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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: Rosezi on Monday 01 October 18 11:39 BST (UK)
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Help needed to decipher handwriting from my 4x great grandfather's John Sutherland's military record. I think I can make out he may have fought at Waterloo but it mentions another place, possible Brugges? He was discharged because of his wounds in 1816. He served in the regiment 79th of foot.
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Looks like he was at Waterloo. Someone on here is offering to check the records. He has them for all 28,000 at Waterloo. It does mention Brugges. As to causes, it looks like pulmonary, ie lungs something but also mentions wound to head.
You should get a result on here.
Added: The 79th was at Quatre Bras too. At the end of Waterloo, no senior officers survived.
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I think that might read Burgos. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Burgos
He had a head wound there 8/10/1812.
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A description of 'pulmonic affection' is shown below.
Regards
GS
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I see:
...he was wounded in the head at Burgos
and through the left leg at Waterloo.
Best regards,
Karen
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And he had a bad cough!
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And black eyes! 8)
Poor fella.
I must admit, I've never seen anyone's eye colour being described as black. Maybe things were different back then...
Karen
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Good ferreting. I wish I could remember the member who has the Waterloo listing. If he lived long enough a Waterloo medal too.
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Many thanks for the replies. I will have to read up on the siege of Burgos. The war records are great as they even give a small description of the soldier and his trade back home in Caithness. John Sutherland is the 8th ancestor of mine that fought in the Napoleonic era, and all from the Scottish highlands
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There are two John Sutherlands 79th Foot on the Waterloo medal roll - a private and a sergeant - does his record indicate whose company he was in?
MaxD
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The record I have is for Sergeant John Sutherland is born 1777 in Wick, Caithness in Captain R McKay's company
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The Serjeant John Sutherland 79th Foot on the Waterloo medal roll is listed as being in Capt J Campbell's company. Could be that he transferred later to the other company after the battle? The medal roll has no personal info but given that his papers cite Waterloo twice and he is the only Sjt John Sutherland 79th Foot on the roll it would be valid I think to assume he is your man.
MaxD
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Many thanks, yes that must be him. Would it please be possible to check the Waterloo medal roll for my other ancestors?
Alexander Carnaby born 1790 in Thurso, ensign in the 76th reg of foot.
David Bruce born 1780, Wick, Caithness who served in the 42nd reg - it's possible he either died at
Waterloo or died of his wounds as his son was born in July 1815, and the baptism states he was a deceased soldier of the 42nd reg at the time of the birth.
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Alexander Carnaby has clasps for the Peninsular War Nivelle Nov 1813 and Nive Dec 1913. Not Waterloo, the regiment went to Australia/Tasmania in 1813.
Can't turn up David Bruce at all. May have died before Waterloo (June 1815)?
MaxD
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ok, many thanks for looking this up,
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If your John Sutherland was in the 79th in the Peninsular Wars as well as at Waterloo, which it seems he was, he would have earned the Military General Service Medal (MGSM). On the Roll of the MGSM is Corporal John Sutherland of the 79th with clasps for Busaco, Fuentes D'Onor, Salamanca, and Pyrenees. The MGSM was issued in 1848. The Waterloo Medal was issued in 1816-17. He hopefully survived to receive the Waterloo Medal and perhaps the MGSM, though many didn't live long enough to receive the latter. If he did, it would be a wonderful "pair".
The battle for Busaco was fought on 27 September 1810;
The battle of Fuentes de Oņoro was from 3 to 5 May 1811;
The battle of Salamanca was fought on 22 July 1812; and
The battle of the Pyrenees was a large-scale offensive launched on 25 July 1813.
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Many thanks for this useful information. I shall look these battles up