Born in St. Werburgh, Dublin, c.1829.
Enlisted at Dublin on the 19th of November 1849.
Age: 20.
Height: 5' 7".
Trade: None shown.
Deserted from Newbridge on the 26th of December 1849, but was not punished on his return.
Embarked for the Crimea aboard the H.T. "Medora" on the 27th of April 1854.
At Scutari General Hospital from the 16th of October 1854 and sent to rejoin the regiment in the Crimea on the 20th of October.
Confined from the 31st of October 1854 and being tried by a District Court-martial on the 4th of November for "being drunk on duty." Given 50 lashes.
Embarked for India from Cork aboard the S.S. "Great Britain" on the 8th of October 1857.
Served at Kotah and Gwalior (1858).
[PB: For further information, see wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_India_Campaign (accessed 21.11.15).]
Returned to England on the 29th of March 1861.
Discharged, "time expired", from the Canterbury Depot on the 9th of August 1861.
Served 12 years 261 days.
Conduct: "good".
In possession of two Good Conduct badges. Once tried by Court-martial.
Entitled (according to the particular rolls) to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Inkerman and Sebastopol. He does not appear on the Balaclava clasp roll, but there is a "B" (for Balaclava) by the side of his Alma/Inkerman clasp entitlement.
His Crimean medal was sold at a Sotheby's auction on the 5th of May 1896, but it is not known what clasps it had.
In a photograph that appeared in The Picture Magazine, published in the mid-1890's, his Crimean medal as pictured has all four clasps. (Copy in the 8th Hussar file.)
Mutiny medal with clasp for Central India.
Attended the first Balaclava Banquet in 1875.
Member of the Balaclava Commemoration Society in 1877 and 1879.
According to Censuses, John McCausland was married to Catherine [unknown maiden name], born Liverpool, on an unknown date (probably late 1860s), and had at least three children: James, John, and Margaret Ellen.
1881 Census
3, Cotter Street, Toxteth, Liverpool.
The 1881 Census show John McCausland as aged 42 [sic], a "Dock Labourer" (a Street Directory of the same period shows him as a "Porter"), born in Ireland, living with his wife, Catherine, 40, and three children: James, 11; John, 9, and Margaret, aged 6.
His wife and children are shown as being born in Liverpool.
1891 Census
No. 1 House, 2 Court, Park Place, Toxteth.
John McCausland is shown as a Widower, aged 64 years [sic], a "Bottler's Labourer" (Employed.), living with his son John, 20, a "Ship's Storeman", and daughter, Margaret Ellen, 16, a "Domestic Servant (Cook)".
The Return also shows him as the owner of property (un-occupied) at No 7 House, 8 Court, Laxey Street, Toxteth.
Death registered
John McCausland, aged 54 years [sic], March Quarter 1893, Lambeth.
[CP: I suspect the age is wrong — possibly a poor handwriting figure on the original certificate has been scanned incorrectly, or whoever was the informant of his death may not have known his age.]
In November of 1977 an article appeared in the South Wales Echo relating to the visit by Buffalo Bill and his Circus to Cardiff in the early 1890's.
This prompted a Mr. Tim McCausland of Uppingham Road, Cardiff, to send in a photograph of a group of Balaclava survivors pictured with Buffalo Bill and his Troupe. It was signed on the reverse by "J. and A. McCausland, sons of John McCausland, 8th Hussars, and the message — We hope who gets this when we have passed on will reverence it like we do."
Enquiry of Mr. Tim McCausland, a great-great-grandson, revealed that he was also in the possession of a number of other documents (copies in the 8th Hussar file). John McCausland had served on the "A" Reserve after leaving the "Colours". Just when he did this is not clear, but the date of his discharge after serving 8 years 104 days (he would actually have served double this time as only half counted towards making the required total of 21 years) was dated on the 14th of April 1885, when he was 55 years and 5 months of age. He was discharged at Warrington, Lancashire.
These documents also show him as having been born in the parish of St. Werburgh, Dublin, as 5' 8" in height, with a fresh complexion, brown eyes and black hair. His trade was that of a servant. He had served 1 year and 10 months in the Crimea and 4 years and 5 months in India. His rate of pension was given as 10d. per day and his place of residence as No. 9 House, 9 Court, Grafton Street, Liverpool. It is not thought that he ever lived in Wales, the greater family not going there until the early 1900s.
