Army wife

[Talmage]

I am trying to work out how the wife of a soldier in the early 19th century would have been able to join her husband in Ireland. The details are as follows:
I believe the soldier in question to be my 3x great grandfather who joined the 4th Light Dragoons about 1809, spent most of the following five years in a French POW camp but re-joined his regiment at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. They returned to the UK but, within weeks had been sent to Ireland. It appears that his wife and possibly one child joined them there as, on his discharge certificate dated November 5th 1818, there is a record of money being paid to help his wife and two children return to England.
Now, whether or not this man was my ancestor, I am curious as to how she would have got herself from Surrey to Ireland. The soldiers do not appear to have had leave when they returned from France, the couple in question could not write so how would she have known where he had gone, let alone got herself to somewhere in south west Ireland?
Any ideas would be very welcome.
Thanks in advance
Talmage

[km1971]

The 4th Light Dragoons were in Islington from July to September 1814, so she probably went with him.

Ken

[Talmage]

Hi
Thanks for this. I wonder if I am getting confused and you might be able to clarify something for me. Is there a difference between the 4th Dragoons and the 4th Light Dragoons or are they the same regiment?
Talmage

[km1971]

They were the same. The key is the number - that stays the same. The type of cavalry they were changed over a period for most regiments. The 4th later became Hussars.

There was also the 4th Dragoons Guards - which was a different regiment - and classed as heavy cavalry. The 4th D/LD/H were light cavalry.

Ken

[Talmage]

Many thanks for this clarification.
Talmage

[GR2]

In Britain, a wife may just have lived near the barracks, but a certain number of wives were allowed to accompany the army abroad. They were useful for doing washing etc! One of my ancestors went to Sicily with the 10th Regiment of Foot about 1807. He was accompanied by his wife and they had a son born at Messina the following year.

Graham.

[Talmage]

Hi Graham
 Thank you for your interest. I think my 2x great-grandfather was born in Ireland while his father was serving there but, unfortunately, I cannot find any proof of this.

I shall just have to keep looking!
Talmage