Finding info re orphaned military children travelling from India to UK

[THDF]

My great grandfather William Mason, Sargeant 2548, 5th Royal Irish Lancers, was stationed in India during 1889 with his wife, daughter and son.

Annie Maria Mason (wife) age 23 died on 14th April 1889 of enteric fever at the Auxiliary Hospital, Mhow, India.

Sargeant William Mason age 27 died one month later on 12th May 1889 of heat apoplexy at the Auxiliary Hospital, Mhow, India.

My grandmother Ethel Esther Mason, born March 1886 and her brother William George Mason born September 1887 were in India with William and Annie Maria.  I cannot find any details of how or when the children travelled back to England.  Does anybody have any ideas about where I might find this information please? 

[Paco]

Welcome to Rootschat!
I have found a few things that you may or may not already have. William George Mason b. 7/9/1887 was baptised 29/5/1889 in Mhow Bengal, India, so a month after his mother died. He died in 1971 in Kent, which I expect you know aged 83 years. The only Mr W G Mason I can find travelling between India and London was a 2nd Engineer on the ship Surada, British India Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. Going from Calcutta to London arriving in London 27/11/1909. If he had been adopted it is unlikely he would have retained the same Christian and Surname I would think, always assuming this is who you are looking for of course, so it will need checking out. I could find nothing for Ethel Esther Mason. Maybe you have more information that might help Rootschatters to help you. Regards.

[rosie99]

Welcome to rootschat

When do you have them both on UK records.  Maybe they came back to the UK on 'military' transport 

[josey]

May there have been 'nannies' employed by the diplomatic & military to accompany children on the voyage? But as Rosie asks, when do they appear on UK records?

[aghadowey]

Children were sometimes sent back to England in the care of other soldiers' wives or relatives, English families returning to the U.K., etc.

[Jebber]

Not much help to you in your search but an interesting detail.

Quite a lot of single young women went out to India in search of husbands, because the single soldiers had little chance of finding English wives any other way. Some of the women were unsuccessful and returned home, they were nicknamed ‘Returned empties’ it is possible one of them was engaged to accompany the children back to England.

[THDF]

Thank you very much for the replies.  I also wondered whether they would be cared for by other military wives/nannies until they were brought back to the UK, it would be lovely to be able to fill in the gap!

The first date that I can find the children in the UK is on the 1891 census.  They are listed as living with their maternal grandparents, George and Esther Smith, at Parsonage Cottage in Petham, Kent.

Once again thank you for all the helpful suggestions, I am very grateful.  Kind regards.

[chempat]

Does 'The Secret Garden' have any details as to how Mary Lennox travelled home after both her parents died of cholera?

[mckha489]

Does 'The Secret Garden' have any details as to how Mary Lennox travelled home after both her parents died of cholera?

“

Mary made the long voyage to England under the care of an officer’s wife, who was taking her children to leave them in a boarding school

”

Mrs Medlock went down to London to meet her.
(One of my favourite books