19th Hussars

[tiggy1970]

Hi, i am researching my husbands family history, his great grand father served with the 19th Hussars, I know he was in india in 1897, ( or his wife and son was).

Please can someone let me know some more info about this regiment.

This is what i have on him so far

William Oakley lance corperal reg number 3182. Uk military base was canterbury kent. Any help would be great.

Thanks

ALison xx

[peter monahan]

Here is a very little info. about the unit's service during the relevant period:

EGYPT MEDAL 1882

awarded with no bar, 202 medals to 19th Hussars

bar TEL-EL-KEBIR, 374 to 19th Hussars

bar EL-TEB, 410 to 19th Hussars

bar SUAKKIN 1884, 218 bars to 19 Hussars

bar ABU KLEA, 135 to 19th Hussars

bar KIRBEKAN, “One squadron 19 Hussars”

bar SUAKIN 1885, 19 Hussars “present”

KHEDIVE'S EGYPTIAN STAR (1882-1891)

Awarded to all recipient's of the Egypt Medal in one of four versions. 19th Hussars probably received either the Star dated '1882' with the 'no bar' medals or the version dated 1884-6 if they qualified for any of the bars listed above.

(Major L.L. Gordon's British battles and Medals)

http://www.northeastmedals.co.uk/british_cavalry_regiment/19th_hussars.htm

SOUTH AFRICA MEDAL

1300 names on rolls for 19th Hussars

It's likely therefore that he would have earned the Egypt medal with one or more bars and possibly a SA medal as well.

The medal rolls are available for viewing at the Imperial War Museum and there are many researchers who will search for names for, generally quite reasonable fees. Hope this is of some small help. BTW, I noticed your reference on a geneaology site to his family's presence in India (Secundarbad, 1897 I believe). In answer to your question there, it would be very unlikley for a private soldier (as distinct from an officer) to get 'home leave' from an overseas posting. I'd go so far as to say 'almost unheard of', so if his family was there, he was as well.

Peter

[tiggy1970]

Hi Peter

Thanks for that, and thanks for answering my question from the other site.

I have sent for Williams marriage certificate, which took place in india, and i am hoping it will have more details so i can contact kew.

As so far i have not found him on any sites that list some of the recipients of medals, but i do believe that i read somewhere that only about 10 % of medal recipients have been listed and the rest remains at Kew until about 2011.

Have a nice evening

Regards

Alison,x

[TS Allen]

Hello all,

I do believe that the leave policy never granted home leave to enlisted men in this period. Leave was fairly rare for EM's for extended periods, the whole reason that officers could fairly easily take extended periods (6 months, on occasion!) "off" from their regiments was because the War Office benefited from it. The officers frequently wandered off into combat situations and gained valuable experience. And, in any event, the officer's couldn't spend to much time in camp, they may very will turn in to professionals!

I can't recall the book that first explained this to me, but the idea has fascinated me ever since.

~TS

[caro25]

Hi I am also researching family history and my husbands g grandfather was serving with the 19th hussars and he was in India with them with his family. His three eldest children were born there, one in Lucknow and one in Benares not sure where the eldest was born altho on the 1871 cencus the ifo given was India. The family were in Canterbury Kent at the time of the cencus altho they were in Preston Barracks by the middle of the following year - the birth of another child confirms this. His name was John McInerney. Any info re the regiment at this time would be useful. Many thanks.

[oldlincolnian]

Hi, i am researching my husbands family history, his great grand father served with the 19th Hussars, I know he was in india in 1897, ( or his wife and son was).

Please can someone let me know some more info about this regiment.

This is what i have on him so far

William Oakley lance corperal reg number 3182. Uk military base was canterbury kent. Any help would be great.

Thanks

ALison xx

My Grandfather's brother, Alfred Langley was in the 19th Hussars and by 1909 was ranked Sergeant. He was born in 1883, so he may have joined the Hussars at the age of 17 or 18... ie about 1900, so making sergeant in 9 years was I suppose a sign of a good Hussar. He was a champion horseman and won first and second prize for riding and jumping at the British Military Tournament (two different horses) in 1909-10-11, as well as a special gold medal for "tent-pegging". By 1916 he was ranked Regimental Sergeant Major and transferred into the Wiltshire Regiment as a commissioned officer. He was a Captain, killed in action on 20th September 1917 at Hollebecke, Belgium taking a machine gun nest which was pinning down his men. (I have this from the Regimental war diary of the Wiltshires).

I have not been able to find out a thing about his record with the 19th Hussars, except a reference to being at Canterbury from one of the Census listings. I have no idea about where he was with the Hussars or when, and have had no luck (searching from Canada) in finding a written history or where I can access the written history of the 19th Hussars from about 1900 to 1916.

I have his Hussars cap badge and his Wiltshires cap badge (that is an amazing story unto itself!) and I have his BMT medals from 1909-10-11 and I have his Memorial Disk for those KIA, one photo of him riding (jumping actually) and one of him in uniform as a Wiltshire's Lt. I have visited the wall at Zonnebeke, Belgium, where his name is, though he has no known grave, and I have been able to tie down to within perhaps 30m where he was killed by cross referencing the Wiltshire's Regimental Diary to field maps made in the few days before his death and using Google Earth, which I am told is actually quite remarkable to have achieved.

However the 19th Hussars side of his life, 16 good years roughly, remains a mystery to me, except these small momentos. If anyone knows where I may be able to find out about his movements and his military record, I would really appreciate knowing about it. Thanks

[Steve Barham]

Just seen this. You probably have already done it but a good source of information will be the regimental HQ and \ or museum. A lot of the early central records, WW1 and before were destroyed in WW2.

The 19th Hussars are now part of the Light Dragoons. Their address is Fenham Barracks, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE2 4NP.

Hope this helps.

[Archer]

Notes originally compiled by T.F. Mills

19th Hussars

September 1891: At sea

1891: India: Bangalore

1896: India: Secunderabad

1899: South Africa: Ladysmith

11 October 1899: War breaks out in South Africa

1902: Regiment re-designated as the 19th (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own) Hussars

1903: Ireland: Curragh

1908: England: Norwich

1910: England: Aldershot

1912: England: Hounslow Barracks

4 August 1914: Great War breaks out

August 1914: France and Flanders: split into squadrons as divisional cavalry