55th Regiment of Infantry approx 1867

[Daisy Loo]

Hi there

I am trying to find out more about an ancestor, Silvanus Henry Hilsdon in b.1849, Waddesdon, Bucks.  I have him on the 1851 census at age 8, and then he disappears.  The next finding I have of him is a record of his estate and letters of admin being granted to his father in 1870.  This record states that he was "late of Lucknow in the East Indies, a Corporal in Her Majesty's 55th Regiment of Infantry, a Bachelor who died 17 August 1867 at Lucknow".

Is there anywhere else I could look for more on this man?  I don't have a death reg for him either.

Cheers for any advice

[GrahamSimons]

If he died at Lucknow he wouldn't be registered in UK - he might be on Overseas Deaths....

Guidance on army records: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/britisharmysoldierupto1913.htm

I can't find him in the FIBIS database nor in the British Library India indexes

[Daisy Loo]

Thanks GrahamSimons - I think a while back I had checked FIBIS alright, with no luck

I was wondering I suppose if I could find any more information about the movement of the regiment he served with, and how I would find that information.

I'll check the overseas deaths again, thanks

[GrahamSimons]

Quick spin round the internet - try http://www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/armyunits/britishinfantry/55thfoot.htm

and http://kingsownbordermuseum.btck.co.uk/ for the museum ...

[Daisy Loo]

Great minds I had found the British Empire site, but I'm finding information that is confusing me. The one on the British Empire site doesn't seem to cover the dates I'm looking for.

http://www.theoriginalrecord.com/database/search/decade/187 - this site gives a bit of detail:

"The 55th (The Westmoreland) Regiment of Foot returned from Gibraltar in 1857, having fought in the Crimea. It was serving at the Curragh in 1860, and in that year was moved to England: the regimental depot was at Plymouth. In 1863 the regiment was sent to India. "

Then on this site : http://archive.org/stream/hermajestysarmyd02rich/hermajestysarmyd02rich_djvu.txt

"Pursuing the career of the First Battalion, wo iind them
again in India in 181U, and doing good service at the time of tlie ]\[ntiiiy in Peshawur,
aiding in the timely suppression of the mutinous 55th regiment, the execution of whose
ringleaders was sternly superintended by the 87th." - gives another snippet!

I'll keep hunting!

[Tyrannosaurus]

You’ll find a history of the 55th Regiment in “A historical account of the services of the 34th & 55th regiments“, published 1875.

See from page 143 for the 1860s in India. http://archive.org/stream/ahistoricalacco01noakgoog#page/n156/mode/2up

Rex

[mariob]

Hi Daisy Loo,

I'm also from Ireland and have recently also been searching for someone who served in Lucknow with the 55th Westmoreland Infantry of Foot on behalf of an elderly gentleman who had been trying to trace his family for 20+ years!!! I contacted the korbrmuseum at aol. com and they very kindly sent me out information on the extended family that sailed to India with his ancestor plus the discharge papers. They don't usually keep this information but the 55th just happens to be one for whom they do (lucky for me and hopefully for you). Honestly, they were amazing! Provide them with as much information as you can, especially a regiment number for your person. I also found great info on ancestry uk plus I found a birth record on familysearch for one of the children born in India. I did a quick check and I found a record for your person (though he is just recorded as Henry Hildson but the death date and place are the same). I found it on the following link https: // familysearch. org / pal:/ MM9. 1.1/ FGGS-5PG

I was in attendance at the recent Back to Our Past conference and they were there and said they have a centre in Dublin where microfilms can be ordered and sent over from Utah (I think) to be viewed there. It is certainly worth looking at...imho.

I hope this helps. I know how difficult and frustrating it can be trying to search ancestors but don't give up. I didn't and in turn made an old man very, very happy!

Good luck!

[Daisy Loo]

Hi mariob, thank you very much for your post.

Going on your suggestion that he may have enlisted as Henry Hilsden, I found a record on Ancestry for a Henry Hilsden, giving a regimental number as 907 (of the 55th, and based in India) Would this be enough to pass on to the email address you kindly gave me?  (you may want to re-edit your post, and put spaces between the email address to help the site combat spam, otherwise a moderator may delete the email address)

Sadly, he didn't travel out to India with any family, and as he died there, I won't get any discharge papers.  I had hoped there may be service records somewhere, so will keep hoping! 

Thank you again for your help, and I will contact that email, and see if they can help me.

Daisy Loo

[mariob]

Hi Daisy Loo,

I believe having his number should get you his discharge papers, ship he sailed on etc. He didn't need to have a family out there, it is just that the man I was researching had and they all sailed together with the regiment. I read that only a couple of families got to be selected to go...like a lottery...so they were very fortunate to stay together.  I Hope I didn't do anything wrong by posting the email address and link...sorry! I have corrected it. Just trying to help another seeeker of ancestors as it can be tough going.