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Armed Forces / Re: 39th Regiment of Foot
« on: Tuesday 28 September 10 22:20 BST (UK) »
Hi Maureen,
Sounds like you're having a lot of fun with it. A couple of corrections: I referred to "Major Poole" when referring to his death but by then of course he'd been promoted to Lt Col. There's bound to be some reference to the promotion to tell you when it happened. Also Mary's family was Deane-Freeman not the other way around as I had it. Google them and you'll find a history of the family. My guess on Mary's wretched worthlessness would be an affair and a return to Britain in disgrace. India was very hard on wives with heat & dust & boredom & lots of dashing young officers looking to practise their "gallantry" on them. And Mary was probably younger and the Colonel was away a lot etc etc. Of course she might have simply been an independant spirit and not content to be treated like one of the rank & file of the 39th. Her family were renouned for their kindness and generosity. It's hard to believe that they'd have produced a "worthless wretch". It would be interesting to find out what really happened.
On Thomas's birth, Ireland is a possibility, specifically County Cork. That's where Mary came from. However, I vaguely remember a reference to a Thomas Poole in the Cork Militia in the early 1800s, maybe something he joined in his early years. It was a common enough name so it's only a vague possibility. Good luck with it.
Doug
Sounds like you're having a lot of fun with it. A couple of corrections: I referred to "Major Poole" when referring to his death but by then of course he'd been promoted to Lt Col. There's bound to be some reference to the promotion to tell you when it happened. Also Mary's family was Deane-Freeman not the other way around as I had it. Google them and you'll find a history of the family. My guess on Mary's wretched worthlessness would be an affair and a return to Britain in disgrace. India was very hard on wives with heat & dust & boredom & lots of dashing young officers looking to practise their "gallantry" on them. And Mary was probably younger and the Colonel was away a lot etc etc. Of course she might have simply been an independant spirit and not content to be treated like one of the rank & file of the 39th. Her family were renouned for their kindness and generosity. It's hard to believe that they'd have produced a "worthless wretch". It would be interesting to find out what really happened.
On Thomas's birth, Ireland is a possibility, specifically County Cork. That's where Mary came from. However, I vaguely remember a reference to a Thomas Poole in the Cork Militia in the early 1800s, maybe something he joined in his early years. It was a common enough name so it's only a vague possibility. Good luck with it.
Doug