WO Certificate from Col. Douglas

[Stibs]

My 2 x great uncle Thomas Sawbridge was in the 11th Hussars. He died on 28 Jan 1855 and is buried at Kadekoi.

I have copies of the muster rolls and the medal rolls covering his service but am trying to find out why Colonel Douglas issued a WO Certificate on the 28th August, 1857 awarding him the clasp for Balaclava. The rolls show he was awarded clasps for Sebastopol, Alma and Inkerman but the reference to Colonel Douglas's WO is in the "Remarks" column of the listing for the Alma/Inkerman clasps.

What were the circumstances that led to the WO being issued 2 years later?

Dave

[Geoffers]

trying to find out why Colonel Douglas issued a WO Certificate on the 28th August, 1857 awarding him the clasp for Balaclava. The rolls show he was awarded clasps for Sebastopol, Alma and Inkerman

Possibly the Crimea medal was awarded and mistakenly missed off the clasp for Balaclava; the Colonel later amending the error?

[crimea1854]

Lawrence Crider, in his book 'In search of the Light Brgade', has this recorded as an OC Certificate. I'm surmising that perhaps Col Douglas was confirming his entitlement to the Balaclava clasp, and as such he took part in the Charge of the Light Brigade.

Martin

[Stibs]

Hi Martin,
Thomas Sawbridge isn't listed as a "Charger" in any of the publications I've read. Lawrence Crider did provide me with some information a while back via this forum. I don't know what "OC" stands for but I've just obtained a scanned image of the medal roll from Ancestry and in the "Remarks" column there's a line going from the "Ditto" under Inkererman to "WO B (B is underlined) given 28/8 . 57 (then a word I can't decipher) certificate from Col Douglas"

I also have the scanned images of the muster rolls that cover Thomas's service and there's no next of kin listed. In a family document written almost 70 years after Thomas's death by his sister's husband, it's stated that he "returned home and died from the effects of the war." Well, I know he didn't return home as he's listed in "The Last of the Brave - Resting places of Our Fallen Heroes in the Crimea & Scutari" What he died from I don't know. The muster just states "died - Kadakoi 28th January"

I just find it a little piece of the jigsaw that is missing. If he didn't have any next of kin recorded to send the £3 6s 5d he left on his death, who or what prompted the addition of the Balaclava clasp to his roll? I suspect it's a question that will remain unanswered but I live in hope.

Regards - Dave