Born in the parish of St. James's, London, c.1822, and was christened in the Parish Church of St. James's on the 10th of June 1822, the son of William and Elizabeth Keates. (Lummis and Wynn refer to him as "Joseph John" Keates, but every known source refers to him as "John" Keates.
Entered the Royal Military Asylum on the 22nd of November 1825 and is shown as the son of William and Eliza Keates.
Enlisted at London on the 20th of April 1836.
Age: 14.
Height: 5' 6"
Trade: Tailor.
Appearance: Fresh complexion. Hazel eyes. Dk. brown hair.
To the Regimental Band on the 1st of January 1840.
Appointed Trumpet Major on the 1st of January 1855.
Reverted to Trumpeter "at his own request", on the 4th of October 1855.
Keates was Orderly Trumpeter to the Earl of Cardigan at Balaclava and the trumpet he carried was recovered from the Ordnance Stores and now hangs in a glass case in the Officer's Mess of the Royal Hussars. It was exhibited in the Prince Consort's Library in 1960.
Appointed again to Trumpet Major on the 23rd of April 1861.
Discharged from Dublin on the 15th of November 1864, as "Free, to pension at his own request". Awarded a pension of 1/5d. per day.
Served 24 years 191 days.
Conduct: "Most exemplary". Was in possession of four Good Conduct badges when promoted in 1861 and would now have had five.
Never entered in the Regimental Defaulter's book.
Never tried by Court-martial.
To reside "c/o. Chelsea Pension Office", but he was living in the Nottingham Pension District in 1872 and in Derby in 1874.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman and Sebastopol, and the Turkish medal.
He was awarded the Long Service & Good Conduct medal on the 4th of July 1861.
Member of the Balaclava Commemoration Society in 1879.
On the 31st of July to the 6th of August 1890 a "Balaclava Kettledrum" concert was held daily at Edison House, Northumberland Avenue, London, under the auspices of the Edison Company in aid of the Funds of the Light Brigade Committee and in which the bands of the five regiments composing the Light Brigade and phonographic reproductions of the voices of numerous celebrities were featured. In a book produced at the time there were a number of pictures, including one of "Lord Cardigan's Trumpeter". This, one can only presume, dressed as he is as a Trumpet-Major, was John Keates. (There is a copy of the booklet and pictures in the 11th Hussar file).
His father had served in the 1st Life Guards and his mother, Elizabeth, was shown as "dead" at the time of his entry into the Royal Military Asylum.
A David Keates, and almost certainly a brother, the parental details being the same, had entered the RMA on the 30th of May, 1825, aged 5 years and 9 months. Both parents were then shown as "still alive". David Keates had enlisted as a Boy into the 11th Lt. Dragoons on the 12th of September 1833, with the Regtl, No. of 782 and attained the age of 15 years on the 16th of September 1834. He was appointed to Trumpeter on the 5th of August 1835, and died at Maidstone after being frequently in hospital, on the 15th of December 1837.) His brother, John, would have been even younger, (He was 3 years and 1 month of age when admitted on the 25th of September 1825.) There was an Infants School on the Isle of Wight at this time to which such young children were sent until transferred to Chelsea.) A third brother, William, is also recorded as having entered the School on the 23rd of June 1824 at the age of 6 years and three months, but he is shown as being "Delivered over to his father" on the 5th of April 1832.
His father, William Keates, was born at Wantage, Berkshire, and had enlisted at Wantage on the 7th of April 1805, "for life", at the age of 20 years. He was discharged from Hyde Park Barracks (as a Trumpet Major) on the 5th of February 1824 "in consequence of impaired health from dysentery in Spain and the fracture of three ribs at Waterloo." He had a total of 20 years 307 days' service, (including two years for Waterloo). His description on discharge shows him to have been "about 38 years of age (says 43) 6' 0" in height, black hair, dark eyes, dark complexion, and by trade, a "Taylor". His conduct and character was "good". His wife's name was shown as Eliza Keates.
His group of medals are confirmed to be in the Regimental Museum of the Royal Norfolk Regiment at Norwich. They were donated to it some time before World War Two, but no details of this were apparently recorded at the time.
The Light Brigade medals in the Royal Norfolk Regimental Museum were items given to the Museum by Lieutenant-Colonel R. B. Jay in memory of his brother who was killed in action in France during World War One, whilst serving in that Regiment.
[RM: A tinted lithograph depicting Cardigan, flanked by a Trumpeter on a white charger is known to be in a South of England collection. Knowing the relationship between them, this too must be Keates.]