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

Added 16.12.12

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1315, Corporal Matthew Redmond O'FALLON — 8th Hussars

Birth & early life

Born at Creeve, Co. Roscommon.

Enlistment

Enlisted at London on the 22nd of May 1854.

Age: 18.

Height: 5' 7".

Trade: Clerk.

Fair complexion. Blue eyes. Lt. brown hair.

Service

Joined the regiment in the Crimea on the 14th of July 1855.

From Private to Corporal: 29th of August 1855.

Convicted, and reduced to Private by a Regimental Court-martial on the 3rd of December 1855.

Transferred to the 2nd Dragoon Guards on the 31st of January 1857. Regimental No. 240,

From Private to Corporal: 29th of June 1858.

Confined, and reduced to Private by a Regimental Court-martial on the 1st of March 1859.

From Private to Corporal: 1st of December 1861.

Volunteered into the 20th Hussars (as a Private), on the 1st of January 1862, Regimental No. 502.

From Private to Corporal: 23rd of January 1862.

Corporal to Sergeant: 1st of February 1862.

Tried by a Regimental Court-martial, reduced to Private, and imprisoned from the 5-24 of September 1862.

Tried by a Regimental Court-martial and imprisoned from the 26th of September 1862 — 9th of January 1863.

On the 19th of March 1863 he was sent to the Madras Convalescent Camp and remained there until invalided to England in April of 1865.

Discharge & pension

Discharged from the Royal Victoria Hospital, Netley, on the 12th of September 1865, as:

"Unfit for further service. Opthalic — Originated in Muttra, India, when prevalent in the Regiment. Has permanent disease of the eyes, causing partial blindness. Will not be able to earn his living."

Served 10 years 19 days.

In Turkey and the Crimea: 1 year

In India: 7 years.

Conduct: "good".

In possession of one Good Conduct badge.

Four times entered in the Regimental Defaulters' book. Four times tried by Court-martial.

To live in Highgate, London.

Granted a pension of 6d. per day from the 25th of May 1869 and this was increased to 13d. per day from the 1st of March 1876.

Claimed pension forms returned from London District Pension Office — no date shown. "Man gone to Prussia as the servant to an officer..."

Medals & commemorations

Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasp for Sebastopol.

Not recorded by Lummis and Wynn.

Life after service

Death & burial


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