Is Benjamin Steven Green the longest serving soldier?

[researchingreg]

One of my wife's relations Benjamin Steven Green was born 16 May 1851 in Cork and could have the longest ever military service. He joined the Royal Marines Artillery as a Bugler/Drummer 14 October 1865 in 1868 he transferred to the Army joining the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars in 1868 at Curragh, County Kildare. He then was transferred to the 10th Hussars and was stationed in Rawalpindi and Lucknow 1879-1883 and was promoted to Warrant Officer Bandmaster  4 December 1882 and was later stationed at Aldershot. He then transferred back to the Royal Marines Artillery as Bandmaster in 1897. in 1911 he was the Royal Marines Bandmaster at the 1911 Coronation and when he went to Kiel on a visit with Edward VII he was decorated by the Kaiser with the order of the Red Eagle. In May 1914 he was a commissioned temporary Lieutenant and was director of Music with the Royal Marines Artillery. He served on a placement with the Marineschule Marwik in Germany. He served abroad and at home with the Royal Marine Artillery during World War 1. and got the usual WW1 medals. He was promoted to Captain in 1918 and was director of Music. He was shown on in the Navy of 1939 and on the intervening lists from 1918 still in service. He was retired in July 1944 as shown on the Navy list. He died 21 Oct 1944. So it seems he served from the age of 14 tp 93 a service period of nearly 79 years. Is this a record?

[horatio2]

He was placed on the Retired List on 17 December 1919 (retirement later ante-dated by 3 1/2 years) at the age of 68 (old enough by any standard) and subsequently awarded a Greenwich pension. I think it is pushing it a bit to claim active service to age 93. Many retired officers lived to be centenarians.

Nevertheless an outstanding period of active service.

[ForeignGong]

I have a B S Green, Bandmaster given permission to wear a Danish Dannebrog under "File: ADM 1/116/1578 Officers authorised to wear Foreign Orders", with a note "R. Marines 1905".

And under "File: FO 83/2119 Foreign orders & medals: permission to accept & wear: Coburg, Corea & Denmark 1897-1905", he is given permission to wear Dannebrog Cross with a note "Royal Yacht Victoria & Albert". As one file is Admiralty and the other is Foreign Office, these probably relate to the same award.

Also same man was given permission to wear a Portuguese Royal Military Order of Our Lady of the Conception of the Villa Viscosa 3rd Cl, under "File: ADM 1/116/1578 Officers authorised to wear Foreign orders", with a note "1905".

Might be worth a trip to Kew to pull the files, there can't be too many B S Green, Bandmaster, R M.

 

Peter

[researchingreg]

15 hours ago, horatio2 said:

He was placed on the Retired List on 17 December 1919 (retirement later ante-dated by 3 1/2 years) at the age of 68 (old enough by any standard) and subsequently awarded a Greenwich pension. I think it is pushing it a bit to claim active service to age 93. Many retired officers lived to be centenarians.

Nevertheless an outstanding period of active service.

 

Horatio2

 

Thanks for the information I thought it was strange that he went on so long. So he could not possibly be the longest serving soldier retiring at 68. I just saw him on the Navy Lists and of course they were showing him as retired. Also I note on the 1939 register he is shown as retired.