75th Regiment

[CACurd]

Hello,
I have my great-grandfather's service records which show he was in the 75th Regiment during the 1860s and 1870s. He joined as a private, earned 3 good conduct medals and was also court martialled 3 times! He joined as a private and became Colour Sergeant and Orderly Room Sergeant, subject to the courts martial! I also know from newspapers in Guernsey that he played for the regimental cricket team.

I've contacted the Gordon Highlanders Museum and they've told me that few records for the 75th Regiment have survived and I've been to Kew to try and find his court martial records without success.

Does anyone know if there is anywhere else I can try to get a better picture of his life in the army?

Thanks
Carol

[SusanI]

Hi, what was your g-grandfather's name? Some who were court martialled were transported - do you know what happened to him after the army? When regiments which were stationed in Guernsey took their records back with them when they left the island.

Good luck with your search!

Susan

[CACurd]

Hi Susan, thanks for getting back to me. My g-grandfather was Horatio Henry Bethell. The first court martial was for 'neglect of duty' and he was imprisioned for one day. The second was for 'desertion to duty', he was absent without leave for 10 days and imprisioned for 8 months. I believe he went awol due to his family dying in Plymouth while he was in South Africa. The third court martial was for 'making erasue and alterations in his court martial defaulter sheets', he was Orderly Room Sargeant at the time! He was reduced to private and left the army soon afterwards (with a pension!), met my g-grandmother with whom he had 9 children, seven of which survived.
Carol

[malcolm99]

Does anyone know if there is anywhere else I can try to get a better picture of his life in the army?

I don't know whether you've seen this:

naval-military-press.com/life-of-a-regiment-the-history-of-the-gordon-highlanders-from-1816-1898-vol2-including-an-account-of-the-75th-regiment-from-1787-to-1881.html

You should be able to borrow it through your local public library.

[CACurd]

Thanks Malcolm99, I had seen this but hadn't thought about getting it from my library. I've just checked their online system and they don't list this particular book, they do list others though that I may request to see if they have anything interesting. Next time I go to the library I'll ask to see if they can get this one for me. Thanks again.
Carol

[malcolm99]

they don't list this particular book

Hello Carol

That doesn't matter at all. They can borrow it from the British Library who have a lending copy of the 1929 edition (the link I sent you is about a reprint).

Show 'em this...

From: BL Integrated Catalogue -

Author: Gardyne, Charles Greenhill.
Title: The life of a regiment : the history of the Gordon highlanders from 1816 to 1898, including an account of the 75th regiment from 1787 to 1881 / Charles Greenhill Gardyne.
Publisher/year: Medici society, 1929 (1903)
Shelfmark X23-3810 Vol 2 (1816-98) DSC Request

malcolm99

[Peter Goodey]

I've just checked their online system and they don't list this particular book

Ask for an Inter Library Loan. Buckinghamshire Libraries have all three volumes.

[CACurd]

Huh, it seems I have to learn how to use my library a bit better :-0
Thanks.