Born at Warrington, Lancashire, on the 3rd of December 1830.
Enlisted at Warrington on the 4th of November 1851 by James Nunnerly (later Sergeant).
Age: 20.
Height: 5' 7".
Trade: Servant.
Embarked for India from Cork aboard the S.S. Great Britain on the 8th of October 1857.
The musters for July — September 1858 show him as "On Detachment at Sholapoore" during the whole of the period.
In action against the rebels at Zeerapore on the 29th of December 1858 and at Baroda on the 1st of January 1859.
From the 1st of April 1857, while serving in India, he was servant to the Hon. W.H. Curzon. Curzon asked him to serve in the same capacity following the Major's return to England. He agreed, and the Major bought him out of the service. He was sent on ahead on the "Northwood", the ship arriving at Liverpool after a voyage of 119 days.
Discharged, having paid the regulated compensation of £20.
Discharge certificate:
"This is to certify that 1087 Private Thomas Wright, born in the parish of Warrington, in or near the town of Warrington, was enlisted for the 17th Lancers on the 4th of November 1851 at the age of twenty years, and that he has served 9 years 126 days. That he is discharged in consequence of having paid the regulated compensation, viz., £20.
Being in possession of one Good Conduct badge and having completed over seven years service, per Authority of letter dated the 1st of February 1861, No 1203, Adjutant General's Office. (Signed) R. Benson, Captain, Commanding Officer, dated at Secunderbad, 21st day of March 1861."
Character certificate:
"His conduct and character have been good and he has never been tried by Court-martial and is in possession of one Good Conduct badge. (Signed) R. Benson, Commanding 17th Lancers.
H.Q. Octamund, 10th day of April 1861: "Discharge of Private Wright confirmed. (Signed) R. Budd, General."
Served 9 years 126 days.
Conduct "good". In possession of one Good Conduct badge.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman, Sebastopol, and the Turkish medal
Mutiny medal without clasp.
[To be added. See info. below.]
Photo from a negative in the EJBA. Unknown date and source.
Source? Unknown date. Is this the [missing image] that Jean M. Morris's refers to in Across the Gap (2016)?
1871 Census
12, Ryleys Gardens, Liverpool.
Thomas Wright, Lodger, 40, Foundry Labourer, born Warrington. [CP]
1891 Census
10, Eleanor Street, Widnes.
Thomas Wright, 60, boarder, Chemical Labourer, born Warrington.[CP]
1901 Census
Thomas Wright, "Labourer", aged 70, born Warrington, living in Widnes. [RM]
At some time he also lived at 19, West Street, off Mersey Road, Widnes, Lancs [unknown date].
Died 15th May 1902 at Widnes, Lancashire.
He died at 25, Major Cross Street, Widnes, Lancashire, on the evening of the 15th of May 1902, aged 71 years, from the effects of a "Paralytic stroke" which had left him paralysed. He is buried in Farnworth Cemetery, Widnes (Grave No. 10C. 3692).
His grave was found in 1978 by a local man whose hobby was cleaning up old gravestones. The memorial over it had been paid for by public contribution. The facts being reported to the local newspapers of the time, the once neglected grave is now planted with flowers. (There is a photograph of this stone and the report of his funeral in the Weekly News of the 24th of May 1902, in the 17th Lancer file.)
[PB: photograph found on the web and uploaded August 2015 — check and add info.]
According to this report, Wright used to walk around the town with his medals pinned to his coat. At his funeral, which was attended by some 200 people, the coat, with the medals still attached, lay on top of the coffin. (No mention is made if the medals were actually buried with him.) Many of those present were old soldiers, some of whom had been in the Crimea, but no names are mentioned.
Sergeant James Nunnerley, 17th Lancers, sent a letter to the Relieving Officer who had arranged the funeral, expressing his regret at not being able to attend through indisposition and speaking in high terms of the veteran's character.
Letter sent T.H. Roberts regarding his funeral:
"Ligsale Road,
Widnes, Lancashire.
Dear Sir,
I am pleased to inform you that Thomas Wright will not be buried as a pauper, as through my efforts I got him to save a few pounds for his burial. I shall have sufficient to give him a decent interment and I am paying £3/10/0 for the coffin alone. I have seen it and I am quite satisfied with it. I have also purchased a grave area and it is my intention to solicit subscriptions for a headstone. The funeral took place in Widnes Cemetery and I am deeply grieved that he could not have had a military funeral, the holiday being against it.
Yours truly,
(Signed.) E. Ranft, Relieving Officer for Widnes."
After a while he left the Major's service and for about eighteen months was a warder at Maidstone Prison. It is not known just when he returned to Widnes, but for a while he worked for the Corporation. He was illiterate, but managed to get by with labouring jobs in the town, running messages for the police etc., but spent many years on parish relief. He was an orphan, and had never married.
By 1896 he began to suffer from severe body-pains which prevented him from working and he was granted one shilling per day from the Royal Patriotic Fund. This pension was stopped, however, when he managed to find a job as a night-watchman on road-works earning 10/- for a fourteen week period but he soon lost this job and was forced to pawn his medals. This pension was eventually renewed and he received it until his death.
