Genealogy Chat

I just found out my GG granfather was a soldier at the barracks at Aldershot in Hampshire in 1862. He was a corporal in 2nd battalion 20th Foot (whatever that means). Is there a site I could go to? I treid googling the regiment but didn't get a match.

Type '20th foot regiment' into Google and lots of things come up. I'm not sure but I think the Foot regiment became the Fusiliers. Kath. x

It all seems to refer to a group in Lancashire. My g grandfather was in Hants Aldershot. Do you think soldiers from Lancashire would need to be in Aldershot? Did they move around a lot? Was there a war near Hampshire? I'm afraid I don't know much about English history or war. Oh dear......brain overload

Karen It's unusual for a soldier to be posted to his home town or town of enlistment. Aldershot is a large military town so it's perfectly reasonable to see a soldier from Lancashire posted to Aldershot. It may be that your ancestor misssed active service as I believe this period was relatively calm. I'm sure this sites military historians will jump on that if I'm wrong. Roy

20 Foot would be the regiment he joined and each Foot regiment is attached to a county. There are almost 100 Foot regiments and you really need to know which county the 20 Foot refers to. Go to The National Archives site(TNA) for short : www.nationalarchives.gov.uk The National Archives at Kew London is where all the histories and the attestation records of soldiers are held for several hundred years. You cannot obtain the records on line, that can only be done in person or pay a researcher to do the work for you. Howver, you can download from the site various leaflets on soldiers and I would suggest you do this first to help you with research into your soldier ancestor so you then get a better idea of what you are doing. Go into the catalogue on the site and look for the indexed leaflets and then look for army. Being stationed at Aldershot in Hampshire does not mean he came from there. It just means he was stationed there for a few months or a few years. If the 20 Foot is a Northern regiment then the google will have shown you which county 20 Foot came from. Most people joined the army of the regiment near where they lived. You need to do a lot more general research into the British Army via TNA site. No, not all "Foot" regiments became Fusiliers, but they did change their names and all are different. You could also check out some of the things I have already said about the Army on Crista's thread Janet

Ok, I'll try that, Thanks for the advice. I believe John Irwin, my soldier, was from Ireland, So I really can't figure out why he is in Aldershot at all. My g grandmother was born at the camp in 1862. I am learning lots about history from this family tree research!! thanks again Karen

Karen If he lived in Ireland one way out of poverty was to join up. He got a bed, money, drink, no worries and a roof over his head. Living in Ireland in 1860's he lived in a part of the United Kingdom, which included Ireland so when he joined up he joined the British Army and would therefore be stationed where they sent him! Many Irish people went to Liverpool so he may have joined from there and Liverpool is in Lancashire. His attestation papers will show where he was born and where and when and how old he was when he joined up. However many lied about their age. Should have been 18 on joining but most were about 16 and many were only 14. Depends when he joined, but if he joined in the 1850's, he may have been on Active Service at the Crimea 1854-1856 the Indian Mutiny about 1857/9 and then a period of reasonable calm in the 1860's as far as England was concerned, but if he had then been seconded to Ireland in the 1860's and 1870's then that would have been quite different and not at all calm!! Most soldiers married at about 30 as the army did not allow marriage under that age but if they had only been 14 on joining then they could be just a mere 26! Janet

Now I am going to sound even sillier. What are attestation papers and are they online???

DOES THIS MEAN HE MIGHT HAVE GONE TO chINA?? 1858.03.26 2nd Battalion, 20th (The East Devonshire) Regiment of Foot re-formed in Ireland 1858 Ireland 1861 England 1863 India 1863 China: Hong Kong 1864 Japan served as field artillery 1866 Hong Kong 1867 Cape Colony 1870 Mauritius 1872 Ireland 1874 England 1879 Ireland Or do you think that is where they recruited?

Karen You are quicker than me!! Yes. My man went to the Crimea, India, Ireland, Mauritius and all over England to include Aldershot! Attestation is another word for "Joining Up" Papers and the short answer to your question is sadly they are not on line. You have to go to Kew personally to find them or you find a rellie in England to do the two days work at Kew that is required or you have a holiday over here or you find a researcher to do the work for you and that won't be cheap so you decide which is cheaper. Nobody said that Family History was a cheap hobby but it is very interesting! Janet

wow, and I thought they were in a space ship !! No wonder I can't find any family !! They could be dropping babies all over the world! That's if the wife followed..........did she? They had a baby in Aldershot, but did they go overseas or stay in England??????

Karen Regimental Baps and Births are now online at 1837 online and they are FREE TO BROWSE so you could take a look to see if you recognise any. That's the good news. The bad news is that you still have to pay however many dollars you have to pay from OZ to obtain the certificates. Still you might get some idea of where his offspring is. Sometimes the women went as well but not always. Women that went were known as CAMP FOLLOWERS and they make interesting reading. His offspring are more likely to be all over England and Ireland but anywhere in those areas so be prepared for having to look literally anywhere in the UK but try to use the census to help you. Janet

thanks Janet, I'll try 1837. I just got a birth cert today for John Irwin's daughter, which has given me this headache of researching soldiers. It is an addictive hobby isn't it ! It's not much fun buying certs with Aussie dollars though. Thanks again Karen

Karen Good luck. You are a very quick learner. I have never had to type so fast!! Janet

Here are some sites which I've found useful (remove any asterisks): http://www.armymuseums.org.uk/ http://hometown.aol.*co.uk/KevinAsplin/home.html there are some other sites in my Bookmarks list, but they mainly relate to WW1 and later. Christine

Aldershot is known as the "Home of the British Army" and I would think that most soldiers passed through Aldershot at some time in their Army career. They had their own, large, maternity hospital so all things are possible. Doubt if it helps but who knows? Good hunting Jack

Well thanks to marriage/death certificates in Scotland (they don't seem to have been born) have found 2 brothers were pensioners from the 71st Regiment of Foot. Still can't find the brother in law - Anyway had a look in the free census for 1841 and there's husband's rellies older brother in the Regiment at Aberdeen age 15. Well considering they were from Edinburgh and that the brother in law's daughter born in Berwick upon Tweed these soldiers seem to have got about a bit. Crimea, India etc etc. Will have to go to Kew in next few weeks to try and find anything I can about these 3 - there might be more as the births weren't registered as far as I can see. Have been told to look at the Muster Lists and at least I know he was in the Regiment in 1841.

Julie Try the Regimental Births and Baps now on line at 1837 on line. Can browse for free so you never know. My whole soldier history started with the Regimental Births and Baps, never have found the offspring if it had not been for that book. Janet

I looked up some Army bdm fiche records at the local Central Library but found nothing. The brothers Hugh and Thomas Farmer both married in Edinburgh after they'd left the Army. John (call him brother in law) left widow Barbara who Thomas then married. Know that John and Barbara had daughter Jane who was born c 1856 in Berwick on Tweed according to the census but can find no trace of birth. I'm hoping the "first" Muster record for each of the soldiers will show their date and place of birth and hopefully other snippets of information ie where they served etc etc.

thanks Christine, I'll try those sites Karen