Hi All...am well lucky with this man, and chuffed to bits again, wanted to share as well
Have recently been contacted by a cousin with news of a baton that belonged to my (our) x3 Grandfather. Full story for those that are interested here.
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,168790.0.htmlThe baton is appox 29 inches brass or tarnished silver? at the head and point/ tip - old leather over the shaft of the wood stick itself. (have 3 pics)
The engravings read...
R GIBBONS HM 29 REG engraved in a circle on the head around a flower design
ENGAGED AT FEROZESHAH 21 & 22 DEC 45
PASSAGE CHENAB 23 DEC 48
CHILLIANWALLAH 13 JAN 49
GOOJERAT 21 FEB 49
Wound at Ferozes
ON BOTTOM OF STICK - a list of places where he was stationed - appear to be
in three sections reading round
QUARTERED AT WOOLWICH - ALLAHABAD - RANGOON
GHAZZEPORE - CALCUTTA
EDINBURGH - MEERUT - CHATHAM
GLASGOW - KUSSOWLIE - NOTTINGHAM
BELFAST - FEROZEPORE
WEEDON - WUZERABAD EXETER
TILLURYTI -? ADERUT? PLYMOUTH
CHINSURAH - DINAPORE
GHAZZERLORE - VODEMEIN? THEYATTON ??
Know he was quarted 1839 at Woolwich from service record, not on UK 1841/1851...married in Chatham Kent 1859, and first 2 daughters were born Plymouth. I have a short list of places the 29th were stationed so sorry for any mispellings of oversea place names, difficult on how they read, but any imput appreciated
Richard Gibbons possibly engraved the names himself or got someone in the Reg to do it as he travelled There appear to be three main groups His early UK days. His India days and then his time back in UK. That is what I am supposing?
We are both interested in reuniting the baton with the medals and photo in the Regimental museum at some point.
What I would like to know is the history, if anyone has any knowledge or imput...was it commonplace to have such a baton, does anyone know of others that exist, or was this something my grandfather just had as a momento of his army days, was this common and issued by the army, and he engraved it etc?
Any knowledge, advise or imput appreciated
Cas