While researching the man behind an Army of India Medal, who spent his adult life as a Private in the 45th Regiment of Foot and as a Chelsea Pensioner, I made extensive use of the following book:
‘History of the 45th: 1st Nottinghamshire Regiment (Sherwood Foresters)’ by Colonel P H Dalbiac, published in 1902.
Thanks in part to this forum, and especially the contributions by Berenice, Meurig and Elmarie, I was aware that the Empire-building ‘Soldiers of the Queen’ generally had more to fear from diseases than their enemies on the battlefield. However, I had not realised just how devastating the losses could be, especially given the long foreign deployments in countries with inhospitable climates that characterised the first half of the 19th Century.
The 45th Regiment spent nearly 19 years in Ceylon, Burma and India between 1819 and 1838, almost all of the time on garrison duty and very little on battlefields. It spent the first four years in Ceylon on garrison duty, but early in 1825 it was called up for active service in the 1st Anglo-Burmese War. Disease had so thinned its ranks that the regiment was able to embark only 362 rank and file. On the passage to Burma cholera broke out, and the regiment arrived in Burma unfit for further service. It was immediately redirected to Madras in India to recruit and reform. It was later strengthened by a draft of 420 men, and it returned to Burma in the closing stages of the war in time to earn the Ava battle honour.
The 45th spent six years in Burma, mainly employed in clearing the jungle and building the cantonment at Moulmein, which became the first British capital of Burma. The regiment then moved to India, where it spent the rest of its foreign deployment in garrison duty at Madras and Secunderabad.
Sixteen months before the regiment arrived back in England, the following was inscribed on a memorial at Secunderabad:
“Erected to the memory of 22 officers, 70 sergeants, 44 corporals, 17 drummers, 995 privates, 163 women and 183 children of the 45th or Notts regiment, who have died from the date of embarkation to India, January, 1819, till the 18th of November, 1836, when the regiment marched for Arnee, preparatory to its return to England.”
When the regiment landed back in England in March 1838, it included only 22 of the 800 men who had embarked in Ireland in 1819.
I have yet to find statistics for the deaths from disease during the regiment’s later foreign deployments, including the one in Natal between 1843 and 1859, but hopefully as the 19th Century wore on advances in medicine and nursing reduced mortalities.
The Army of India Medal awarded to Private Thomas Horn, 45th Regiment, who was one of the fortunate men to have survived the unhealthy years in Burma and India. He was one of only 135 men of the 45th who went on to claim his medal in 1851 (
www.norheastmedals.co.uk
). Horn later served in Natal in the 1840.s, and he was there when he retired in 1851. He was rewarded for his 25 years of service by admission as a resident of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, where he spent his last 21 years.
Brett Hendey