55th Regiment of Infantry approx 1867

[Daisy Loo]

Great - I have already sent an email off to them.

You didn't do anything wrong, just better to write out email addresses in words, so that it doesn't become a link that spammers can abuse   No worries at all, and I am very grateful for your help.  Thank you so much for taking the time to post what you have.  Keep your fingers crossed for me

Regarding the discharge papers - my soldier won't have any I think, as he died in action I believe, in India, so he was never actually discharged.  But maybe I have that wrong.  (I hope so!)

[mariob]

I'll remember that for again. You are right, of course he won't have been discharged but he will have to have sailed there, perhaps received merit badge/s, so any extra info is always good to have.

Fingers crossed for you!

[Daisy Loo]

Thanks again   And by the way - Welcome to Rootschat

[Daisy Loo]

dear mariob

wanted to let you know that I emailed them, and they replied - so quickly too!
They gave me a bit of further information, which is as much as I could wish for considering the poor fellows circumstances.

"Our records state that 907 Private Henry Hilsdon, 5 Company, Volunteered from the 35th Regiment 7th October 1863, joined the Regiment at Portsmouth and embarked as a Private, died of Chronic Hepatitis 17th August 1867 at Lucknow.  The Regiment landed in India in 1864 and were engaged in the Bhutan Campaign, the sick and wounded, women and children were left behind in Lucknow, he was awarded the India General Service medal with the clasp ‘Bhootan’ so was obviously involved in the campaign."

Thank you again for passing this email and information on to me.

Best wishes - Daisy Loo

[mariob]

That's super to get such information. I too was amazed at how promptly my query was answered. Fair play to them! Far too may soldiers died from one disease or another during such campaigns. As if it wasn't bad enough having to contend with the campaign itself. Terrible times altogether!

Glad I could help.

[Daisy Loo]

I quite agree - the sentence " the sick and wounded, women and children were left behind in Lucknow" would break your heart - conjuring up all kinds of stories and hardships.

[km1971]

Lucknow was a garrison. So the sentence " the sick and wounded, women and children were left behind in Lucknow" just means they did not go on campaign with the regiment.

I also found this - http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/23338/pages/7107

Ken

[mariob]

Thanks for clearing that up Ken. It was bad enough...as is the case with all wars! I have a couple of images of Lucknow in 1867 and 1868 but no idea how to upload them here so Daisy Loo can view them.

[Daisy Loo]

Thanks very much for that km1972, very interesting, and thanks for the clarification also.

mariob, because I was able to confirm that Silvanus was going under the name Henry - I finally found him, after several years in the 1861 census - in a Barracks at Chatham - so yet another lead.

further to your images that you have, you can upload them here - click on the red arrow below the reply box, that says attachments and other options.  Alternatively, I can send you a private message and give you my email.

best wishes and thanks again to you both - Daisy Loo