Second Anglo-Afghan War 1878-80

[Garen]

Probably best to post it in the main Armed Forces forum if you don't mind (just in case the off-topic discussion runs on) - but feel free to post a link to the post here to direct Frogsmile to the right place.

Thanks :-)

Thank you very much again for sharing your expertise!   
Would it be ok to post another picture....definitely dated later than the 2nd Anglo afghan war. Or would there be a better place?

[FROGSMILE]

Thank you very much again for sharing your expertise!   
Would it be ok to post another picture....definitely dated later than the 2nd Anglo afghan war. Or would there be a better place?

It’s fine to post it in roots chat, but perhaps in its own dedicated thread outside the Afghan War.  There used to be a Victorian Wars Forum that would have been ideal, but unfortunately it closed, although there’s hope of creating a new one. Until then, this is the best place.

[YuriZhivago]

Hi!
  When researching my ancestry I accidentally found a relation in a graveyard picture a couple of days ago that turns out to be my 1st cousin 4x removed. He is Thomas Wilde (Listed as Wild in records). Thomas was born in Farnworth, Widnes in January 1858. His grave says "Magazine Sergeant of No.1 Battery 5th Brigade Royal Artillery ..... who died at Jellababad Afghanistan January 15th 1880 aged 22 years". It's interesting to see his death date doesn't seem to coincide with any particular action in the timeline? I've already ordered a replica medal which I can't wait to get but am unsure what clasps he would have been entitled to, lthough one record i have, if it's him says he got the Ali Musjid clasp! This reord shows a different service number number, but i did see some soldiers number changed. I have uploaded the records I have, and a picture of the grave and will go in the next day or so and find it myself and take a better picture! Any thoughts or information you have on Thomas would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks   Ian

[Garen]

Hello Ian

Sorry for the late reply - I seem to have stopped getting notifications (maybe because I haven't logged in for a little while!)

The Thomas Wild you have on the medal roll there belongs to the 4th Bttn. Rifle Brigade, so I don't think he's your man. There is a 'Sgt T. Wilde (983)' on the Royal Artillery medal roll, who I think is recorded as being with E/B RHA, but it's not entirely clear which battery he was with. It may not be E/B, as they did not enter the campaign until March 1880, and then it was in the south of the country (Jellalabad being north, on the other side of the Khyber, en-route to Kabul).

No death is recorded in his notes (it usually is) but there's an 'E' number - and if I remember correctly that might refer to 'effects' - as in personal effects left after death. It would be nice to have something more substantial!

There was no 1/5 RA in the Afghan War, so he may have been attached to another battery - and that might also fit the unclear battery listing on the above medal roll extract. Having said that, L/5 RA did serve, and they were in the Khyber region in early 1880 (there's no Wilde listed on the L/5 medal roll), but I'm not sure if it was as early as Jan (needs a bit more time to look into).

The chances are that he died from disease (most likely cholera) at Jellalabad, so he won't be on a casualty list and it wouldn't coincide with any action, of course.

Just a few bits for now! Best -
Garen

[sarah]

Hello Garen

I am just checking your notifications for you. Please check your PM messages I have sent you a message about your email details.

Regards

Sarah

[Garen]

Thanks very much, Sarah - notification received :-)

[YuriZhivago]

Hi,
 Thankyou very much for taking a look! I was made up to find there was someone in the family involved in a war earlier than the world wars but very sad he died so young!
Ian

[slewi4]

I've just found the obituary of a very distant relative:

Charles Walter Elvis born 25 Mar 1858 Coventry, joined the 10th Royal Hussars on his 14th birthday as a drummer boy, and served with them until discharged in 1882. It says that he received a medal for the Afghanistan campaign and a star for the Kabul-Kandahar march, and that he was one of 14 survivors of a disastrous river crossing (possibly the one on 31 March 1879?).

He returned to Coventry, married twice and had 7 children in total. He died in Coventry on 26 Oct 1947 aged 89.

The military service details was second hand information supplied more than 6 decades after it happened. Is it possible to verify this, and if so, how?

Thanks
Sandra

[ShaunJ]

Charles Walter Elvis (1377)  army file is viewable on FindMyPast: https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=GBM%2FWO97%2F1732%2F175%2F001&parentid=GBM%2FWO97%2F1732%2F342407

Afghan War medal roll on Ancestry: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/1686/images/31794_221412-00084

These more or less confirm the story, except for the Kabul star and the river crossing which are not mentioned.