Sunday, July 23, 2017

Gunner Griffith of the Royal Artillery

Gunner and Sergeant Major, Royal Artillery, 1861. Artist G H Thomas.  Source:  The British Empire.


The following timeline is constructed from dates included in Corporal Griffith's Chelsea Hospital Record, plus a few personal events:

22 April 1857    Attested.  Gunner  Bengal Artillery. Probably training in Essex
19 April 1858    Transferred Sappers.  Private
30 April 1858     India 22 Jan 1861     Gunner   to 5 Aug 1861
6 Aug 1861        Transferred Royal Artillery, 16th Brigade, Gunner  to 5 Apr 1863
12 Oct 1861       Boon granted by GOGG
                           Continued....Gunner in Royal Artillery 16th Brigade
1 Nov 1867        Transferred Depot Brigade  to 19 May 1869 (presume for return to Depot)
22 Nov 1867      Left India
24 Dec 1867       Re-engaged at Woolwich for 10 years  119 days
20 May 1869      Promoted  Bombardier  to  6 Oct 1870
 Dec Quarter       Emily born
7 Oct 1870          Promoted Corporal   to 31 Mar 1871
1 Apr 1871         Transferred Corporal Coast Brigade
Dec Qtr 1873      Alice Born
22 Feb 1875        Discharge from the Army
31 Mar 1875       *Further service from 23 Feb to 31 March 1875.
6 Apr 1875          Buried
Signed by D Anderson Captain 7th Division Coast Brigade
Total of  19 years 344 days.


The reference to Michael's attestation with the Bengal Artillery indicates that he served his first couple of years with the Honourable East India Company.   The HEIC maintained a recruiting depot in Liverpool, so I am assuming the attestation occurred in Liverpool.

We don't know Michael's actual movements after making his attestation, but most likely he spent some months training at the East India Company barracks at Warley in Essex.  Wikipedia says that "In 1842 the East India Company's barracks at Chatham became inadequate, and they purchased the land [at Little Warley] to move their troops in. Accommodation was created for 785 recruits and 20 sergeants with new buildings for the officers. Married family housing was also provided, and a chapel."

So Mary may have accompanied Michael while he was training at Warley, and stayed in the married quarters.   Whether Michael's young bride went with him to India is unknown, but it seems likely that when he went abroad, Mary stayed behind.  There don't seem to be any children born of the union in this early period, either in England or India.