The Boys of the Bombay Brigade

[Chemin Des Dames]

Hi all

Here is a rather faded photograph of my Great Uncle Johnny (John Joseph Ryan) in India. He was living in Seacombe on the Wirral at the time he was attested, but hailed from Vauxhall in Liverpool.

He is the chap nearest the Camera.

We have Johnny's service records - he was conscripted into the Cheshire Regiment (62632) and was transferred to the South Staffordshire Regiment (47431 in Service Records; 47421 on Medal Card). He was 35 years old. The South Staffs was composed of older or less than fully-fit conscripts and sent to India on guard duty, I believe. And when there the Regiment became, I believe, part of the Bombay Brigade.

Here Johnny is with some of his mates looking quite pleased with themselves. If anyone has any observations on the soldiers, their uniforms or anything else, I'd love to hear it. And if anyone knows any good sources of information on this Regiment or its time in India, please point me in the right direction.

Many thanks!

Alastair

 

PS Bit of a long shot but Johnny was rumored to have fought in the Second Anglo-Boer War too. There are lots of J Ryans and JJ Ryans in the few scanty records I've seen from that time (on Findmypast) but none with more than the name. Does anyone know if there are any Boer War records with more details on the soldiers?

 

 

 

[PJS]

On 23/01/2018 at 16:27, Chemin Des Dames said:

Hi all

Here is a rather faded photograph of my Great Uncle Johnny (John Joseph Ryan) in India. He was living in Seacombe on the Wirral at the time he was attested, but hailed from Vauxhall in Liverpool.

He is the chap nearest the Camera.

We have Johnny's service records - he was conscripted into the Cheshire Regiment (62632) and was transferred to the South Staffordshire Regiment (47431 in Service Records; 47421 on Medal Card). He was 35 years old. The South Staffs was composed of older or less than fully-fit conscripts and sent to India on guard duty, I believe. And when there the Regiment became, I believe, part of the Bombay Brigade.

Here Johnny is with some of his mates looking quite pleased with themselves. If anyone has any observations on the soldiers, their uniforms or anything else, I'd love to hear it. And if anyone knows any good sources of information on this Regiment or its time in India, please point me in the right direction.

Many thanks!

Alastair

 

PS Bit of a long shot but Johnny was rumored to have fought in the Second Anglo-Boer War too. There are lots of J Ryans and JJ Ryans in the few scanty records I've seen from that time (on Findmypast) but none with more than the name. Does anyone know if there are any Boer War records with more details on the soldiers?

 

 

 

 

I know this is an old thread but I came across the below photo the other day and thought you may be interested to see it:

 

 

 

Sgt John (“Jack”) Burt (35193)

1st Garrison Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment

Soldier Number: 35193, Rank: Acting Sergeant, Corps: South Staffordshire Regiment

Soldier Number: 23848, Rank: Corporal, Corps: Durham Light Infantry

 

The 1st Garrison Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment was part of the Bombay Brigade, 6th Poona Divisional Area, Southern Command, Indian Army. Sgt Burt was (at least at one point) stationed in Deolali where there was also a RAMC depot.

 

 

Peter

 

 

Edited 30 March , 2020 by PJS
Typo

[Chemin Des Dames]

Hi Peter

I just saw your photo now almost a year after you posted it. Grand stuff, many thanks. It's a well-preserved photo after a hundred years. Interesting to see the shorts. Colaba is down at the tip of the central Bombay peninsula near the India Gate and the Colaba Barracks were quite impressive - lots of pictures on Google images. I wonder if Jack Burt had the job of managing the likes of Pte Johnny Ryan, who was something of a rogue, but came back with memories that filled the rest of his life. He claimed to have seen active service over there fighting against tribesmen in the hills, but we rather doubt it.

I'll pass your photo on to Jonny's grandson. He'll be fascinated.

All the best and thanks again for posting. Hope you're safe in all these current travails

Alastair 

[Guest]

Thanks. I found this thread very helpful.   My grandfather was also in the DLI, badly gassed (at Loos?) and then found himself in the South Staffs in India.  The attached was taken possibly in 1916.  Hard to tell, but I think I see a wound stripe and two good conduct chevrons.

 

Pte. John Halpin

DLI 14188

South Staff 34782

 

Best wishes

 

[FROGSMILE]

It was common for wounded infantrymen who didn’t recover sufficiently to return to the front line to be sent to Garrison Battalions in India end elsewhere.  Just like all units there was a constant cycle of men departing and replacements arriving.  By the end of the war substantial numbers within the Garrison units were recovered, but diminished wounded from the various theatres of WW1.  This caused the government some significant problems there when there was an uprising in Afghanistan just in the middle of attempts to repatriate such troops homewards during 1919.

Edited 16 May , 2021 by FROGSMILE