There is a copy of the a/m [PB:?] newspaper report and photograph in the 8th Hussar file. In this, John McCausland is said to be the sixth figure from the left (holding a sword) in the front row.) In the same file is another picture (said to have been taken in 1903) but this date is very suspect, and although differently posed, would both appear to have been taken at the same time.)
In 1988 a letter was received [by EJB] from the Curator of the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, U.S.A., saying that from a biography of Colonel Cody, when he resumed his European Tour in 1891: "It was further expanded by the ageing survivors of the Charge of the Light Brigade, who were then too brittle to challenge the cowboys and gauchos in horsemanship, but marched around the arena behind a tattered Union Jack..." It also confirms that the show toured England again in 1903, but makes no mention of any L.B. men taking part.
Also sent was a photostat page of newspaper cuttings of the tour, one of which, an undated one from The Pictorial News, described the scene in a performance at Manchester in aid of the Balaclava Fund. (Copy in the 8th Hussar file.) The heading mentions "See Double-page Illustration", but this was not of the group, and consisted of a number of small vignettes of the main performers. It would seem therefore, that the photographs were possibly only given to those actually pictured. The identifiable characters in the picture are all known to have lived in the Midland and Northern areas of the country. Other dated cuttings bear the dates of July 21st, August 1st and August 11th. The "Balaclava" performance was shown as taking place on a Friday (this being possibly the 24th or 31st of July) and would agree with the comment in the Welsh newspaper that the photograph was taken in July 1891.
(The performance is now known to have taken place on the 31st of July 1891. Only eleven survivors are said to have been present, which is at variance with the numbers shown in the photograph.)
From the Buffalo Bill's British Wild West, published in 2000:
Another benefit performance was given when the "Buffalo Bill Express" transported the Wild West Show back to Manchester in late July for a three-week-long engagement — the first British city to welcome the show for the second time, Benefiting from ticket sales at a performance held on the 31st of July 1901 at Brooks Bat, Whitley Bridge, would be 19 ageing veterans from the Charge of the Light Brigade, the bungled battle at Balaclava 46 years previously, when over 600 of Lord Cardigan's cavalrymen charged Russian artillery and 257 were killed or wounded. and 500 horses were lost.
A capacity crowd turned out for the occasion and hundred of pounds was raised for the Balaclava Fund, which needed the cash to support local veterans. The old soldiers, many wearing their wearing original uniforms, sat in VIP boxes and later shared a "glass of cheer" with Bill in the "Pasaska Tent".
[There is a copy of an advertisement for the show and a picture of the veterans, along with Buffalo Bill and a number of Indians, in the 17th Lancer files.]
Marriage registered
John McCausland [son], married Amy Louise Bull, September Quarter 1897, Toxteth Park.
1901 Census
John McCausland [son], 30, Clerk, born Dublin.
Amy L. McCausland 26, born Bristol.
John F.E. McCausland, 2, born London.
Arthur J. McCausland, 5 months, born Ilford.
Including 1 servant.
Births registered
John Francis E. McCausland, June Quarter 1899, Stepney.
Arthur James McCausland, December Quarter 1900, Romford.
Iris Goodhind McCausland, June Quarter 1903 [actual date 7th May], Romford.
Amy Kathleen McCausland, September Quarter 1905 [actual date 11th July], Romford.
William Arnold McCausland, June Quarter 1909, Cardiff.
1911 Census
27, St Nicholas Road, Barry, Glamorgan (8 rooms).
John McCausland, 40, Ship Stores Clerk, born Dublin.
Amy Louise McCausland, 36, born Chew Stoke, Somerset.
Frank McCausland, 12, born Limehouse.
Arthur, 10, born Ilford.
Iris 7, born Ilford.
Amy Kathleen, 5, born Ilford.
William Arnold, 1, born Barry.
Including a niece and 1 servant.
Marriages of grandchildren registered
John F.E. McCausland married Elsie D. Whitby, December Quarter 1924, Cardiff.
Iris G McCausland married Eric W Soulsby, June Quarter 1926, Hull.
Arthur J McCausland married Nellie K Ewbank, September Quarter 1926, Cardiff.
Amy K McCausland married Clifford H Braithwaite, September Quarter 1928, Sculcoates.
