Greetings...
Way back in 2020 I posted about my Great Great Grandfather... Edward Bolton...
http://alystoysoldiers.blogspot.com/2020/02/a-little-bit-of-family-history-my-great.html
Since then I have found out a little more about him...
Once more with the help of the lovely Trish we found him in the 1851 census in the town of Cumbernauld in Dunbartonshire... he is listed here as a coal miner... aged 18.
He may well have joined the army soon after this...
I get the feeling that most of my ancestors who joined the military did so because it was safer than working down a Mine or in a Foundry...
This is a photo of ‘I’ Troop Royal Horse Artillery ... Edward Bolton’s Troop...
My Great Great Grandfather could be one of the men in this image... I think I may have said Gosh! when I found this...
One of the first actions he could have been at was at the Bulganak River crossing on the 19th of September 1854...
He would have been one of these dashing figures on the right of the painting...
His next adventure would have been at the Battle of the Alma...
Edward would have been with the Light Brigade in the bottom left of this map...
In December 2019 I posted about my friend Aidan’s Great Great Great Grandfather William Stone who served with the Royal Welch Fusiliers in the Crimean War...
http://alystoysoldiers.blogspot.com/2019/12/a-family-history-my-friend-aidans-great.html
We always wondered if they ever came close to each other...
Okay they didn’t shake hands... but... you know... there was a battle going on.
All well and good Edward would have carried on and been with his troop at Balaclava...
Edward would have been with his comrades in the North Valley near the 4th Redoubt...where he would have witnessed the Charge of the Light Brigade at much closer quarters that most of us would like to have been.
Well... This is all quite incredible...
When I started my interest in the Crimean War I never thought that I would find out that I would have had a family member who had been there...
I do hope we can find out more...
Many thanks again to Trish and Linda for their help with this.
All the best Aly
Fascinating!
ReplyDelete....Now...What about the previous generation?
My maternal grandfather joined the RHA just before the 2nd Boer War but didn't go overseas till recalled to the guns in 1914. On the other side, when I was in my teens I saw a newspaper clipping annoucing the birth of my great great grandfather Macfarlane in a Black Watch barracks in Jamaica or Bermuda or somewhere like that. Might have been the end of professional soldiering for that blood line, as opposed to volunteering in time of war and my brief career.
I would love to take it further back...
DeleteI think when you get to the 1830s there isn’t a lot of personal details... it’s more of a head count...
I approve of the RHA connection...
Very interesting genealogical work, Aly. Quite impressive to have found an ancestor present to witness the Charge of the Light Brigade.
ReplyDeleteI did very little work on this Jonathan... it was mostly down to friends and family.
DeleteIt is however an amazing find...
All the best. Aly
Now that would add some flavour and identity to a project wouldn't it. Excellent piece of research.
ReplyDeleteI do need to make some RHA for Great War Miniatures...
DeleteAnd then I can get all protective with them when I use them in a game...
I'm really interested in these revelations. I thoroughly enjoyed my own family history research but found no military links before the Boer War.
ReplyDeleteI never expected to find all this out David...
DeleteHopefully we will be able to find out more...
Very interesting stuff for sure. My maternal grandfather was a miner and left South Wales and cycled to East Anglia to look for work, as he said it was the hardest job he ever did. He also lost a finger down the mines so I imagine he had a lucky escape.
ReplyDeleteYeah all the serious injuries my ancestors got were caused by industry and not war...
DeleteReally interesting stuff Aly. I know nothing prior to my grandfathers generation on both sides....my mate Julian who we often ply games at on a Friday evening had an ancestor who served in the Crimea and then came to New Zealand as a Fencible, a kind of trained military reservist who was given some land in exchange for coming out to fight in time of need.
ReplyDeleteYour friends ancestor certainly traveled well... I think my lot were just glad to get home.
DeleteA lucky find ! . most of my ancestors were farm labourers , There only claim to fame was one of my mothers side who was in the RHA in the Waterloo campaign .
ReplyDeleteMore RHA Tony...
DeleteClearly I am in good company.
Very impressive bit of genealogical research!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
I have a good team Iain...😁
DeleteSuper interesting post Sir.
ReplyDeleteI’m glad you enjoyed it Phil...
DeleteThat is rather splendid Aly I do think I need to dig a bit about my family history but I fear I might not find anything very interesting 🤔 your is rather splendid and dashing
ReplyDeleteI think you will find it interesting Matt...no matter what you find
DeleteLovely stuff to discover about your past. Interesting that you should mention the desire to avoid mines and foundries. My paternal grandmother came from a mining family and emigrated to Canada in the late 1890’s as an indentured servant because she was adamant that her children were not going to work in the mines...and they didn’t.
ReplyDeleteThe choices for a lot people were unfortunately quite slim in the 19th century...
DeleteIndustry, Farming, Army, Church.... or emigration.
Canada probably smelt better as well...
A wonderful tale to share Aly.
ReplyDeleteI’m glad you enjoyed it Stuart.
DeleteAly wonderful and incredible, it must be wonderful to flesh out your ancestors and to find links to the Crimean War is fascinating. I wouldn’t even know where to start looking at mine.
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed a wonderful find...
DeleteIf you have any military service medals in the family... their service number should be on the side... it’s a good start.
Do you know which ship the two soldiers were transported on?
ReplyDeleteMy grandad in the 1st Welsh came back to the UK from Malta in 1893 on HMS Himalaya. This was an interesting ship. The Himalaya was built by Mere & Co at Leamouth in London for P&O in 1853 and was the largest passenger ship at the time and designed for the run from the UK to Alexandria. It proved too costly to operate as a liner and after two trips was sold to the Royal Navy for use as a troopship, and saw service in the Crimean War.
It continued in this role for forty years, and was able to transport up to 3,000 soldiers at a time. The ship was retired in September 1894 and retained as a coal hulk, C60, moored at the Hamoaze in Devonport.
It was sold in 1920 and towed to Portland, where it remained until eventually sunk by Luftwaffe Stukas during an air raid in 1940.
Very interesting to read! Glad you have found this info! Your previous post on the family history was an inspiration to me, and I managed to find more pieces about my great grandfather and his service in the Austro-Hungarian Navy in WW1!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes,
Jan