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, the Royal Welch Fusiliers.

I found this which fits in the time Charles was in Canada, but which regiment  was he with.
Sergeant Charles Fraser Munro, 2nd Batt'n of Rifle Brigade. 

[AMBLY]

Hi Wilcoxon,

Charles' regiment, was just the "Rifle Brigade", stand alone.
Google up one of the "Distributions of the British Army" pages and see how all the regiments are listed

This is interesting history (although it's centering on campaigns rather than locations, and Canada wasn't a 'campaign' assignment, so not mentioned)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifle_Brigade_(The_Prince_Consort%27s_Own)

I did note, they wore green jackets, as opposed to the more common red. Also note, the sub-title "Prince Consort's Own" wasn't conferred on the Brigade until Jan 1862, not long before Charles came out.

British garrisons included...

That would appear not to be an all inclusive list....just some of them.  I do recall I was googling trying to work out which garrison or fort he might have been at in Canada, but couldn't figure it out.

Cheers
AMBLY

[AMBLY]

If you google:

"Rifle Brigade" UK History

then view "images" as opposed to "all" - a ton of stuff 

[AMBLY]

This is really interesting!

https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/ontario/875/

"1842 On May 7 an order was issued from the Horse Guards increasing the 2nd Battalion to twelve companies, six of which were to be called the Reserve Battalion. The Depot companies were therefore increased to six companies, eighty men having volunteered from the 1st Battalion to complete them. This was effected at Dover. The six companies at Bermuda embarked on board the 'Java' transport on July 30, and landed at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on August 12"
   This is at the time Charles was newly joined. If he did meet the 2nd in Bermuda, then this is   
   how/when he got to Canada.

"1851 The 2nd Battalion remained during the whole of this year stationed at Kingston, Upper Canada."

"1852 In May the 2nd Battalion left Kingston and proceeded in steam vessels to Quebec; where they embarked on June 1 on board H.M.S. 'Simoom;' and starting for England on the 3rd arrived at Portsmouth on the 26th"[/i]
         This is how he, wife and child got home to England.

Cheers AMBLY