Born c.1832.
Enlisted at Warrington on the 29th of November 1851.
Age: 19.
Height: 5' 9".
Trade: None shown.
Wounded in action at Balaclava, where he rode with No. 4 Troop (T.S.M. O'Hara.) (See copy of the Troop muster roll in the 17th Lancer file.)
At Scutari from the 3rd of November 1854 and rejoined the regiment on the 14th of December.
Tried by a District Court-martial on the 23rd of April 1856 when at Ismid, Turkey, for being "Drunk at Stables and Theft". He was sentenced to 56 days' imprisonment with hard labour, stoppages of pay, and 50 lashes. However, the sentence of corporal punishment was commuted to 43 days' extra imprisonment.
See the record of 925 Martin McGrath, 17th Lancers, who was convicted with him for the same offence.
In the Regimental Prison, 1st-19th of April 1857, and handed over to the Civil Authority, 28th of April — 30th of June 1857.
Discharged, "with ignominy, after civil imprisonment", from Dublin on the 9th of August 1857.
Forfeited all of his previous service with the exception of 5 years 74 days.
Conduct: "very bad". Not in possession of any Good Conduct badges.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Balaclava, Sebastopol, and the Turkish medal.
Attended the first Balaclava Banquet in 1875.
Member of the Balaclava Commemoration Society in 1877 and 1879.
Name given as "Mullins" on 1877 Balaclava Commemoration Society list, and "Mullings" on 1879 list.
Signed the Loyal Address to the Queen (as "Thomas Mullings") in 1887. (See copy in the 17th Lancer "Scrapbook."
Attended the Annual Dinners in 1890, 1892 and 1897.
Received £15 in 1890 & £15 in 1891 from Balaclava Relief Fund, address given as 39, Stamford Street, Blackfriars.
He was also present at the Jubilee celebrations given by T.H. Roberts at his Fleet Street offices in June 1897 and signed the testimonial given to Mr. Roberts on that occasion.
He is shown in a group photograph taken at Olympia after the 1890 Dinner and also in one which appeared in the Picture Magazine in the mid-1890s. (There are copies of both in the 17th Lancer file.)
As a pensioner of the Roberts Fund he received a total of £39/7/6d.and the Fund also paid his funeral expenses.
He appeared with other Crimean War veterans as a "Battle of Balaklava Hero" in the Lord Mayor's Show, 1890. Mullins is shown travelling in the 14th carriage in the procession.
He lived at one time at 52, Stamford Street, Blackfriars Road, London.
A man of this name is shown as holding a Metropolitan Police warrant as a Local Constable in the Surrey Commercial Docks from the 8th of August 1865 to the 13th of January 1875, when it was "Handed in."
In an Account and Address Book formerly used by James W. Wightman when Secretary of the Balaclava Society, his address was shown as 123, Whitehorse Street, London, W1, and 22, Stamford Street, Blackfriars Road.
1881 Census
11, Finewell St, Plymouth.
The 1881 Census shows a man named Mullings, aged 48, a Coachman, born at Newton Ferrers, Devon.
His wife Margaret, 40, was born in Ireland. Three children are shown aged 15 to 2.
In the 1901 Census his wife is shown as aged 59, born in Cork, living in London. [RM]
Died of "Apoplexy" on the 22nd of July 1899 and was buried in Bow Cemetery on the 27th of July 1899.
Death registered
Thomas James Mullins, aged 60 years [sic], September Quarter 1899, St Saviour.
In the issue of the Illustrated Bits dated the 19th of August 1899, Mr. T.H. Roberts wrote:
"Private Thomas Mullins died of apoplexy on the 22nd of July and was buried in Bow Cemetery on the 27th. Poor old Tom has been practically a cripple for 12 months past and his loss is more than sincerely regretted by all who knew him. I paid part of his funeral expenses from the Fund, his widow being in need of great assistance."
He gave £4/10/- to Mrs. Mullins.
According to London Cemeteries, An Illustrated Guide and Gazetteer by Hugh Meller and Brian Parsons, his gravestone states "Thomas Mullins, 1839-99, A Survivor of the 17th Lancers who rode in the charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava". Under the Tower Hamlets (Bow Cemetery) heading the cemetery is described as "being like no other that has been allowed to grow so wild for so long."
This may not be a literal transcription and the birth year is suspect. This makes the fact of a tombstone still existing [EJB noted in 1983] possible, and by the given state of the cemetery the stone could be near, or by, a path, and in a prominent position.
The records of the cemetery were in the Record Office of the then G.L.C. but the few details yet found show only his name and address: "Thomas James Mullins. 43 Stamford Street, aged 60 years". Nothing can be found in the records of the actual position of his grave.
[PB: A web search in May 2014 yielded:
People buried in Tower Hamlets Cemetery
"Thomas Mullins. A Survivor of the 17th Lancers who rode in the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava. 1839-99."
Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park is a closed, historic cemetery located in the East End of London. The cemetery opened in 1841 and closed for burials in 1966. It is now a nature reserve, and other land has been added to the park, including "Scrapyard Meadow". It was originally named The City of London and Tower Hamlets Cemetery but was called Bow Cemetery by locals...
http://www.geni.com/projects/People-buried-in-Tower-Hamlets-Cemetery/14997 (accessed 31.5.2014).
Death registration and additional information about TM's membership of the Balaclava Dinners, support from the Balaclava Relief Fund, and a press clipping about his presence at the Royal Military Tournament in 1892 kindly provided by Chris Poole.