Born at Chatham, Kent, and christened on the 12th of March 1820 at the Ebenezer or Great Meeting House Independent Chapel in Clover Street, Chatham, the son of William Sedgewick, a carrier, and his wife, Mary.
Enlisted at Maidstone on the 26th of March 1836.
Age: 19 years 2 months.
Height: 5' 11".
Trade: Groom.
Dark complexion. Hazel eyes. Dk. brown hair.
Returned to England from India on the 27th of March 1843, having left Bombay on the 28th of December 1841.
Discharged from Dublin on the 18th of October 1860.
"Free, at own request after 24 years' service."
Served 24 years 190 days.
In Turkey and the Crimea: 1 year 10 months
In India: 4 years 11 months.
Conduct and character: "a good soldier".
In possession of five Good Conduct badges. Once tried by Court-martial.
Tried by a Regimental Court-martial on the 23rd of September 1842 and sentenced to 10 days imprisonment.
Aged 43 years 7 months on discharge.
To live at No. 7 Prince's Street, Aberdeen, Scotland.
Documents confirm only the award of the Long Service and Good Conduct medal.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman, and Sebastopol.
Awarded the L. S. & G. C, medal.
He is shown on the muster roll for the period as being "On Service in Scinde," and so would have also been entitled to the medal for Ghuznee. (This medal was later known to be with his group.)
He must later have emigrated to Australia as a letter referring to an increase in pension was sent to H.E. the Governor of Queensland, dated the 27th of June 1905 and a further letter to the Officer Commanding the 4th Hussars, refusing, and dated the 4th of July 1906.
He was in Brisbane, South Australia, from the 1st of April 1875.
In 1992 it was learnt that his group of medals (but less the Long Service & Good Conduct medal) were in an South Australian collection (Victoria) they having been purchased at a Spink's auction in Australia, several years before. The group comprises the medal for Ghuznee, the Crimean medal with four clasps and the Turkish medal. The first two medals are said to be with engraved naming to "James Sedgwick. 4th Light Dragoons." and the Turkish medal is un-named. The Ghuznee medal has engraved naming to him on the reverse. All three have what appears to be their original ribbons and suspended on the "T.B. Bailey." type silver buckles. With the medals at the time of sale was an accompanying photograph, presumably of Sedgwick, with either a daughter or grand-daughter. He looks to be aged about 60. In the photograph he is in uniform and wearing corporal's stripes. When mounting the medals the present owner refers to him as a Col. Sergeant He was not a corporal in the 4th L.D., and the rank of Colour-Sergeant does not exist in any cavalry unit. It could be therefore, that he had served in one of the local units and attained that rank.
(See copies of photographs of both medals and portrait in the 4th Hussar file.)
In 1995 an ex-member of the Tank Corps was visiting his mother's grave in Goodna Cemetery, Queensland, Australia, and looking around the oldest (and much neglected and vandalised) part of the cemetery, found his grave. The headstone was filthy and cracked and the inscription on it difficult to decipher. Reporting this to the RHQ of the Royal Irish Hussars, financial help was given in getting the stone cleaned and repaired, the iron railings around it being also repainted. The inscription on the headstone now reads:
"Sacred to the memory of
James Sedgewick
4th Light Dragoons, Now 4th (Queen's Own) Hussars
Who served his country with honour
And took part in the Charge of Balaclava
Died July 9th 1906
Aged 87 years
Erected by the Officers, Warrant Officers, NCO's
and Men of his Regiment
As a tribute of esteem
To a very old and worthy comrade.
(See photographs of the gravestone (before and after its restoration) in the 4th Hussar file.)
Extracts from the Brisbane "Daily Mail" of various dates during 1906:
26th of May — A copy of the already known-of photograph of a number of 4th Light Dragoon men, then captioned as being 'Remnants of the 4th Light Dragoons" and taken in 1856 appeared without any other explanation. (Was this perhaps sent in by him, and was he one of the so-far unidentified men pictured)
11th of July — Mr. James Sedgwick, the Balaclava veteran, to whom reference was made in these columns a few weeks back, has died in the Brisbane General Hospital and was buried at the Goondra Cemetery yesterday.. (No recorded further reference to him at this time. can yet be found..
From his death certificate he died in the Brisbane Hospital on the 9th of July 1906 aged 87 years, from "Senile decay. Heart failure." It confirms his birthplace as being in Kent, his father's surname and trade, that he was an Imperial Army Pensioner, had been living in Queensland for 22 years and that he was interred in Goodna Cemetery on the 10th of July 1906. Although it was also shown he had living relatives, none were specified, (See copy of this in the 4h Hussar "Certificates" file.)