32nd Regiment of Foot
Chronology
- 1702 raised as Fox's Regiment of Marines
- 1751 became 32nd Regiment of Foot
- 1782 became 32nd (The Cornwall) Regiment of Foot
- 1858 became the 32nd (Cornwall) Light Infantry
- 1881 amalgamated with the 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot to become The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
- 1959 merged to become part of the Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry
- 1968 amalgamated with the three other regiments of the Light Infantry Brigade to form The Light Infantry
Brief History in India
| The information in this section is extracted from a number of sources, including notes sent to Cathy Day by the Regimental Museum in Cornwall, a page from 'The British Army of 1914' and various War Office documents such as pension records and Muster Rolls.
For a list of all Corporals in the Regiment in 1888, see the Adjutant’s Roll. For a list of married Sergeants and Corporals, see the Married Roll. |
1847-1859
In 1847 the regiment were in Meerut and were involved in the 2nd Sikh War 1848-49.
At the outbreak of the Indian Mutiny in 1857 the 32nd (The Cornwall) Regiment was stationed at Lucknow. They were part of the Siege of Lucknow from 30 May until the final relief by Sir Colin Campbell on 27 November. They lost 15 officers and 364 other ranks dead and 11 officers and 198 other ranks wounded. The regiment won four Victoria Crosses for gallantry during the siege:
- Cpl Willaim Oxenham 30 June
- Pte William Dowling 4 July, 9 July and 27 September
- Lieut Samuel Hill Laurence 7 July and 26 September
- Capt Henry George Gore-Browne 21 August
1888-1901
During 1884, The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (DCLI) was stationed at Dublin, where its men would be sent after four months training at the newly-built depot at Bodmin, Cornwall. The Regimental Museum has photographs of all the recruits of the time, but unfortunately, they are not named. In 1885, the First Battalion moved to Malta, and three years later, on 18th February 1888, to India arriving in Madras on 7th March.
In 1890, rebellion broke out in Burma, led by a tribe known as the Tsawbaws. The First Battalion was moved to Mandalay, and the following year took part in what became known as the Wunthoo Expedition which successfully quelled the revolt.
It then returned to India, doing garrison duty successively at Pur and Roorkee (1893), Chakrata and Meerut (1894) and Lucknow (1896). In 1897 a campaign was fought on the North West Frontier in which the battalion took part in the Tirah Campaign 1897-98, seeing active service in Tirah and the Bara Valley.
During the next two years it was stationed at Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Lucknow (1898-1899) and Calcutta and Dum Dum (1900).
In 1901, prisoners of war from South Africa were shipped over to Ceylon to hastily constructed camps, and the First Battalion was given the task of guarding them.
1902-1914
The following year the battalion sailed for South Africa as part of the army of occupation, and was stationed at Stellenbosch (1902), Middleburg and Cape Colony (1903) and Wynberg (1904-05).
In 1906, the Battalion returned to England whereit was initially quartered at Crownhill Barracks, Plymouth. From thereit moved to Woolwich (1907), Gravesend (1908-1910) and Tidworth (1911). In 1913 it was back in Ireland in Curragh and they mobilised for war on 5th August, 1914. They took part in every major battle on the Western Front.
For further information on the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, you could contact the Regimental Museum. Its address is The Curator, Regimental Museum, The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, The Keep, Bodmin, Cornwall PL31 1EG ENGLAND Telephone: Bodmin (0208) 2810.
Adjutant’s Roll 1888
The following is an extract from the Adjutant’s Roll of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry for 1888 when the regiment was in Madras, India. This brief extract is from a single page of the Roll and contains the names of all Corporals. This section was transcribed by Cathy Day of Alice Springs, Central Australia in November, 1998. Cathy's great-grandfather, Job Henry HARMAN, served in the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry from 1882 until he transferred to the East Surrey Regiment in 1895. Job finally retired from military service in 1918 and died the following year.
| No. of Soldier | Name of Soldier | Rank | Rate of Good Conduct Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1527 | Ball H. | Corporal | F |
| 380 | Harman Job | Corporal | A |
| 381 | Harris Thomas | Corporal | C |
| 1833 | Henczenberg William | Corporal | B |
| 441 | Hodges C.J. | Corporal | H |
| 867 | Hunter A. | Corporal | E |
| 1521 | James T. | Corporal | E |
| 1740 | Keating J. | Corporal | A |
| 1538 | Kelly E.J. | Corporal | E |
| 1329 | Liddell W. | Corporal | E |
| 1840 | Morris T. | Corporal | D |
| 1610 | Ovenden H. | Corporal | D |
| 928 | Pester H. | Corporal | D |
| 1691 | Sandy W.T. | Corporal | B |
| 905 | Tabutt C.J. | Corporal | E |
| 240 | Teague J.W. | Corporal | H |
| 1247 | Thompson G. | Corporal | H |
| 1064 | Webb W. | Corporal | C |
| 1185 | White James | Corporal | G |
Married Roll 1889
The following is the Married Roll of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry for 1889, when the regiment was in Madras, India. This brief extract is from a single page of the Roll and contains the names of Sergeants down to Lance Corproals, with one Private named.
| No. of Soldier | Name of Soldier | Rank | Name of Wife | Ages of Children | Date of Being Placed on Marriage Roll |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 400 | Adair, W. | Private | Annie | 2 yrs 8 mths / 0 yrs 2 mths | 18 Feb 1888 |
| 1803 | Belt, E.J. | Sgt | Mary Jane | None | 5 Mar 1889 |
| 2121 | Bradley, E. | Corporal | Sarah Ruth | 2 yrs 7 mths | 10 Jun 1883 |
| 2148 | Evans, G. | Corporal | Laura | 7 yrs 7 mths / 0 yrs 4 mths | 23 Apr 1880 |
| 2895 | Fitzwalter, W.F. | Lance Corporal | Eve Winifred | None | Struck Off |
| 380 | Harman, J. | Lance Sgt | Sarah Florence | None | 29 May 1889 |
| 1340 | Hawke, H. | Sgt | Mary Ann | None | 18 Feb 1888 |
| 1833 | Henczenberg, W. | Lance Sgt | Jane | None | 17 Feb 1888 |
| 1538 | Kelly, E.J. | Corporal | Kate | 1 yr 9 mths | 22 Jan 1883 |
| 1308 | Misson, G. | Sgt | Bridget | 4 yrs 4 mths / 2 yrs 4 mths | 7 Dec 1883 |
| 1629 | Perkins, W. | Sgt | Margaret | None | 30 Jan 1889 |
| 1851 | Reader, W. | Sgt | Ethel B. | 0 yrs 11 mths | 18 Feb 1888 |
| 1691 | Sandy, W.T. | Corporal | Elizabeth | None | 18 Feb 1888 |
| 2114 | Trowell, D. | Sgt | Jane | None | 17 Dec 1881 |
| 191 | Warren, J.S. | Lance Corporal | Emma Mole [?] | Child born / 27 Mar 1889 | 17 Feb 1888 |
External Links
32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot Wikipedia
Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry www.lightinfantry.org.uk
Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry Wikipedia
Somerset & Cornwall Light Infantry Wikipedia
Regimental Timeline www.lightinfantry.org.uk
Four Years' Service in India By John Ryder Google Books