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

Added 3.12.12

IN PROGRESS — NOT FOR PUBLICATION

1525, Private William JOHNSON / JOHNSTON — 8th Hussars

Birth & early life

Born at Worcester, c.1830.

Enlistment

Enlisted at Liverpool on the 9th of December 1854.

Age: 24 years.

Height: 5' 8".

Trade: Groom.

Appearance: Fresh complexion. Blue eyes. Lt. brown hair.

Service

Landed at Balaclava in the Crimea on the 14th of June 1855.

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

From Private to Corporal: 27th of December 1857.

Invalided to England on the 1st of January 1859.

Discharge & pension

Discharged from Chatham Invalid Depot on the 28th of June 1859, as:

"Unfit for further service. Is labouring under an extensive and indolent ulcer of the right leg of a chronic character. The result of constitutional infirmity and of privation during the Crimean War, and not from vice or intemperance. The ulcer is likely to break out at any time."

Served 4 years 170 days.

In Turkey and the Crimea: 9 months

In India: 2 years 1 month.

Conduct: "good". Not in possession of any Good Conduct badges. Never tried by Court-martial.

Aged 29 years 3 months on discharge.

To live at Canterbury after discharge, but he was living in Liverpool in 1861.

Medals

Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasp for Sebastopol.

No trace of him can be found on the Mutiny clasp roll and his documents only confirm the Crimean medal with clasp for Sebastopol.

Granted a pension of 6d per day for 15 months.

Not recorded by Lummis and Wynn.

Further information

He is shown on the Mutiny medal roll with the same Regimental number, but as William Johnson. He was still a Corporal at this time.

Medals

Entitled to the Mutiny medal with clasp for Central India.

Served at Kotah.

Life after service

1881 Census

A man of this name was shown in the 1881 Census as living in The House, Ditchingham, Norfolk, a Gardener (DS) [?], aged 45, born at Loddon in Norfolk, with his wife, Charlotte, a Cook, (DS), 43, and born in Ellington, Norfolk.

Death & burial


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