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

1156, Private Joseph Murrell SHENFIELD — 17th Lancers

Birth & early life

Born at Heigham, near Norwich.

Enlistment

Enlisted into the 3rd Light Dragoons at Norwich on the 24th of April 1840 and was a recruit at the Regimental Depot from the 29th of April. Regimental. No. 1227.

Age: 19.

Height: 5' 7".

Trade: Shoemaker.

Service

Tried by a Regimental Court-martial and imprisoned from the 8th of February — 9th of March 1850.

Transferred to the 17th Lancers on the 24th of August 1853

Discharge & pension

Discharged from Dublin on the 27th of November 1856, as "Unfit for further service from weakly constitution — a condition produced by length of service in tropical climates."

Served 16 years 65 days.

In Turkey and the Crimea: 2 years. In India: 11 years 2 months.

Conduct and character: "a good soldier."

In possession of two Good Conduct badges. Once tried by Court-martial

Awarded a pension of 6d. per day on discharge, but this was increased to 9d. per day from the 18th of May 1866.

Medals

Entitled to the Sutlej medal with clasps for Moodkee, Ferozeshuhur and Sobraon.

Entitled to the Crimean medal with the clasps for Alma, Inkerman, and Sebastopol, and the Turkish medal.

Further detailed medal information archived.

Commemorations

A "W. Shenfield" was named in the 1877 list of members of the Balaclava Commemoration Society, but not in the 1879 revised list.

In an Account and Address Book formerly used by James W. Wightman when the Secretary of the Balaclava Society, the name "Shenfield" has been added at the bottom of the list of 17th Lancer members (post 1879) and the words "Not entitled". Shenfield's death in 1878 would have excluded him from entry on any subsequent list anyway.

Death & burial

Died on the 20th of May 1878 at Heigham, Norwich.

From his death certificate, "John" Shenfield, who was a prison warder at Norwich Jail, died at Heigham on the 20th of May 1878. The cause of death was given as "Apoplexy Paralysis" and his widow, "S. Shenfield", was shown as being present at his death. His age was given as 55 years. (See copy of his death certificate in the "Certificates" file.)

Obituary in the Bury Free Press, 1st of June 1878.

[PB: Notice the obituary does not claim he charged at Balaclava, 25th October 1854.]

(Click on image to enlarge)

He was buried in the Earlham Road Cemetery, Norwich. on the 23rd of May 1876 in a common grave, No. 2/524. His wife, Ann Shenfield, was buried first in the same grave-space on the 8th of November 1860. (He would thus appear to have been married twice.) There is no erected headstone.

References & acknowledgements

The editors are very grateful to Chris Poole for providing the clipping of the obituary notice in the Bury Free Press.