Born at Ballysimon, Co. Limerick, Ireland.
According to the St. Catherine's House records he was 69 when he died in 1876. This would imply he was born c.1807, and not c.1815 as his stated age on enlistment would suggest.
[PB, Nov 2013: I wonder which records? The England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index, 1837-1915, records the death of an Edward O'Brien in Chelsea in the January Quarter of 1876 aged 60 (not 69).]
[PB: See the notes on 1507 James O'Brien, 4th Light Dragoons, for possible family relationships.]
Enlisted at Westminster on the 4th of January 1839.
Age: 23 years 5 months.
Height: 5' 7".
Trade: Clerk.
Appearance: Fresh complexion. Grey eyes. Dk. brown hair.
It is possible he was older than 23 when he enlisted, and already married (see below).
"In confinement", 7th-17th of February 1839, and tried by a Detachment Court-martial for being "absent without leave". He was sentenced to forty days' imprisonment 18th of February — 15th of March 1839, before being released in order to embark for India.
Returned to England aboard the "Repulse" on the 22nd of March 1842, having left Bombay on the 28th of December 1841.
At Scutari from the 1st of January 1855, and reported to the regiment as having been sent to England (no date) in March 1855.
However, it seems he did not return to England as reported, since he is shown as being with the regiment on its return from the Crimea in June 1856.
Discharged from Dublin on the 31st of March 1863:
"To Out-Pension, at his own request, having completed 24 years' service."
Served 24 years 35 days.
In Turkey and the Crimea: 1 year 10 months.
India 2 years 4 months.
Conduct: "that of a good soldier".
In possession of five Good Conduct badges.
Once entered in the Regimental Defaulters' book. Once tried by Court-martial.
Aged 47 years 7 months on discharge.
Awarded a pension of 1/- per day.
To live c/o. "The Hampshire Hog," Charles Street, London.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman and Sebastopol.
Awarded the Long Service & Good Conduct medal on the 17th of July 1860, with a gratuity of £5.
Documents confirm the award of the Crimean, Turkish, and Long Service and Good Conduct medals, the last with a gratuity.
There is a photograph of his group of medals (along with others of his greater family) in the 4th Hussar file.
Admitted to the Royal Hospital Chelsea as an In-Pensioner on the 1st of December 1875 but died shortly after.
At the time of his entry as an In-Pensioner to Chelsea Royal Hospital it was recorded that he was 60 years of age [sic], "a widower, with no family to support", his character was "good", and he was formerly living at No. 39 Cumberland Market, Albany Street, London.
He died at the Chelsea Royal Hospital on the 17th of February 1876, and was buried in Brompton Cemetery. There is no stone over his grave.
(See record of 1461 Michael O'Brien, 4th Light Dragoons as to his being a possible son.)
He is shown in the St. Catherine's House records as having died at Chelsea at the age of 69.
If 69, this would imply he was born in 1807, and not 1815 as his stated age on enlistment would suggest.
It would also mean that (given the ages of his presumed children) he must already have been married when he joined the 4th Light Dragoons. He may, however, have served before in some arm of the service and purchased his discharge. The latter would not have made him eligible to have any previous service counted towards pension rights but there is no evidence of anything like this on his documents.
[PB, Nov 2013: I wonder which these records were? The England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index, 1837-1915, records the death of an Edward O'Brien in Chelsea in the January Quarter of 1876 aged 60 (not 69), in which case the speculations above would be unnecessary.]
In 1854, 1461 Michael O'Brien gave as his next-of-kin his "Father, Edward O'Brien — with the Regiment in the Crimea". This was presumably 1021 Edward O'Brien, 4th Light Dragoons. Michael was born c.1835 in Limerick, Ireland and enlisted in 1850.
A son, William, entered the Royal Military Asylum at Chelsea on the 19th of January 1859 at the age of 6 years 11 months. His father was shown as "Still alive", and his mother, Catherine, as "Dead".
William was born c. 1852 at Woolwich. He enlisted into the 19th Hussars on the 10th of February 1866 at Canterbury, serving as No. 846. He was discharged "With Ignominy" from Dublin on the 3rd of January 1878.
"In confinement" and awaiting trial: 8th-15th of September 1877.
