Second Anglo-Afghan War 1878-80

[emre43]

Thanks Garen. His mother's name was Mary and she died in Andover, so I'm sure that is him. In his obituary he is known as Aaron Walter Joyce but every other source names him as just Walter.

May I also commend you on your Second-Afghan War research and your Maiwand Day blog. Amazing research and work has gone into both of them. I am partial to a tabletop wargame myself

Many thanks

Tom

[emre43]

Oh and to be precise, Walter was born in Clatford, Hampshire, nearby Andover.

[Garen]

Thank you, Tom. Yes the service record says Clatford - so must be your chap!

Thanks for the nice words on the Afghan war site. The Maiwand Day blog isn't my work though, that's the effort of the amazing Ethan Reiff (I interviewed him here).

Best - G

[emre43]

Oh yes, I did read the interview but temporarily forgot.

[shelley28]

Hi researchers.

I am new to this forum. This is my first posting.

I have an ancestor who served in the British Army (10th Hussars) in India at the time of the Second Afghan war. I have details of his service record and his immediate family at that time. I would be interested in any further details about his service in India and further information about the method and dates of his and his family’s return to Britain.

Don

[shelley28]

Here is a follow up to my first posting.

This is an extract from the National Archive record of my ancestor’s army service. It shows he was in India in the 10th Hussars at the time of the Second Afghan War. It seems strange that he was court martialled and then demoted immediately upon his transfer from the 21st Hussars to the 10th Hussars in 1874. I should like to find out what part, if any, he took in the Second Afghan War campaign and details of his (or his family’s) return journey to Britain.

Private (discharge rank) Henry Dunford, No. 1390, 10th Hussars

Event               Date

Home               02.02.1860 – 30.10.1860
India               31.10.1860 – 11.06.1881
Home               12.06.1881 – 21.06.1881

Enlisted            31.01.1860
Bengal Light Cavalry      02.02.1860
21st Hussars            01.05.1861
Saddler Sergeant         05.05.1865
Married (Maria Ogden aged 16)   13.09.1869
10th Hussars            30.04.1874 (volunteered 1873 to stay in India)
Court Martial            01.05.1874
Private            02.05.1874
Discharged (Canterbury depot)   12.07.1881

I do have further details of his children’s births (in India and UK).

Don

[Anil Srivastava]

Dear Garen: The attachment refers to General Frederick Richard Maunsell, KCB, RE, who was formerly the Commandant of the Bengal Sappers during the events of 1857. He was Commander Engineers in 1878, during the Second Anglo-Afghan War 1878-80. I am Lt Col Anil Srivastava, Bengal Engineer Group (formerly King George V's Own Bengal Sappers and Miners, RIE).

[Craig66]

Does anybody know if Isaac Webster survived the attack in his tent mentioned in The Bugle on 1st Feb 1979 (discussed near the start of this forum)
My grandmother (surname Webster ) gave me a Koran when I was a child and inside it says that it was taken from one of the huts by Isaac Webster of the 51st. Isaac Webster was later attacked and wounded in his tent by a tribesman. I wondered if there was any way of finding out if he survived the attack reported in The Bugle on 1st Feb 1879?

[Garen]

Hi researchers.

I am new to this forum. This is my first posting.

I have an ancestor who served in the British Army (10th Hussars) in India at the time of the Second Afghan war. I have details of his service record and his immediate family at that time. I would be interested in any further details about his service in India and further information about the method and dates of his and his family’s return to Britain.

Don

Hello Don - apologies for my delayed reply - I have not visited the forum in a little while (busy!) and I stopped getting email notices. Hopefully they're back on now.

I checked the medal roll for the 10th Hussars and did not see Henry Dunford listed - and a look at his service record on FindMyPast confirms that he was not in receipt of the Afghan medal, so we can confirm he didn't serve there, despite being with the 10th Hussars.

The 10th were in the first phase of the Afghan campaign, from Nov 1878 until Jun 1879. Henry's medical record shows that he arrived at Rawalpindi in Jan 1878 and had hospital admissions at Muree in Apr 1878 and Rawalpindi in Aug 1879 - so no definitive confirmation for whereabouts during the campaign.

The 10th Hussars Depot was at Rawalpindi throughout the war, and it may be that Henry, as a saddler, was kept there to look after the horses and see to fresh drafts of men before they went to the front - that's speculation, and I'm not an expert on such aspects.

Henry returned to the UK in 1881 ("on termination of his second period of limited engagement"), the 10th Hussars as a regiment returned in early 1884.

All best - Garen