LIVES OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE
The E.J. Boys Archive

1534, Private Job ALLWOOD — 13th Light Dragoons

Birth & early life

Born at Leamington. Warwickshire.

Enlistment

Enlisted at Birmingham on the 14th of November 1853.

Age: 18.

Height: 5' 6".

Trade: Labourer.

Features: Fresh complexion. Grey eyes. Dark brown hair.

Service

Transferred to the 17th Lancers on the 10th of September 1857. Regtl. No. 70.

Embarked for India from Cork aboard the S.S. "Great Britain" on the 8th of October 1857.

Embarked for England from India on the 4th of February 1861.

Tried and imprisoned "for being drunk". In cells from the 30th of June to the 6th of July 1864, and "to forfeit his G.C. badges."

Discharge & pension

Discharged from Colchester "time expired," on the 16th of November 1865, "His having claimed it on the termination of his limited engagement."

Aged 30 years on discharge.

Served 11 years 360 days.

In Turkey and the Crimea, 2 years.

India, 4 years 7 months.

Conduct and character, "has been very good." Not in possession of any Good Conduct badges.

Nine times entered in the Regimental Defaulter's book. Never tried by Court-martial.

Medals

Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman and Sebastopol, and the Turkish medal.

Documents confirm the award of the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman and Sebastopol.

Can find no trace on the Mutiny medal roll.

A supplementary roll (undated) signed by Major Henry Holden shows him as having been issued with the Crimean medal (with clasps for Alma, Balaclava and Inkerman) on the 7th of October 1855.

A letter was sent from the Horse Guards, dated the 16th of November 1857, to the Officer Commanding the 13th Light Dragoons:

"Sir, — In acknowledging the receipt of the proceedings of the Board held to enquire under which the man named in the margin [1534 Job Allwood] lost his Crimean medal, I am directed to acquaint you that unless more complete and conclusive evidence can be attended that the loss being attributable to circumstances entirely beyond the man's control, then HRH cannot recommend the issue of a fresh medal at public expense. But I am at the same time to inform you that he may have a fresh one at his own expense if he so desires.

I have, etc.,

W.A. Forster. DAG."

In the Sebastopol clasp medal roll "Remarks" column is the date, 29/8/57, and "Sent on list recd. from C.O. in reply to Circular."

Commemorations

Attended the first Balaclava Banquet in 1875.

Member of the Balaclava Commemoration Society in 1879.

Signed the Loyal Address to the Queen in 1887.

Present at the Fleet offices of T.H. Roberts for the Jubilee celebrations in June of 1897 and signed the testimonial given to Mr. Roberts on that occasion. (See copy in the "Memoirs" file.)

Life after service

To live at No. 6 Waterloo Street, Leamington, Warwickshire, after discharge.

He married Phoebe Harridan at Leamington Priors on the 30th of October 1866.

1881 Census

Oakfield Stables, Burnswood Avenue, Warwick.

Job Allwood, Coachman (Domestic), aged 46, born at Leamington, with his wife, Phoebe, 44, born at Wolverton, Warwickshire.

No children are shown.

1891 Census

Upper Grove Street.

Job Allwood, Coachman, living with his wife Phoebe. [RM]

In the 1890s he lived at 2, Upper Grove, Leamington, Warwickshire, but by 1897 he was living at 34, Morton Road, Leamington, from which address he wrote to T.H. Roberts thanking him for the invitation to the Jubilee celebrations:

"Mr. T.H. Roberts, Esq.,

Dear Sir,

I most gladly and thankfully accept your kind and hearty welcome to participate in your invitation.

I am, Sir,

Yours respectfully,

Job Allwood, late 13th Light Dragoons; Indian Mutiny, 17th Lancers".

He attended the funeral of George Graham at Warwick in March 1900.

1901 Census

Leamington Priors civil parish

The 1901 Census shows him as a "Coachman Out Of Place", aged 66. [RM]

In September 1901 he made an application for a "Special Campaign Pension" (open only to men who had been awarded medals for campaigns prior to 1860).

In this application he repeated his service details, and also claimed to have been in possession of two Good Conduct badges, but this was officially crossed out and the words "Not in possession. Forfeited." substituted. He stated that he had not followed any employment for the past five years, being unable to work and was in necessitous circumstances — and suffering from bronchitis and chronic rheumatism.

Apart from 1/- per day from the Lloyd's Patriotic Fund he received no other subsistence from Parish Relief or any other Charity. He was then living at No. 20 Morton Street, Leamington.

A Colonel Martin, Honorary Secretary for the Soldiers' and Sailors' Help Society for South Warwickshire, countersigned the certificate, stating that:"Job Allwood has been supporting himself and his wife by his savings whilst in service."

The local Chief Inspector of Police at Leamington also signed, saying that "he had known Allwood for twenty years and that he was completely unable to work."

He was allowed the "Special Pension" of 9d. per day from the 10th of October 1901.

Death & burial

Died at Leamington on the 18th of December 1903, aged 68. (Confirmed by GRO records.)

There is a report of his funeral, taken from the "Leamington Spa Courier" for the 25th of December 1903, in the 13th Hussar file of the EJBA.

A Mr. Francis Hardy, of Leamington, searched for, and found, his grave in Leamington Cemetery. Allwood's grave, in which his wife is also buried, has a headstone and bears the inscription:

"In memory of Job Allwood, 13th Light Dragoons and 17th Lancers. A native of Leamington, who rode in the Light Cavalry Charge at Balaclava and served in the Indian Mutiny campaign. He died at Leamington on the 18th of December 1903 and was buried with military honours. Erected by his friends and admirers.

Also of Phoebe, wife of the above, who died April 13th 1909, aged 72 years."



[PB, Feb 2014: this inscription is discussed in Gavin Hughes & Jonathan Trigg, "Remembering the Charge of the Light Brigade", Bastions and Barbed Wire (Journal of Conflict Archaeology), 2012, edited by Tony Pollard, Iain Bank/i>, p. 51.]

There is a photograph of the headstone in the 13th Hussar file of the EJBA.

PB: His death was even noted in New York, prominently featured at the head of a column of "Bits of English Life", albeit with a somewhat facetious sting in the tail:

"LONDON, Jan. 2 — Another Balaklava hero is gone. His name was Job Allwood and he lived at Leamington. According to the current newspaper story, Mr. Allwood not only had the good fortune to escape unhurt in the Balaklava affair, but also to come off unscathed at Sebastopol, where he had two horses shot under him. Without casting any reflections upon the late Mr. Allwood, it certainly is in order to remark that his death is about the ten thousandth recorded of men who helped make up the 'noble Six Hundred.'"

10th of January, 1904, The New York Times.

[PB: There must have been a public appeal in Leamington Spa to collect money for a headstone, but the amount raised was insufficient to cover all costs.]

From the Leamington Spa Courier, Friday 09 September 1904:

(Click on image to enlarge)

The Job Allwood Memorial.

The amount collected for this fund is £19 13s. 6d., the whole of which has been expended on a suitable gravestone, now being executed by Mr. John T. Tandey, and will shortly erected over the grave of Leamington's Balaclava hero. Since this expense has been incurred, the Committee have discovered that the amount due for the grave space (£1 15s.) has not been paid, and are now appealing for further contributions to cover this amount. Towards this object the Sooth Warwickshire Branch of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Help Society has considerately contributed ten shillings. We shall be pleased to announce further contributions.