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Thread: Light Dragoons

  1. #1
    Starting to feel at home
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    Default Light Dragoons

    Hello,
    Looking for any info on 8th park street light dragoons, Plymouth Devon. I have a ggggrandfather--John Francis Smet who was in it. He was a surgeon and died in Plymouth in 1840. I believe he was born in Belgium. He also had a brother Charles Hamilton Smith who was a Lt. Colonel and also artist and writer. Any info. greatly appreciated.

    Pepperpot

  2. #2
    Geoffers
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    The Army List on CD, from this period is supplied by 'Your old books and maps' and may help you with his career.

    The regiments web-site is useful
    https://www.regiments.org/

    The National Archives has loads of research guides, including several for the army, describing records that are available
    https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/c...uidesindex.asp
    click on 'B' and look at lins prefixed 'British Army'

    SMET seems to have written two books,
    'Historical record of the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars from its being raised to 1803'

    'Extracts from journals of John Francis Smet, Surgeon 8th Hussars, 1815-1824'

  3. #3
    hughar
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    A search for "John Francis Smet" (with the quotes) at https://search.live.com/results.aspx?q=&scope=books finds the 1914 catalogue of the Royal United Service Institution Museum. This lists his uniforms on page 43, items 6581-86 and 6588.

    I understand that the museum was moved in the 1920s, so suggest that you check with the Institute at https://www.rusi.org/ to find the current whereabouts of the uniforms.

  4. #4
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    Default

    thank you so much for the info. This gives me some good places to look and hopefully find out more about him. I will also have to see if I can find anywhere to get a copy of those books.

    Thanks again.

    Pepperpot

  5. #5
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    thanks for the info on John---I will tracking down abut those uniforms .

    Pepperpot

  6. #6
    hughar
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    Have you ordered a copy of his will from https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/

  7. #7
    Fordy
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    Quote Originally Posted by pepperpot View Post
    Hello,
    Looking for any info on 8th park street light dragoons, Plymouth Devon. I have a ggggrandfather--John Francis Smet who was in it. He was a surgeon and died in Plymouth in 1840. I believe he was born in Belgium. He also had a brother Charles Hamilton Smith who was a Lt. Colonel and also artist and writer. Any info. greatly appreciated.

    Pepperpot
    A/Surg. John Smet [1799 to 1808 A/Lists]
    +
    A/Surg. Jas. Smet 25 Dec.96 [1809 A/L]
    Surg. James Smet 1 Jun 1809 [1810 to 1815 A/Lists]

    Surg. James Smet 9 Aug 1808 [1816 to 1824 A/Lists]
    Surg. J. Fra. Smet. 9 Aug 1808 [1824 DECEMBER ISSUE A/List]
    Not listed Jan 1825 A/List.

    All the above with the 8th Lt. dragoons.

    Interesting... are John & James the same person?
    There are no commission/promotion dates mentioned in any of the Lists 1799 to 1808 to double check as to why the two different dates in the later Lists (June 1808 & Aug 1809) for promotion to Surgeon?

    Do let us know if you find anything more :-)

    David.

  8. #8
    hughar
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    If you go to https://beta.gazettes-online.co.uk/Ad...geotype=London and search for Smet
    you will find details of promotions in the issues of 17Aug 1799, 20 Feb 1810, 3 Jun 1823 (as James) and 21 Jun 1823 (correction).

  9. #9
    hughar
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    The Wellcome Library in London has his papers in their Archives. To see further details go to https://library.wellcome.ac.uk/index.html Enter RAMC/204 in the search box at the top right, and select 'Search Wellcome catalogues'. When you get the results page, select Archives and Manuscripts in blue box at left of screen, to get a list of 10 items.

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