William A McCausland married Margaret M Deacon, June Quarter 1938,Liverpool S.
Deaths of grandchildren registered
John Edward F McCausland [sic], aged 74 years, December Quarter 1973, Cardiff.
William Arnold McCausland, aged 66 years, March Quarter 1976, Pocklington.
Arthur James McCausland, aged 80 years, June Quarter 1981, Boston Lincolnshire.
Iris Goodhind Soulsby, aged 81 years, September Quarter 1985, Beverley.
Amy Kathleen Braithwaite, aged 89 years, September Quarter 1994, Chichester.
Census information for 1901 and 1911, and details of numerous registrations of births, marriages, and deaths post-1897, and cutting noticing JM's death, kindly provided by Chris Poole.
[PB, December 2015]
Rowley's Theatre of Varieties. — The Balaclava Heroes. —
After being closed for several weeks the above place of amusement was re-opened on Monday evening with a company which, for variety and excellence, it would be hard to excel on any provincial music hall stage. Probably the chief feature in the programme is the introduction of three heroic survivors of the Light Brigade, immortalised in Tennyson's poem, in the persons of John McCausland (8th King's Own Royal Hussars, Corporal Wm. Pearson (4th Queen's Own Light Dragoons), and James Glinister [Glanister], V.C. (11th Prince Albert's Own Hussars).
Previous to their appearance a song, composed by Mr. J Rolmaz, the manager of the theatre, in praise of the Balaclava heroes and complaining of their ungrateful treatment by the country, was very fairly sung by Master Herbert Bray, and was enthusiastically applauded by the audience, who joined heartily in the following chorus:
He is only a pensioner! an old man blind and lame;
He is only a pensioner, who won a hero's name;
He fought at Balaclava, and made the Russians fly,
But now, when he's old, he's left in the cold, to starve or to die.The songs are sold at one penny each, for the benefit of the Balaclava hero fund.
When the three survivors of the charge were introduced by Mr. James Elmore (who gave a dramatic recital of the " Charge of the Light Brigade," during their occupancy of the stage), quite a demonstration followed, and the men, who were attired in the uniforms of their respective regiments, saluted in acknowledgment. They went through the sword exercise and drill in use at the time of the Crimean War with wonderful smartness, considering their age, and on being recalled they were revealed, at the rise of the curtain, in an effective military tableau. They were again enthusiastically encored, and coming to the front of the curtain once more saluted in true military style.
The company included two exceptionally smart and clever dancers in Kenealy and Conliu (their duel dance, in which, in the course of a series of dramatic statue-like postures, they show the beginning of the quarrel, the duel, and the reconciliation, being a very fine effort). Colonel Morgan (a clever ventriloquist who smokes whilst singing songs in different voices), Harry Morgan, and the Coleman Sisters (good character singers), McOllive and McKane (two smart acrobatic contortionists), and Chivers and Verne (whose clever feats on the roller skates are remarkably good), is one that should secure a visit from all those who are fond of a high-class music hall performance.
[CHECK SPELLING OF ALL NAMES AGAINST CUTTING]
[Source: Huddersfield Chronicle, 29 August 1891, http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000167/18910829/046/0005 (accessed 5.12.15).]
The significance of this event is briefly discussed on the Arthur Lloyd: Music Hall and Theatre History website (http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/HuddersfieldTheatres.htm):
Rowley also tapped into wider, more national themes. This was most dramatically demonstrated in July 1891 when the theatre re-opened after a break of several weeks. A 'company which, for variety and excellence [was] hard to excel on any provincial stage' was assembled but the highlight was 'the introduction of three heroic survivors of the Light Brigade, immortalized in Tennyson's poem'.
Rolmaz, a song-writer best known for 'Where did you get that hat?' (See Note 1) wrote a special song praising the Balaclava heroes and sung that night by Master Herbert Bray. The song combined patriotism and sentimentality, as the opening verse shows:
He's only a pensioner! an old man blind and lame;
He's only a pensioner! who won a hero's name;
He fought at Balaclava and made the Russians fly,
But now when he's old, he's left in the cold, to starve or to die.The sheet music was sold for 1d., for the benefit of the Balaclava Heroes Fund (Huddersfield Chronicle, 13th July 1891).
[PB: Other verses?]