Born in the parish of St. Helen's, Abingdon, Berkshire.
Enlisted at Ipswich on the 11th of January 1843.
Age: 19.
Height: 5' 8".
Trade: Carpet-weaver.
Features: Fresh complexion. Grey eyes. Brown hair,
From Private to Corporal: 23rd of February 1853.
At Scutari from the 23rd of October 1854 and
Sent to rejoin the regiment on the 9th of November.
Corporal to Sergeant: 14th of October 1854.
Sent to Scutari on the 25th of May 1855 and re
Joined the regiment on the 2nd of October 1855.
Invalided to England on the 15th of December 1855.
Appointed to Troop Sgt. Major on the 4th of January 1860.
Discharged from Canterbury on the 12th of January 1867, "Free to pension, at his own request after 24 years service."
Served 24 years 31 days. In Turkey and the Crimea, 1 year 7 months.
Conduct, "very good". In possession of two Good Conduct badges when promoted and would now have had five.
Twice entered in the Regtl Defaulter's book. Once tried by Court-martial, being tried and imprisoned from the 24th of April — 9th of September 1844.
Aged 40 years on discharge.
Granted a pension of 2/- per day.
To live, C/o. Mr Deans, Seven Stairs, Wolverhampton, after discharge.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasp for Sebastopol, and the Turkish medal. Lummis and Wynn state, "No clasps," but he is shown on the Sebastopol clasp roll and the entry on his documents would confirm this. (A supplementary roll (undated) signed by Major Henry Holden shows him as being issued with the Crimean medal (without clasp) on the 7th of October 1855. )
Documents confirm the award of the Crimean medal with clasp for Sebastopol, Turkish Medal and the Long Service & Good Conduct medal with a gratuity of £5.
Awarded the Long Service & Good Conduct medal on the 4th of December 1865.
1871 Census
New Hampton Road, Wolverhampton.
Thomas Cheer, 44, Sergeant Major, born Abingdon.
Hannah Cheer, 37, Dressmaker, born Foleshill.
Hannah Cheer stayed in Wolverhampton working as a Servant to a Licensed Victualler but had moved by 1901 to live with her married sister in Leyton, Essex. By the 1911 Census, aged 77, she was living in The Asylum for Soldiers' Widows in Cambridge Road, Kingston on Thames.
Death registered
Hannah Cheer, 84, September Quarter 1918, in Kingston.
Died in the Birmingham Pension District on the 7th of February 1873.
Death registered
Thomas Cheer, 47, March Quarter 1873, in Wolverhampton.
Registration of deaths, and Census information for 1871, kindly provided by Chris Poole.