Born at Youghal, Co. Cork, c.1817.
Enlisted into the 3rd Light Dragoons at Ballincollig on the 8th of April 1836. His Regimental number was 502 [520?].
Age: 19.
Height: 5' 9".
Trade: Servant.
Features: Fresh complexion. Grey eyes. Light brown hair.
While in the 3rd Light Dragoons, he fought in the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839-42), the First Sikh War (1845-46), and served in the Punjab during the whole of the campaign up to the occupation of Peshawar (1848-49).
Deserted on the 10th of July 1841 and rejoined the regiment on the 24th of July 1841. Tried by a Regimental Court-martial on the 25th of July and sentenced to be imprisoned for three months, but this sentence was remitted by two months.
Wounded in action at Ferozeshuhur on the 21st of December 1845.
Transferred to the 17th Lancers on the 1st of July 1853.
Discharged from Dublin on the 13th of April 1857 [aged c.40]:
"Discharge is due to the 'Reduction of the Army' and that this man is now unfit for service and not likely to again become an efficient soldier from chronic lumbago contracted in and caused by his military service and not the result of indulgence in the use of intoxicating liquors and other vices. Conduct in hospital — Good."
Served 20 years 135 days.
In Turkey and the Crimea: 2 years. East Indies, 13 years 6 months.
Conduct and character: "good". In possession of four Good Conduct badges.
Aged 40 years on discharge. Granted a pension of 10d. per day.
To live at Tapely Place, Devonshire, and was still there in 1875.
Medal for Cabul (1842).
He was also entitled to the Sutlej medal with clasps for Moodkee (1845), Ferozeshuhur (1845, where he was wounded in action) and Sobraon (1846).
Entitled to the Punjab medal with clasps for Chilianwala (13 January 1849) and Goojerat (21 February 1849).
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Balaclava, Inkerman, and Sebastopol.
His membership of the Balaclava Commemoration Society [PB: which years?] would seem to confirm that he was a Charger.
[PB: Check. See RM's suggestion (below) that it was 631 John Ryan, 17th Lancers, not 1155 James Ryan, who charged? See also e.g. Laurence Crider, In Search..., p.?.
[RM: Lummis and Wynn, in Honour the Light Brigade, wrongly list 1155 James Ryan as the member shown in the 1879 listing of Chargers. But this cannot be so as he was living in Devon at this time, and indeed was there right through to his death in 1887. The correct entry on the 1879 list is in fact 631 John Ryan.
There was another man of this name and initial, with the regimental number 1809, present in the regimental musters at this time. The medal roll too is unclear which is which. [PB: Who was this? Surely not the false charger Robert Ryan? The wrong initial for a start. But worth following up?] ]
On the 30th of May 1855 a request was sent from the War Office to the East India Company's medallists (Nash and Co., of London) for replacement medals for the Sutlej campaign (clasps for Moodkee, Ferozeshuhur and Sobraon) and the Punjab medal (with clasps for Chilianwala and Goojerat) the issue to be "Free" but no reason (as was usual) was given. The medals were sent to a Mr John Wild on the 1st of April 1856.
[EJBA]
[Chris Poole: This photo on file states James Ryan but I have it for George Badger of the 13th Light Dragoons who lived in Wolverhampton and lost his leg in railway accident. The image sadly does not magnify his leg situation but could it be checked. I think my copy came from Ian Smith many years ago.]
He was invalided out of the service in 1857 and went to live in Devonshire, where he was known to be living in 1863.
[PB: Date and place etc of 1st marriage? Mary Ann is said to have been a servant at Tapeley House. See JR's obituary below for a suggestion that 5 of their children died in infancy, though one or more survived childhood. She may have died in childbirth.]
1861 Census
Cottage, Westleigh.
James Ryan, 44, Chelsea Pensioner, born Ireland.
Mary A., 31, born Westleigh.
Death registered
Mary Ann Ryan, 40, Barnstable, September Quarter 1870.
1871 Census
Westleigh Village.
James Ryan, 53, widower, Military Pensioner, Youghol, Ireland.
Three children shown: George 8, James R. 5, & Eva 2, all born Westleigh.
Marriage registered [2nd]
James Ryan and Jane Halls, September Quarter 1870, Barnstable.
