32nd Regiment of Foot

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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.

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 Regiment of Foot to become 1st Battalion, 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

Service in India

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 except for 30 men who were at Cawnpore. 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:

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.

Regimental Museum

For further information on the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, you could contact the Regimental Museum. Its address is:

Regimental Museum
The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
The Keep
Bodmin
Cornwall
PL31 1EG
ENGLAND
Telephone: Bodmin (0208) 2810.

Nominal rolls

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.

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.

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

Historical books online

  • Four Years' Service in India by John Ryder 1853 Google Books. The author was in India 1846-1849. (This title has been reprinted subsequently by Leonaur Publishing as A Leicestershire Soldier in the Second Sikh War: Recollections of a Corporal of the 32nd Regiment of Foot in India 1848-49.)
  • Historical Records of the 32nd (Cornwall) Light Infantry now the 1st Battalion Duke of Cornwall’s L.I., compiled by Colonel G C Swiney 1893 Archive.org
  • "Notes on the History and Services of the Thirty-Second Regiment" Colburn's United Service Magazine and Naval and Military Journal. Sections relating to the Indian Mutiny are in 1880 Parts 2 and 3, and 1881 Part 1, as follows:
Page 290, from 1880 Part 2; page 114, page 218, page 299 from 1880 Part 3, page 23 from 1881, Part 1. Archive.org and HathiTrust Digital Library.
Earlier history is available in earlier pages of 1880 Part 2, and earlier editions of Colburn's United Service Magazine, see Military periodicals online - The United Service Journal and Naval and Military Magazine.
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