Born at Liverpool.
Enlisted at Manchester on the 14th of April 1848.
Age: 18.
Height: 5' 8".
Trade: Carrier.
Shown as being in the General Hospital at Scutari from the 22nd of September, and died there "following an amputation for wounds" on the 6th of October 1854.
In a manuscript account of his life and experiences, 1584 Nathan Henry, 11th Hussars, describes the cause of John Henry's injury, and the confusion their shared surname caused:
"We met an advance guard of the enemy on the 19th, and had a slight brush with them close to the village of Sablaki, on the Bulganak; our casualties were few, but one of our men had part of his leg shot away, dying a few days later. His surname was the same as my own — and on the news reaching England my wife and dear old mother had naturally concluded that it must be myself, and in duty-bound, fretted and bedecked themselves in habiliments of woe, until they received my letter some considerable time after the sad event."
Lummis and Wynn state that he was entitled to the Crimean medal with clasp for Sebastopol, but no trace of this can be found on the roll. He is shown on the Alma/Inkerman roll with "Alma" partly erased, a line drawn through it and the entry alongside of "Died from wounds received in action, 19/9/54".
This man has possibly been confused with 1609 James Williamson, 11th Hussars.
Shown as being in the General Hospital at Scutari from the 22nd of September, and died there "following an amputation for wounds" on the 6th of October 1854.
Next of kin: Father, Thomas Henry, living in Liverpool.
He left no will and had £1/9/3d in his "credits".
In a memoir published in Australia in 1877, "An Old Campaigner" recalled the march south towards Sabastopol in September 1854, having recently landed in the Crimea:
"After marching about eight or nine miles we came to a small stream called the Bulganak, which was a great boon to the soldiers, who had not lasted water or anything else for hours. It was on the banks of this stream or river we were to bivouac for the night.
There was a large village on our left which had been set on fire by the Russians, and farm-houses here and there across the plain were in flames. (Such is war!) There was only one house that had not been fired. This was the Imperial post-house, which Lord Raglan made head-quarters, and it showed we were only twenty miles from ilie north side of Sevastopol.
We had scarcely refreshed ourselves with the wholesome water we were to bivouac by when the sound of a gun is heard — then another.
Presently we saw our cavalry retiring by alternate squadrons, drawing the enemy after them. In the meantime. Captain Maude's battery was ordered to the front, and opened fire and did great execution among the enemy, who retired in confusion. This was our first brush with the enemy. But to-morrow will tell a tale, as we hear the Russians are in position on the Alma, about five miles distant.
In this encounter the 11th Hussars had two men wounded and about five horses killed. A sergeant of the 11th Hussars passed by our lines to the hospital with his foot dangling by a hit of skin only, riding as coolly as if nothing had happened. I mention this to show the stuff British soldiers are made of."
[Source: Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser (Toowoomba, Qld), Saturday 20 January 1877, page 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article75739786 (accessed 17.3.2-16). [PB: This memoir, which I have downloaded but know very little about, was published in several sections over a number of months in 1877.]
[PB: This must have been 1374 John Henry — who Nathan Henry, also 11th Hussars, says in his memoir he was confused for — leading to his mother and wife being told he was dead. It's a confused story — see also the notes on 1609 James Williamson.]