32nd Regiment of Foot
Introduction
The information on this page 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.
Brief History
32nd Regiment of Foot (Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry)
This regiment was first raised in 1702 as Fox's Regiment of Marines, then numbered as the 32nd Foot in 1751. In 1782 it was designated the 32nd, or Cornwall, Regiment then in 1858 it was named the 32nd, or Cornwall, Light Infantry. In 1881 it was renamed as the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry.
During 1884, the D.C.L.I. 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, they moved 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 were moved to Mandalay, and the following year took part in what became known as the Wunthoo Expedition which successfully quelled the revolt.
They 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 Tirrah expedition, seeing active service in Tirrah and the Bara Valley.
During the next two years they were stationed at Peshawar, Rawal Pindi 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. The following year they sailed for South Africa as part of the army of occupation, and were stationed at Stellenbosch (1902), Middleburg and Cape Colony (1903) and Wynberg (1904-05).
In 1906, the Battalion returned to England where they were initially quartered at Crownhill Barracks, Plymouth. From there they moved to Woolwich (1907), Gravesend (1908-1910) and Tidworth (1911). In 1913 they were 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
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 page 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
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 |