In hospital (as a prisoner): 16th-30th of September 1877.
"Confined": 1st-24th of October 1877.
Tried by a General Court-martial at Dublin on the 25th of October 1877 and sentenced to 8 years' penal servitude in Mountjoy Prison, Dublin, from the 15th of November 1877 — 3rd of January 1878.[PB, Nov 2013: what do these dates represent? The length of the court case?]
This conviction was for a "Military Offence", but it was not specified exactl what. It must have been of a serious nature, as no fewer than ten men of the regiment were given sentences ranging from 5 to 8 years' penal servitude around the same time, all being discharged with ignominy on the same day (3rd of January 1878). One of these men had 19 years' service and William O'Brien himself almost 12.
1986: It has not yet been possible to discover the nature of the charges laid.
[Later date] The offence for which 864 William O'Brien was tried by Court-martial was that of "Mutiny". (There are copies of the detailed reports concerning this taken from the "Army and Navy Gazette" of the 24th of October 1847 and the "Naval and Military Gazette" of the 17th of November 1877, in the 4th Hussar file.)
Another reputed son, Edward, born at Ballysimon, Co. Limerick, on the 19th of November 1838, enlisted into the 4th Light Dragoons at Canterbury, aged 14 years 10 months, on the 16th of September 1853, with the Regimental number of 1574. He attained "Man's Pay," (age of 15 years) on the 19th of November 1853. Height: 4' 11 and a half", fresh complexion, blue eyes, brown hair, and having "no trade". (He was shown as a "Musician" on discharge.)
He was appointed Trumpeter on the 19th of July 1855. (He did not go to the Crimea.)
Transferred to the 19th Hussars (as a Trumpeter) on the 30th of April 1863. (His serving in the 19th Hussars may have been why 864 William O'Brien enlisted into that regiment on the 19th of January 1866.)
Discharged from Shorncliffe (as a Troop Sergeant Major) of the 27th of August 1872:
"Unfit for further service. He has ulcers of the left foot, also enlarged Testicle, due to constitutional infirmity. He can only partly contribute towards earning his livelihood."
Served 18 years 11 months (of which 3 years 3 months were "under age", 1 year 10 months as a Private and 7 years 9 months as Trumpeter in the 4th Light Dragoons, 4 months as a Trumpeter, 1 year 10 months as Private, 5 years 3 months as Corporal and 1 year and 1 month as a Sergeant in the 19th Hussars.
Conduct and character: "very good".
In possession of three Good Conduct badges. He was awarded a pension of 1/1d. per day. Aged 35 years on discharge, and to live in London. He was not married at the time of his discharge.
In 1986, on a chance visit to the churchyard of St. John's, Church Row, Hampstead, a large double-sided monument was seen to Soldiers' Daughters from the Home of that name on Rosslyn Hill, Hampstead.
Over 40 names are recorded, all with the father's unit shown.
[PB, November 2013: Soldiers' Daughters' Home, Hampstead]
One such recorded name is "Katherine O'Brien. 4th Light Dragoons. English Teacher — Liverpool. Born 1846 — Died 1868". There is a vault beneath the monument which possibly contains only those who died at the Home.
From the muster rolls of the 4th Light Dragoons only 1021 Private Edward O'Brien was serving in 1846. (See photograph of the memorial in the 4th Hussar file.)
The Census Return for 1861 of the School shows Katherine O'Brien as being aged 14 years, a scholar, born at Manchester. (The 4th Light Dragoons were stationed at Manchester from April 1846 until early September 1846, when they moved to Dublin.)
The Home's records are very sketchy for the period, but it has been possible to establish that Katherine O'Brien was born on the 18th of May 1846. (No registration entry can be found for this at St. Catherine's House.) She entered the Home on the 5th of September 1856 at the age of 10 years, her number on the school register being 111, and said to be the daughter of Thomas [sic] O'Brien of the 4th Light Dragoons. (This poses the question as to the possibility of her being the daughter of another man who served in the 4th Hussars and bore the same surname, but was discharged before 1846.)
She left the Home in 1866 to "Home/Conditions", but the present school authorities cannot explain this term.
The St. Catherine's House records show the death of a Katherine O'Brien at Hampstead during the June-September quarter of 1868, aged 22 years.