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| 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.
