Pvt. Joseph Carter

[Peggy]

Looking for information about place of origin, family, date of death for Pvt. Joseph CARTER, Fourth Light Dragoons, enlisted July 1851, slightly wounded in the Charge 25 Oct 1854, invalided to England March 1855.

[Geoffers]

Looking for information about place of origin, family, date of death for Pvt. Joseph CARTER, Fourth Light Dragoons, enlisted July 1851, slightly wounded in the Charge 25 Oct 1854, invalided to England March 1855.Good news and bad news.

Bad news first, the records you want will be held by The National Archives (TNA) at Kew, London.

Good news.

If you can access them, know someone who is going there, or hire a researcher - then there are records which will assist.

Since you have some detail, the first place I'd suggest you try are the Casualty Returns - these are in document class WO25/1359-2410 and 3251-3260, and indexed in WO/25/2411-2755 and 3261-3471,

The regimental casualty returns include name, rank, place of birth, date and nature of injury/death/desertion.

Also, try the Soldiers' Documents in class WO97, up to 1872, these are arranged by regiment (which you have), and include name, age, palce of birth, trade or ocupation on enlistment, record of service, next of kin, reason for discharge.

You might be lucky enough to find that his service papers are indexed on TNA's catalogue
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
move your cursor over 'search our collections' then select 'The Catalogue PROCAT)' - when you get to the seach screen, enter 'Carter' in the 1st field, include the years 1850-1860 and in the last field enter 'WO' - if you find a match, you can order his record online.

Geoffers
Charlbury, Oxfordshire

[Peggy]

Thanks Geoffers! Several Carters in the catalog, one Joseph, but not a match. A quick look shows no casualty returns for the regiment. Also looks as if some other returns have gone missing. Hope some are left if I ever get to the NA!

[Geoffers]

Thanks Geoffers! Several Carters in the catalog, one Joseph, but not a match. A quick look shows no casualty returns for the regiment. Also looks as if some other returns have gone missing. Hope some are left if I ever get to the NA!
The returns are there, just search on '4 Dragoons' in field 1 and WO25 in the last field.

Geoffers

[Betty Willson]

Do you think it possible that Pvt. Joseph Carter has relatives in Brisbane Australia Peggy? Betty Willson

[Peggy]

Hi Betty,

Could be anywhere. I can't find info on him after his service.

Peggy

[Lawrence W. Crider]

Here is what I have on him in my book, In Search of the Light Brigade:

☼ Carter, Pte Joseph, (1494), 4th LD (p39)
Bn in Brompton [58-1-24]. Enl 07-18-51 [58-1-24]. Prior Occ: Servant [58-1-24]. On furl 01-01 to 01-30-54 [54-1-5].
Det 2nd & 3rd Mstrs [54-2-5]. Rode in Charge; slightly wounded [CR 35]. To Scut 10-26-54 [54-4-5]. Inv 03-55 fr Scut to England [55-1-5]. To Maidstone 07-02-55 [55D-3-5] where he remained to 03-31-56 [55D-4-5][56D-1-5].
Prom 07-25-55 to Cpl [55D-3-4, 5]. To 18th H 03-01-58 as Sgt [58-1-24]. Medal [205] w/ A [205], B [227], & S [223] Clasps.

If you discover anything more, please let me know so I can include it in an addendum I am working on.

[Peggy]

My thanks to Lawrence W. Crider, whose additional information has, I believe, put the final nail in the coffin of a family legend.

Not a big surprise. Much of the basic data handed down on this side of my family (names, dates, emigration history) has turned out to be false.

For another branch of my tree, stories that everyone assumed were inventions have turned out to be true.

Genealogy is fascinating, isn't it? :)

Peggy

[nemisis]

peggy, contact the royal armoured corps at bovington dorset. the 4 amalgamated with the 7 dragoon guards to become the 4/7 dragoon guards. what they are called now i do not know

[Peggy]

Hi nemisis,

Thanks. But I think Lawrence Crider's info eliminates this man, and that I've put enough time into chasing this particular family legend. Odds are that my grandfather invented it out of whole cloth for the sake of a bad pun. On this side of the family you can't even trust official documents, let alone stories!

Peggy

[Jude]

Here is what I have on him in my book, In Search of the Light Brigade:

☼ Carter, Pte Joseph, (1494), 4th LD (p39)
Bn in Brompton [58-1-24]. Enl 07-18-51 [58-1-24]. Prior Occ: Servant [58-1-24]. On furl 01-01 to 01-30-54 [54-1-5].
Det 2nd & 3rd Mstrs [54-2-5]. Rode in Charge; slightly wounded [CR 35]. To Scut 10-26-54 [54-4-5]. Inv 03-55 fr Scut to England [55-1-5]. To Maidstone 07-02-55 [55D-3-5] where he remained to 03-31-56 [55D-4-5][56D-1-5].
Prom 07-25-55 to Cpl [55D-3-4, 5]. To 18th H 03-01-58 as Sgt [58-1-24]. Medal [205] w/ A [205], B [227], & S [223] Clasps.

If you discover anything more, please let me know so I can include it in an addendum I am working on.

I would like to know where Pte John Evans enlisted, in 1842 or 3. I know he received the Crimea medal with clasps for Alma, Balaklava, Inkerman and Sebastopol although he is not recorded as having charged. Any additional information would be wonderful.

[Lawrence W. Crider]

Dear Jude:

I was a bit lost, as your post showed as a followup on Joseph Carter of the 4th Light Dragoons.

Pte John Evans was a member of the 13th Light Dragoons, Regimental Number 1217. He was entitled to all four clasps, though he was not known to have ridden in the Charge . . . he may or may not have. To date there has been no evidence of his presence in the charge in other survivor accounts and he was not a member of a number of select groups (ie. the Balaclava Commemoration Society of 1879; signers of the Loyal Address of 1887, etc.)
in which survivors only were included. He may have died before these groups were formed. As to his place of enlistment in 1842 or 1843, I do not have the relevant documents to know where that was; that information was included in Lummis and Wynn's "Honour the Light Brigade" (1973) and included that the enlistment was in the 1st Dragoon Guards with Regimental Number 5277.
I will write to a friend with more complete records and find out what I can for you. In the interim, from my book:

☼ Evans, Pte John, (1217), 13th LD (p216)
Fr 1st DG, Regt no. 5277 c. 1842 or 1843. At Newport 1st & 2nd Mstrs [54-1-5]. At Hampton Court 1st Mstr, abd Monarchy 2nd Mstr, & on Outpost Duty 3rd Mstr [54-2-5]. On commd at Scut 1st Mstr, then in Crimea 2nd & 3rd Mstrs [55-2-5] & all 3 Mstrs [55-3-5]. At Eupatoria 1st Mstr, abd Jason 2nd Mstr, & at Scut 3rd Mstr [55-4-5] & all 3 Mstrs [56-1-5]. W/ Svc Trps entire period [54-1 to 56-1]. Medal [460] w/ A [460], B [487], I [460], & S [479] Clasps.


Cheers

Lawrence W. Crider