Born at Ballintubber, near Castlebar, Roscommon, Ireland.
Enlisted at Dublin on the 6th of November 1839.
Age: 18.
Height: 5' 5".
Trade: Shoe-maker.
Features: Fresh complexion. Grey eyes. Brown hair.
A daughter, Jane, was born to him and his wife (name unknown) at Nenagh in 1854.
Was Batman to Lieut. Seymour in the Crimea from April of 1855.
Embarked for India from Cork aboard the S.S. "Great Britain" on the 8th of October 1857.
The musters for July-September 1858 show him as being "On Detachment at Sholapoore" during the whole of the period.
In action against the rebels at Zeerapore on the 29th of December 1858 and at Baroda on the 1st of January 1859.
On passage to England on the 19th of March 1861.
Discharged from Canterbury on the 28th of November 1862, a result of being:
"Unfit for further service. Has suffered since 1857 from hernia of the right side which has lately clouded his mind. Is subject to violent outbursts of temper when in barracks — with the idea that everyone is against him. When under treatment in hospital he is quiet and appears quite sane."
Served 21 years 306 days.
In Turkey and the Crimea: 2 years. In India: 3 years 11 months.
Conduct: "good".
In possession of two Good Conduct badges. Once tried by Court-martial
Imprisoned following a Regimental Court-martial, for "absence" from the 1st of June — 15th of July 1844.
His documents are also marked "Eupatoria 14/9/54", presumably indicating his presence at the landings there.
Aged 41 years on discharge.
To live c/o "The General Depot", Maidstone.
He had been awarded a pension of 1/0d.per day.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman and Sebastopol.
Mutiny medal without clasp.
His Discharge documents confirm the award of the Crimean and Turkish medals at the time of his discharge in 1862. A pencilled note adds "He is entitled to the Indian medal".
Some confusion arises from entries in an Address and Account book formerly belonging to James W. Wightman when he was Secretary of the Balaclava Society which records a member, "J. Ryan", as living at No. 4 House, 5 Court, Matt Street [sic], Birmingham.
631 John Ryan is known to have lived in the Birmingham area at the time of the 1879 list, before going into Chelsea Hospital. (His name is crossed through as though and marked "deceased", but there is no indication when.)
[RM: Lummis and Wynn, in Honour the Light Brigade, wrongly list 1155 James Ryan as the member shown in the 1879 listing of Chargers. But this cannot be so as he was living in Devon at this time, and indeed was there right through to his death in 1887. The correct entry on the 1879 list is in fact 631 John Ryan.
There was another man of this name and initial, with the regimental number 1809, present in the regimental musters at this time. The medal roll too is unclear which is which.
[PB: Who was this? Surely not the false charger Robert Ryan? The wrong initial for a start. But worth following up?]
1871 Census
No 4 House, 5 Court, Mote Street, Birmingham.
The 1871 Census shows John Ryan as a "Pensioner" living in the household of a John S Kelly.
[RM]
1881 Census
107, Carver Street, Birmingham.
The 1881 Census shows John Ryan, aged 60, an "Army Pensioner", born Co Mayo, Ireland, living as a "Boarder" in the household of a Mr John Skelly [sic].
[RM]
A letter sent to a Mr. Kelly, dated 4th of December 1881, states "May be admitted to an In-Pension Establishment".
At the time of entering the Royal Hospital Chelsea on the 1st of July 1886, he was 65 years of age, and had "no wife or family". He had previously lived in the Birmingham Pension District.
He died at Chelsea on the 10th of May 1887 and is buried in the Pensioners' Plot in Brompton Cemetery, London. No headstone was erected.