1881 Census
Westleigh Village, Devonshire
From the 1881 Census Returns he was living in Westleigh village (Devonshire) with his wife, Jane (aged 60) and a son, James B., 15 , an Apprentice Stone-cutter. He was then 63 years of age. His wife was born in Bishop's Taunton [PB: Bishop's Lideard, near Taunton, Devon?].
Died July 1890.
Deaths registered
James Ryan, aged 73 years, September Quarter 1890, Barnstaple
Jane Ryan [2nd wife], aged 73 years, June Quarter 1894, Barnstaple
The parish registers for the church of St. Peter's at Westleigh, near Bideford, show that he was buried there on the 20th of July 1890, aged 73 years. A note in the margin by the then-Vicar, the Rev. D Sidney Thelwell, states that he died on the 13th of July.
From the North Devon Journal, 22th of July 1890:
"There has just died in the little village of Westleigh, between Instow and Bideford, an old Army Pensioner named James Ryan. The deceased's history is of a rather interesting character. He was an Irishman by birth, and at the age of 19, which was in 1836, he enlisted at Dublin. He served in several battles and for which he possesses five medals, which cover a period of 21 years from the date of his enlistment.
When in the 17th Lancers he became the servant of Lieutenant Archibald Clevland [the newespaper report spells Clevland "Cleveland" throughout], the son of Mrs. Clevland, the then owner of Tapely Park, Westleigh. The young master of the deceased was in the Charge of the Light Brigade, and the deceased accompanied him in that awful conflict. Both he and Lieutenant Clevland came out of it unscathed but in the following battle of Inkerman, Clevland fell.
Soon afterwards a memorial was erected to his memory on the summit of Tapely Park, directly in front of the house, where it now stands, an inscription on it recording the death of the gallant young officer.
Private Ryan had the painful duty of bringing home to the bereaved mother the regimentals, etc. of her son, and also his charger, which had carried him safely in and out of the "jaws of death" at Balaclava. Ryan had such an affection for his late master that he never again left the neighbourhood of his home.
When Ryan returned he was not quite forty years of age and meeting a suitable partner in one of the servants at Tapely House he married her and took up residence at Westleigh and where he has ever since lived. He was, at the time of his death, in receipt of a respectable pension. He leaves two sons and one daughter."
[PB: This cutting was supplied by Chris Poole in 2022. EJB had transcribed a cutting which he dates 24 July 1890 from the same newspaper which is similar but not identical. It is possible there was another report, or simply a transcription error.]
There is a photograph of this gravestone in the 17th Lancer file.
[Photograph: EJBA, 1980s?]
His tombstone in Westleigh churchyard bears the inscription:
In loving memory of Mary Ann, the beloved wife of James Ryan, late 17th Lancers, who fell asleep in Jesus Sept. 2nd 1870, aged 40 years.
Also five infant children.
Also of the above James Ryan, who died July 13th 1890, aged 73 years.
[There appears to be more text in a smaller typesize below. TRY TO FIND.]
James Broderick, second son of the above who died May 27th 1892, aged 27 years. Loved most dearly.
Also Jane, widow of the above James Ryan, who died April 29th 1894, aged 73 years.
From other known inscriptions on his gravestone, it would appear that he had married twice, his second wife being the Jane Ryan, aged 60, shown on the Census Return for 1881. The last inscription refers to her: "Also Jane, widow of the above James Ryan, who died April 29th 1894, aged 73 years."
The son James B., who was shown in the [1881] Census Return as being 15 years of age and an apprentice stone-cutter, was the "James Broderick, second son of the above who died May 27th 1892, aged 27 years. Loved most dearly.", also recorded.
[PB: In November 2018, I downloaded a photograph of the headstone from the excellent GravestonePhotos website, here I also left a comment (below).]
[Photograph: GravestonePhotos: "Mary Ann Ryan monument (grave 65137)" (downloaded by PB 7.11.2018).
"James Ryan rode in the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava in 1854, and was servant to Lieut. Archibald Clevland, of nearby Tapeley Park, who died at Inkerman. Earlier, while in the 3rd Light Dragoons, JR had fought in the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839-42), the First Sikh War (1845-46), and served in the Punjab during the whole of the campaign up to the occupation of Peshawar (1848-49). He was wounded in action at Ferozeshuhur on the 21st of December 1845. I edit the EJ Boys Lives of the Light Brigade Archive (www.chargeofthelightbrigade.com)."
Registration of death, Census information for 1861 and 1871, and a cutting from the North Devon Journal, kindly provided by Chris Poole.