WILLIAM HAMILTON

rubeaz · Post by **rubeaz** » Mon May 18, 2009 2:37 pm

44th Foot Private Soldier

I have no idea of wars

My ancestor William Hamilton belonged to the 44th Foot as a Private Soldier. This infomation was on his son William's marriage certificate 1864
aged 25. William Snr (soldier) deceased.

If my maths is right

I think William Snr would have been born about 1810 or there about

I have no idea where to begin my search. I have tried Ancestry but my lack of understanding of the war era has proved quite difficult.

Hope someone may be able to direct me in my search

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Mon May 18, 2009 7:49 pm

Hi rubeaz

This infomation was on his son William's marriage certificate 1864
aged 25. William Snr (soldier) deceased.

Any sign of him with his wife or family in the 1841 - 1861 census data? The locations, and maybe even occupations, if he is with his family , may help to build a bit more of a picture.

Best wishes
Lesley

rubeaz · Post by **rubeaz** » Tue May 19, 2009 5:19 am

Thanks Leslie for your quick reply.

I have not been able to find William Hamilton on the 1841/51 censuses at all. I think he probably died young before 1840.

His wife Margaret remarried about 1840. (You may remember my Margaret Elliot/Thomas Hunt query earlier).

This Margaret - I have her death certificate states William Hamilton 1st husband dec. Thomas Hunt 2nd husband dec. Margaret died in 1874 aged 70.

Margaret Elliot/Hamilton/HUNT had a daughter Mary Ann born in Ireland about 1844 so I think maybe they were married there.

TS will be getting sick of me

I have uploaded some documents to the gallery if its help

Kind regards

Currie · Post by **Currie** » Tue May 19, 2009 5:20 am

Hello rubeaz,

See also your other post: viewtopic.php?t=13665

According to Regiments.org these were the locations of the 44th Regiment from 1820 to 1851. There was only one main Battalion during this period, the 1st. There may have been other small elements of the Regiment at the depot at Chatham.

1822 England, 1822 India, 1825 Burma, 1826? India, 1842 Afghanistan, 1842 annihilated at Gandamak Hill, 1843 England Chatham & Deal, 1843 Canterbury, 1843 Gosport, 1844 Winchester, 1844 Devonport, 1845 Plymouth, 1845 Ireland, 1846 Newry, 1848 Malta, 1851 Gibraltar.

As you can see they were in India and thereabouts between 1822 and 1843 and this probably explains why you’re not finding things. If William Hamilton was alive in 1839 or thereabouts, when his son was born, and in the 44th regiment in India the great odds are that he was involved in the Afghanistan campaign and met the fate of the rest of the 44th.

The 44th Regiment of Foot produced many widows and has been described as Britain’s most massacred regiment. In one of history’s often repeated lessons about Afghanistan the 44th Regiment of Foot was massacred, in fact annihilated, while withdrawing from Kabul. According to this page the 44th lost 22 officers and 645 soldiers, mostly killed.
http://www.britishbattles.com/first-afg ... ndamak.htm

Alan

rubeaz · Post by **rubeaz** » Tue May 19, 2009 5:29 am

Hi Alan,

Cannot thank you enough

I started doing this as a hobby in my transition to retirement - thought it would be easy

You find one piece of the puzzle then it unravels more information to look for. I don't think I will ever complete it

Thanks to people like you and TS. The support is incredible.

Thanks again

All the best KAY

Currie · Post by **Currie** » Tue May 19, 2009 9:22 am

That’s okay Kay. I forgot to mention that the National Archives has a number of research guides on researching a soldier. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/mili ... /step4.htm

If you can access the 19C British Library Newspaper Collection you’ll find many articles about the disaster in Afghanistan. Officers are usually mentioned by name but ordinary soldiers are often just statistics. http://www.nla.gov.au/app/eresources/li ... &sort_dir=

All the best,
Alan

Post by **HeatherH** » Fri May 22, 2009 4:16 am

Hi there,
I found this....
Records of the Royal Chelsea and Kilmainham Hospitals
Royal Hospital, Chelsea: Discharge Documents of Pensioners
WILLIAM HAMILTON
Born CARLOW, Carlow
Served in 44th Foot Regiment
Discharged aged 40 after 24 years of service
Its on the National Archives site. I entered the name and regiment. Could be something or a co-incidence.
Happy Hunting,
Heather

rubeaz · Post by **rubeaz** » Fri May 22, 2009 6:36 am

Thanks Heather - this may be him - I will look at the site and see what year he was discharged
Many thanks
KAY

rubeaz · Post by **rubeaz** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 5:22 am

Hello again

Have found a little bit more info re William Hamilton who served in the 44th Regiment.

A kind lady in Scotland found two William Hamilton's listed in the Muster Roll 1841 having joined aged 23 and served 7 years.

One was promoted to Corporal. I tend to lean towards the Private Soldier.

Can anyone advise me on how to find out if he was discharged in 1841 or if he met his fate in Kabul

Because I live in Australia would it be best to get a Researcher to follow this up as I think I am really getting out of my depth

PS I'm not wealthy

Regards Kay

Currie · Post by **Currie** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 9:59 am

Hello Kay,

I’ve never been down this track but The National Archives has a document setting out charges for searches. Note that before 1898 service records for soldiers who died in service were not usually kept and the only record of them may be in musters. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/docu ... 0_1913.pdf

There’s a fairly modern book about the disaster “Signal Catastrophe” available second-hand fairly cheaply. Here’s a limited preview. http://www.google.com.au/books?id=e0gOA ... 0#PPA11,M1

There were other books published soon after the disaster viewable in full on Google Books including “History of the War in Afghanistan” By John William Kaye, 1851. From as early as November 1841 the 44th is in the thick of it in Kabul. http://www.google.com.au/books?id=0n9JA ... ge#PPA3,M1

This book has the 44th in Kabul from 1840. http://www.google.com.au/books?id=SGwoA ... =&as_brr=3

North Wales Chronicle (Wales), Tuesday, May 3, 1842
It is the purpose of the Indian Government to send home the remnants of the 44th regiment to be re-embodied in England. There are a few officers and some recruits, but the regiment has ceased to exist.

Freeman's Journal (Ireland), Friday, July 22, 1842
Seventeen private soldiers of the 44th, in the late Cabul army, survive the memorable massacre ….. ….. ….. ….. There has been no promotion in the ranks of the 44th Regiment since January last, nor will any appointments be gazetted until a correct list of the late deplorable casualties are received at the War-office.

The newspapers of the time put a lot of effort over many months into getting the fate of officers nicely listed and in alphabetical order but not a mention by name of any others.

The William Hamilton of the 44th who was born Carlow and who has discharge and pension records at the National Archives appears to be for a fellow discharged in the 1790s.

Your William Hamilton’s absence at the 1841 census suggests he is still in the army and overseas. The 44th was in Kabul from 1840 and were being frittered away by conflict. By early November 1841 they were getting into serious trouble and by January 1842 they were 99% dead. His wife appears to have remarried fairly soon after the massacre and presumably was a widow. If the 1841 Muster was for the 44th in Kabul I’m not sure whether a discharged notation against his name would mean that he had a safe exit or even that he didn’t end up back in. While it’s possible that he could have missed all this and then very soon after died of some other cause it seems unlikely.

At least that’s my two cents worth,
All the best,
Alan

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