He was of a kindly disposition and often for a drink would tell the story of the Charge and how Nolan fell dead a few yards from him, how his friend, 1136 Robert Ling, 17th Lancerswas shot dead by his side, and how a "John Brown" who was un-horsed (possibly 926 John Brown, whose horse lost a leg by cannon-fire) was limping towards him after being shot in the ankle and how his cry for help had to be ignored as it was "every man for himself".
Having achieved a degree of celebrity, he was widely impersonated. In June 1897 a man was convicted at Brentford of posing as "Thomas Wright, the Balaclava hero and thereby receiving monetary assistance". And in March of 1902 another impostor was arrested after he called into the offices of T. H. Roberts claiming to be Thomas Wright.
In 1897 he was invited to Fleet Street for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June and wrote from 1, Luton Street, Widnes, Lancashire, when he accepted the invitation from Mr. T.H. Roberts. Although he had signed the Loyal Address, his name does not appear on any known list of members of the 1879 Balaclava Commemoration Society, neither does he appear on the list of those who were eventually sent invitations by Mr. Roberts to be present, when because of the controversy of a false claimant the invitation was cancelled.
The mix-up was eventually sorted out and he attended four subsequent dinners, two in Birmingham, one in Manchester, and one in London. He was also granted ten shillings a week from the Roberts Fund, which allowed him to get his medals out of pawn. In all he received a total of £126/0/0 from the Fund during the last few years of his life.
[PB, November 2015: In March 2008, Thomas Wright was discussed by "Liverpool Annie" in her lively "One for Liverpool Annie" forum on the rootschat.com website. She appears to be quoting a newspaper article verbatim.
The article says TW "worked for a time as a night watchman at the Widnes Corporation, the forerunner of Halton Borough Council", and refers to family members who still own some of his artefacts, including his medals.]
Widnes has been home to many old soldiers, but few were more distinguished than Private Thomas Wright... He took part in the famous charge of the Light Brigade, and this year is the 100th anniversary of his death.
Gordon Barker's grandmother was Private Wright's cousin, and Gordon now possesses the few remaining items that tell his story.
Private Thomas Wright was born in Warrington on December 3, 1830, and in 1851 enlisted in the 17th Lancers, 'The Death or Glory Boys'.
At the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War the British cavalry of the Light Brigade, including the 17th Lancers were ordered to retake the Causeway Heights from the Russians. The 673 men were cut down by artillery and musket fire and only 195 men escaped unscathed. From the 17th Lancers, only 35 out of 145 of them made it back. French soldier General Bosquet commented: "It's magnificent, but it is not war."
After campaigning in the Indian Mutiny and in numerous other battles in the Crimean war, Private Wright returned home and eventually settled at 1 Luton Street in 1896.
He worked for a time as a night watchman at the Widnes Corporation, the forerunner of Halton Borough Council. After his death in May 1902 a special head stone was unveiled, and there was a service in 1954 to celebrate the centenary of the battle.
Gordon, of Ganton Close in Farnworth, said: "I will pass these books and medals on to my grandchildren, not because they are valuable, but because they are a bit of history.
"It's just nice to know someone in your family was associated with such a historical event."
[Source: http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=286323.279. However, the link she provided in the article, to http://archive.messengernewspapers.co.uk/2002/6/26/193496.html, no longer works (29.11.2015).]
Follow up...
[PB: Thomas Wright in Jean M. Morris, Across The Gap, 2016, pp.428-9. Longer excerpts are included in EJBA: 1382 George McGregor, 4th Light Dragoons.]
Whilst acknowledging that there is limited data about early veterans to draw upon, I am fortunate to be able to share a small amount of information on two Widnes veterans of the infamous Battle of Balaclava. These men were Thomas Wright, who lived in Major Cross Street and George McGrcgor who traded as a herbalist in Hutchinson Street.
Thomas Wright was actually born in Warrington but spent most of his long life in Widnes. When he was young he lived for a short while in Cholmondeley Street before moving to Major Cross Street where he resided for a large part of his life. His military career began when he enlisted into the 17th Lancers known as the "Death or Glory Boys" in the early 1850s. He served in the Indian Mutiny and all through the
[429]
Crimean War and, of course, he was a survivor of the famous Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava.
In later life he was employed as a labourer at the Gaskell Deacon works in Widnes. Mr. Wright was a popular and well-known figure in the town and because of his role at Balaclava he was something of a "local hero". When he died it was suggested that he should be given a full military funeral but this did not happen. In April l903 a memorial stone, paid for entirely by public subscription, was erected over his grave at Widnes cemetery. After a public ceremony. the grave and memorial stone were officially handed over to Widnes Town Council who, as the representative body of the Widnes townspeople, was charged with maintaining both the grave and memorial.
Also donated to the town at the same time was a "large carbon portrait of the great hero, which was handsomely framed". This portrait, also purchased by public subscription, was donated on the explicit understanding that it would be placed on permanent display in the Public Library in Victoria Square".
[JMM: n.141: Numerous enquiries have failed to locate the present whereabouts of this picture.]
[PB: In May 2018 it could not be found on the artuk.org website. What could this "large carbon portrait" be? A charcoal or pencil drawing? It seems unlikely to be a photograph but if so it could be the fine portrait of TW with his medals and a cane shown on this page. But where did this image come from? ]
[Check to see if there is any info. to add above.]
Census information for 1871 & 1891 kindly provided by Chris Poole.