Born at Kinsale, Co. Cork, Ireland.
Enlisted at London on the 27th of November 1854.
Age: 22.
Height: 5' 7".
Trade: Clerk.
Joined the regiment in the Crimea on the 14th of July 1855.
From Private to Corporal: on the 4th of December and appointed Probationary Orderly Room Clerk on the 18th of December 1855.
Embarked for England from Cork aboard the S.S. "Great Britain" on the 8th of October 1857.
Ranking as Sergeant from the 1st of May 1858.
Confirmed as Sergeant from the 6th of April 1860 and appointed to the local rank of Troop Sergeant Major on the same day.
Reduced to Private (offence not shown) by a Regimental Court-martial on the 26th of March 1862.
Re-engaged for 12 years further service at Birmingham on the 19th of January 1867.
From Private to Corporal: 6th of June 1866.
"In confinement", 17th-19th of June, and reduced to Private by a Regimental Court-martial on the 20th of June 1866.
Died at Longford, Ireland, on the 25th of November 1872.
Next of kin: Father, Thomas Ward, living in Norwich Barracks, Norfolk.
He left no will, but had £14/17/9d in his credits, plus £13/15/7d in the Regimental Savings Bank. This money was shown as "Not paid over."
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasp for Sebastopol.
Mutiny medal with clasp for Central India.
He was severely wounded in action at Galior on the 17th of June 1858. (Another source statrd that he was "Severely wounded at Kattaria on the 14th of June 1858.")
Awarded the Victoria Cross. This was awarded for the action at Gwalior on the 17th of June 1858, where he was wounded: "For bravery in a desperate charge at Gwalior in which two guns were captured." The award was made by the votes of his comrades. His Victoria Cross was sent to India via Lt. General Henry Somerset K.C.B. for presentation on the 18th of June 1859.
Not recorded by Lummis and Wynn.
There is an entry in the muster rolls at the time of his death to show that he possessed the Crimean medal with one clasp, the Turkish Medal, the Victoria Cross, and the Mutiny medal with one clasp. There is no indication as to their disposal. The "Returned Medal Book", however, shows that the Crimean, Turkish and the Mutiny medal were returned to the Mint (no indication as to when.) A marginal entry shows, "Issued," but no date is given, or to whom, only a reference number, E/62425. No mention was made at this time of his Victoria Cross.
The present whereabouts [2000] of this group is not known but it is not publicly held.
His group of medals was sold from the "Lt. Colonel Drurie" collection at a Sotheby's auction on the 7/10 of March 1888, comprising of the VC, Crimean medal (clasp for Sebastopol) the TM and Mutiny medal with clasp for Central India, named to "Joseph Ward, 8th Hussars". The author of "The Evolution of the Victoria Cross", however, when referring to posthumous VC's and those already being awarded but the holder now being deceased, quoted (in part) a letter sent on the 18th of December 1872 by Sir Henry K. Storkes, to the then Commanding Officer of the 8th Hussars stationed at Longford, Ireland. (Lt. Colonel John Puget.)
The letter in full reads:
Sir, I am directed by the Secretary of State for War to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the --- inst. and to acquaint you in reply, that he has no other objection but to comply with your application that the Victoria Cross of the man named in the margin (1584 Private Joseph Ward) late of the Regiment under your command, who has died without making a will, may be allowed to remain in the Regiment, there being, as you state, no next of kin [sic] of the soldier, to claim it.
In 1987 a "copy" Victoria Cross was seen (although known to have been in existence for many years) with the name "Captain Joseph Ward 8th Hussars." engraved in minuscule lettering in the "dished" portion behind the actual cross. With this was a printed card, bearing the same detail, but also including an account of how the Cross came to be awarded to him. From its type of printing and condition it was obviously of a contemporary period. Why it should be named as "Captain" is a mystery, especially when the account is factually correct and refers to him being a Sergeant at the time of the award. It can only be assumed that it was prepared (perhaps as one of a series) by, or for, a collector.
In May 1990 a letter was received at the Regimental RHQ. of the 4th/8th Hussars from a person living in Co. Kildare, Ireland, to the effect that he was "in temporary custody of a Victoria Cross of that day and date which was found on the plains adjacent to the Curragh Military Camp, along with a badge of the named regiment. (The VC is badly dented and scratched on the obverse, although the reverse is engraved with the correct date.) It would seem possible that it was Sergeant Joseph Ward's, since he died here. Could you please advise me as to what might be done with the Cross in my possession."
