32nd Regiment of Foot 1815

[JulieTawse]

What a great bit of detective work you've both done! A pleasure to read and very instructive about the lateral thinking we need with this kind of research

[jon andrews]

For the Serjeant of the living history group of the 32nd regiment

re your question of 11 August, I believe that my ancestor (Andrew Knox) was
buried in Durham in Apr-Jun 1864. He was shown on the 1861 census as living in Cassop (aged 83) in the household of a man aged 27 whose wife had been previously married to a great nephew (presumably dead) of Andrew. The 1861 census described Andrew as "pensioner 32nd regiment". In the household there were also 3 step children from the first marriage and a month old baby from the second marriage! Andrew is recorded in the census as "uncle". Andrew was also shown in Durham in the 1841 and 1851 censuses.  He was also described as "widower" in 1851 and 1861 but I have not traced when or how often he was married     Regards   Jon

[Jacklx]

I've come across this website having recently watched Terry Wogan's recent TV programme where he visited 'Powerscourt', an estate which was owned, in the 19th century by the Wingfield family. Many years ago I had researched the DCLI/32nd of Foot on behalf of an American family who happen to have my surname and discovered that the regiment was serving under Lt Col Wingfield in Canada in the 1830s. Whether there is any connection I know not, however trawling through your website I came across a reference to the Royal Hospital at Chelsea. The Americans had given me a copy of a discharge certificate of their soldier ancestor which bore not only Colonel Wingfield's signature, but also the rubber stamp of the Royal Hospital. I looked into this and discovered that ALL soldiers records and discharge details were administered by the Royal Hospital in those days. The 'received' rubber stamp on the discharge certificate is dated 1874 and as the soldier concerned was born in 1800 I assume the certificate was 'processed' by the Royal Hospital at the time of the soldier's death. It would appear from other records that the soldier remained in Canada, with his wife and son, having been discharged, and possibly having been granted a pension.

[JOOBLES]

I've only just spotted this topic.

I'm a direct descendent of the Philip Clear who is buried in Veryan churchyard here in Cornwall.

It's lovely that his grave is  commemorated.

J.

[John R White]

Hi All,  My ggg Grandfather John Common was in the 33rd regiment of foot and fought at Waterloo.
However according to a relative of mine ( another of Johns g g g grandsons) who has been to Kew and checked through the regimental muster rolls his name was incorrectly written as John Cumming throughout  his time in the regiment.
I know Jean has said she has tried allsorts of spelling  variations but John Commons case shows that mistakes did happen.
regards Malcolm.

Malcolm
Is this the Sergeant Common who was with the Northumberland Militia in Ireland? I have a few references to him in the correspondence of the Thain family. He seems to have been responsible for drilling young William Thain who transfered into the 33rd foot in the regular army. William Thain wrote from Europe after the suicide of the 33rd's adjutant , urging his father to get Common transfered to the 33rd, as Thain felt that the unit needed a good drill instructor and believed that Common could occupy the vacant adjutancy (not a common occurance, but a few Sergeants held this position in units).  Not sure if you can email me via a link on this site? If not try the 33rd Foot re-enactment website's contact address and someone will forward it. 
John R White. BTW an ancestor of mine joined fought the 33rd but died at Quatre Bras.

[millymcb]

Hi John - welcome to Rootschat. 

We have a Personal Message system for exchanging personal info.  You need to have made three posts to use it to deter spammers.

If you reply a couple of times on this thread you will then be eligible and can exchange email addresses in private.  Any email address posted on the site will be deleted (again to deter spammers)

Milly

[John R White]

Thanks for the advice.

[John R White]

Hi

Iam interested in this post as I have just got the discharge papers for two family members who fought at Quatre Bras and Waterloo.

The first was Smith McDole who was in Captain David Davies company of the 32nd - he was shot in the ankle at Quatre Bras on 16 June 1815 and was pensioned off as a result. He is on the Waterloo Medal Roll.

The second is Nathaniel Dunsheath who joined 32nd in Jan 1811 and was finally pensioned off in 1835 aged 40. According to his papers he got 2 years extra for having been at Waterloo. BUT I can't find him on medal roll - he also served 8 years in the Ionian Islands - anyone have any idea what 32nd would have been doing there ?? 

Why if he got the extra pension for Waterloo is he not on medal roll.

For Serjeant - these are two more men to be added to list of 32nd at Waterloo.

By the way both these men came from Co Antrim, Ireland.


Yvone

Yvone,
Possibly Nathaniel served with his unit in the campaign , but missed the two major battles, so got the two years bonus service but was not awarded a medal for the action.(s) The awarding of the medal could be hit and miss in an age without computers  and a reliance on handwriting. Quite a lot of the unit would be absent on the day of battle due to being put to guard various types of baggage, wounded officers, medical stations etc , some would be detached as servants with absent officers, some would be sick a few ranks such as paymasters and paymaster sergeants, probably school master sergeants, were sometimes classed as none-combatants and would leave the fighting element of the battalion prior to an action. Some units chose to ignore this distinction, look at the disparity between the 33rd and the 2/69th who where in the same Brigade and actually fought as an amalgamated unit at Waterloo~ the 2/69th had some 60 men not present at the battle but they still recieved a Waterloo medal..some 12% of the ones issued to the unit. In contrast the 33rd, with a similar amount of absentees, refused to issue them to these individuals and also barred men who were found to have fled or in some cases left with the wounded but had not managied or contrived to return to the unit during the rest of the action.   

[Le_Ricain]

I came upon this thread and just had to enrol.

My ancestor was Samuel Wilson, who was born in Rotherham, Yorkshire around 1777. After serving with the Nottinghamshire Fencibles, he enlisted in the 32nd Regiment in 1799. His daughter Ann was born in Ireland while the regiment was based there in either 1802 or 1807. Samuel was with the regiment during the Peninsular Campaign and he was wounded in the foot at Waterloo. He was with the regiment in the Ionian Islands (Corfu) when he was pensioned off in 1819. Samuel must have been illiterate as he retired a private after 20 years and 5 months service, including the Waterloo bonus years. He returned to Ireland, but probably had trouble finding work in the post war economic recession as he emigrated with his family to Nova Scotia in 1820. He selected NS as he had heard that they were awarding retiring militia soldiers 500 acres of land and Samuel reckoned regular army service more than qualified. Arriving in NS, he was informed that he did not qualify. He submitted a request and probably due to his celebrity as a Waterloo veteran, he was given a 500 acre grant after a couple of years. In the 1830's the British Government, as part of a cost cutting exercise, offered military pensioners an opportunity to exchange their pensions for a 500 acre land grant. Samuel, no doubt thinking about taking care of his family, accepted the offer. He died some time in the 1860's. 

I do not know if he is on the Waterloo Medal list. Where can I find it?