Army Pensioner d1914 Belfast

[frankie-d]

My g-grandad Thomas Tracey married Mary Jane Evans in Belfast in 1880 and was shown as a Labourer. He raised a family and in the censuses of 1901 & 1911 is still a Labourer in Belfast, ages shown as 60 & 72 respectively, which indicate a birth year c1840. When he died in 1914 his occupation was shown as Army Pensioner.

His age and marriage suggest army service sometime between 1850 and 1880. I've looked on the National Archives site for army records, there are a lot of different record sets which I've found confusing.

I'm hoping to find his pension record first and maybe find something in it to point me towards his service record.

Assuming the army pension was awarded between 1911 & 1914 can anyone suggest how I might find the record?

[mmm45]

Do you have place of Birth?
Find My Past has Military Records pre 1915

Ady

[frankie-d]

Thanks Ady.

Family lore had it that Thomas was from a town called Hospital in Co. Limerick. I searched FindMyPast for his name born 1830-1850 and got 10 hits, one of whom was born in Limerick in 1840.

When I looked at the images it's definitely him, he spent 20 years in the 86th Reg of Foot, including a total of 10 years 5 months in Gibralter, Mauritius and the Cape of Good Hope, though the exact dates aren't shown. He was discharged in Belfast in 1880, shortly before he married.

I now want to know where he was stationed during the 1870's, which might help me find out if he was my grandfather's father or stepfather.

I've attached the last part of his Detailed Statement of Service which shows his last 10 years broken into 2 periods of 3 and 7 years. Does this indicate he was in 2 different places? There's also a period of about a week in 1872 which I think says "Insp by Comg  Officer" which doesn't seem to count towards his accrued service, any ideas why? Also interested in what the lines in red ink mean.

Finally, would there be any diaries available for his regiment which would show where they were stationed during this time?

[bleckie]

Hi

I think the entries in red are the withdrawal and restoration of good conduct pay

Yours Aye

BruceL

[km1971]

Hi Frankie

The section shown was used for a variety of information – hence the use of different inks. The best way to analyse is to draw three columns with date, red comments, black comments. Then it will start to make sense.

The second set of numbers – 7 years 139 days – starts when he came out of being ‘imprisoned by commanding officer’ for seven days - ie he lost his previous service towards a pension and had to restart the clock. So it looks as if he served 21 years but only had the pension for seven years service. You will have to see what happened on 18 April 1869 to discover what the 3 years 163 days refers to.

These service records/pension records/attestation forms and discharge forms etc are one and the same. There are no other individual records, except if he had previous service in the Militia. They were sent to Chelsea Hospital who looked after out-pensioners as well as in-pensioners. After his death they were sent to the Public Records Office/National Archives. Findmypast digitised them, and now they are no longer available at the National Archives. WO97 are for Regular soldiers; and WO96 are for the Militia.

The 86th Foot left Ireland for Gibraltar in October 1864; moved to the Cape in April 1867; Mauritius in December 1867; Cape (again) in July 1870; and back in Ireland in March 1875. Overseas service includes time at sea.

Ken

[frankie-d]

Thanks Bruce and Ken,

My grandfather was born in Belfast in December 1873 so Thomas must have been his stepdad as I already suspected.
Very interesting to see what he'd been doing for 20 years before he married my g-grandma and also confirming that he was from Hospital, Co.Limerick.