He added as a postscript that "The supporting bar [sic] is missing". He was advised to contact Messrs. Hancocks (the firm making the Cross since its inception) for their comments, but it is not known what, if anything, arose from this.
The letter writer's connection between Longford (where Ward died and was buried) with the Curragh Camp, is rather tenuous, being 63 miles apart. The muster rolls for April-June of 1872 show that the regiment was at Longford and the Curragh, during July-September at the Curragh and leaving the Curragh on the 29th of October was back in Longford on the 5th of November. Only the Regimental HQ. and two squadrons made this trip, the remainder going in half and full squadrons to other out-stations.
In April of 1991 a former member of the regiment saw the gentleman referred to above, who told him that the original finder was walking along a boreen (lane) on the edge of the Curragh and saw something on the grass verge. In this area the ground was very cut up due to horses from a training stable crossing there. He took this to a member of the Irish Military History Society who identified it as a Victoria Cross without a suspension.
Returning to the scene with a metal detector, another find was made, that of an 8th Hussar cap badge about 30 yards away, but no bar to the VC was found.
Mr Faulkner then wrote to the VC and GC Association, only to be told that they doubted if it was genuine but from the date it must have been awarded to an 8th Hussar, adding that it was Ward's as he was the only 8th Hussar VC holder to die in Ireland.
Coupled with the finding of the 8th Hussar badge it was then assumed that it really was that awarded to Ward, in spite of being told that the badge had a King's crown of a much later period. There is more speculation in that nearby is a building recently converted to a house, but formerly a pub — one of several on the Curragh formerly catering to soldiers. When this was converted and modernised, old outbuildings were demolished and rubble and rubbish used for infil in gateways, etc., Perhaps the VC and badge were included in the rubbish dumped.
An offer was made (if the finder agreed) to take the medal to London for checking, but was told that the finder had taken the decoration back and would take it to London himself.
Nothing more was heard until the following article appeared, when the ex-8th Hussar phoned the editor to tell him that whilst the article was "colourful and flowery," it was rubbish and there was not the slightest scrap of evidence to link the VC with Ward or the 8th Hussars.
In reply the editor said that the person now holding the VC was in London researching it and that he would get him to contact him. Nothing further has been heard.
On the 21st of May 1993 the Irish Times printed an article entitled "A rare medal is unearthed on Curragh" and accompanied by a picture showing the Cross described in the article and a complete Cross, bar and ribbon. Repeated was the story of how the Cross came to be found, but shorn of several original claims and embellished by others, the field of possible owners being reduced in the person of Joseph Ward, but added to by the names of Farrier George Hollis and John Pearson.
The person who placed it on display in a Collectors Fair at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham had — according to the story — spent considerable time researching it and had decided it to be one of the four awarded to the 8th Hussars.
How, or why, he came to this conclusion with no name on it is not at all clear, but following further research by him the Cross would be put up for sale in Ireland.
The regiment being informed of this, it was noted by them that the facts of the story were all wrong and that they had, on advice, decided not to follow-up the story any further and repeated what they had already told the original finder to do — get it confirmed by Hancock and Sons (the makers of the original Crosses) as to its authenticity — or not.
(There is a copy of the newspaper article and picture in the 8th Hussar file.)
He was buried in the Church of Ireland Cemetery (St. Catherine's) at Temple Michael, Longford. The erected headstone, which is now [1986] in a very poor condition, bears the inscription:
"Private Joseph Ward, V.C., of the 8th Royal Irish Hussars. Erected by the Officers, Non-commissioned Officers and men of his Troop as a token of regard for a good soldier and faithful comrade who served his country for nearly 19 years and fought her battles in the Crimea and Indian Mutiny in all ten engagements.
For distinguished bravery in a charge made by the squadron of the Regiment at the siege and capture of Gwalior in which he was wounded, he received the Victoria Cross.
He was born at Kildare and died at Longford on the 25th of November 1872, aged 38 years.
'Soldier rest, the warfare over,
Sleep the sleep that knows no breaking,
Dream of battlefields no more,
Morn of sorrow, night of waking.' "
(There is a photograph of this gravestone in the 8th Hussar file.)
His gravestone has now [1989] been renovated by the Regiment.
(See photograph of this in the 8th Hussar file.)