Hi Chris,
Very interesting stuff, thanks. No, I know only a little about him really.
I know he was 5' 11' had light brown hair and grey eyes.
He served for 25 years but came out of the service with Bronchitis, a bad cough, Rheumatism, and according to the doctor who saw him when he left the Guards, he looked a lot older than his age. Poor John. ( Maybe he lied about his age when he joined :-)) but I don't think so).
I would love to be able to talk to him and ask him questions about his life but he left no notes or stories that I know of. I do know from his attestation papers he was literate. Too bad he did not keep a diary( maybe he did) for the stories would be fascinating, as you suggest.
He served three Sovereigns which is interesting and one wonders what he thought of each of them and their differences. He did leave in 1841 so things would have been very different than in the later 1800's. I imagine it may have been more lively in the Royal residences before the more dignified, and perhaps more puritanical later reign of Victoria under the influence of the very prim and proper Albert
On John's papers when he left, it said he served all his 25 years in the Guards in England. Four years ago I knew nothing about him and very litttle about this family at all. I am amazed when I look back and think of what we have found since then, even if it is mostly BMD information.
It has been very interesting to find out very recently that his son Richard ( John's second marriage) went into the Royal marines and also Richard Jr did too. John must have said good things about life in the Military.
I did see, online, that there was a man in the RAF in WW2 with a middle name Brindley, Eric James Brindley Nicholson (maybe his mother's line was Brindley?) who won the only VC for the RAF. But it is more dificult to prove outstanding valour in the skies as there were few witnesses in dogfights I suppose, so that does not mean more RAF people did not deserve them.
In my opinion
all those WW2 pilots, especially 'the Few' deserve the highest honours their country can give. It crossed my mind, when I saw that name, that maybe this man was linked to my Brindleys.
But as BMD records for more recent times are not available it will be difficult to check his ancestry.