The Royal Berkshire Regiment

[soxybob]

Hi I am a new member and I am trying to find out when The Royal Berkshire's were stationed in Ireland, I have recently found out that my ancestors had an unbroken record of service in The Royal Berkshires, it would seem that my family, whose name is Boshell came originally from France, and I had always thought that they ended up in Ireland when the French invaded in 1798, however it seems that they went to England from France and that my immediate family,(father, grandfather,) were born in Ballina, Co. Mayo.My greatgrandfather was a Quartermaster Sergeant in The Royal Berkshires I am guessing sometime in the mid 1800's he married my greatgrandmother Bridget McLaughlin but I don't know if that is when the Irish connection was established or if it was before hence trying to find the dates that they were stationed there . Would be very grateful for any information, Thanks, Sheila

[jf42]

Just a note to say that The Royal Berkshire Regiment) only to came into existence in 1885 when The Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Berkshire Regiment) was granted the additional title 'Royal' after the action at Tofrek in the Sudan.

That was only four years after the The Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Berkshire Regiment) was created from the joining of two existing regiments, the 49th (Hertfordshire) Regiment and the 66th (Berkshire) Regiment as a result of far- reaching reforms in the regimental structure of the Infantry in the British army.

All that took place some time after the 'mid-century' references for your ancestors, so those changes in regimental identity may be relevant for your record searches.

Check these references for information on the Irish postings of the 49th , 66th and after 1881 The Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Berkshire Regiment) etc. They are fairly comprehensive.

http://web.archive.org/web/200801130603 ... 49-751.htm

http://web.archive.org/web/200801180435 ... 66-758.htm

http://web.archive.org/web/200712280955 ... 9Berks.htm

[FROGSMILE]

Hi I am a new member and I am trying to find out when The Royal Berkshire's were stationed in Ireland, I have recently found out that my ancestors had an unbroken record of service in The Royal Berkshires, it would seem that my family, whose name is Boshell came originally from France, and I had always thought that they ended up in Ireland when the French invaded in 1798, however it seems that they went to England from France and that my immediate family,(father, grandfather,) were born in Ballina, Co. Mayo.My greatgrandfather was a Quartermaster Sergeant in The Royal Berkshires I am guessing sometime in the mid 1800's he married my greatgrandmother Bridget McLaughlin but I don't know if that is when the Irish connection was established or if it was before hence trying to find the dates that they were stationed there . Would be very grateful for any information, Thanks, Sheila

Hello Sheila,

My fellow forum member, JF42, has given you some excellent information and I am imagining you trying to get your head around what must seem a very complicated string of regimental titles and dates.

Because you mention Berkshire I am guessing that your relative's regiment was perhaps the old 66th Regiment of Foot, as that is the Army unit that had the longest (most continuous) connection with the county of Berkshire (since 1782).

JF42 has given you the links to all the information that you need, but as you might not be familiar with where to look once you open the link, I thought it might be helpful if I summarise the Irish connections of the 66th Regiment. At that time the regiments moved around every 5 to 10 years or so. The following shows the dates when the 66th were in Ireland during the 1800s.

1823 - 1827 Ireland

1843 - 1845 Ireland

1868 - 1870 Ireland

To complicate matters there were also occasions when the regiment's depot (a small HQ and training base) was in Ireland whilst the actual regiment itself was overseas. For example, in 1839 the regiment was in Canada but its depot (and therefore a few of its soldiers and officers) were in Cork.

[soxybob]

Hello JF42 and Frogsmile, Thank you both for your very helpful replies, I will follow this up, and thanks Frogsmile for simplifying the process by giving me dates which will be most helpful Best Wishes, Sheila.

[FROGSMILE]

Hello JF42 and Frogsmile, Thank you both for your very helpful replies, I will follow this up, and thanks Frogsmile for simplifying the process by giving me dates which will be most helpful Best Wishes, Sheila.

I have been able to find some more information that should be useful:

1823.

1 Mar 1823. During Mar 1823, England, Liverpool. Regiment was ordered to Ireland, waiting at Liverpool for two days, bad crossing. The Regiment marched to Cavan from Dublin, with one wing deployed there and one wing deployed to Enniskillen.

1 May 1824. During May 1824, Ireland, Boyle. Headquarters posted here. Three companies were detached to Sligo during the year.

1 Aug 1825. During Aug 1825, Ireland, Athlone. Regiment moved to Athlone, returning to Dublin in October.

1 Jul 1826. During July 1826, Ireland, Birr. Regiment moved to Birr, on to Limerick in December and then to Butterant in April 1827 to prepare for embarkation for Canada. Depot companies formed at Butterant and left behind. During June the rest of Regiment embarked on HMS 'Romsey' and the transport 'Arab'.

1843.

1 Sep 1843. During Sept 1843, Ireland, Belfast. Regiment moved here.

1 Sep 1844. During Sept 1844, Ireland, Dublin. Regiment conveyed here by the steam-vessel 'Alban'.

1 Apr 1845. During Apr 1845, Ireland, Birr. Regiment marched here, with detachments deployed to Tullamore, Shannon Bridge, Bannaghee and Phillipstown.

26 Jun 1845. On 26 June 1845, Ireland, Cork. Service companies marched here.

10 Jul 1845. On 10 July 1845, Ireland, Cork. Regiment sailed to Gibraltar on HMS 'Resistance'. The Depot was left in Birr.

1 Jan 1846. During 1846, Ireland, Castle Clare. Headquarters moved in.

1 Jan 1846. During 1846, Ireland, Fermoy. Headquarters moved in.

1 Jan 1847. During 1847, Depot left Ireland and moved to Channel Islands.

26 July 1848. On 26 July 1848, Ireland. Regiment sailed for the West Indies.

1868.

1 Apr 1868. During Apr 1868, Ireland. Regiment moved here by sea.

1 Apr 1868. During Apr 1868, Ireland, Kingstown. Regiment landed here and marched to Dublin.

1 May 1868. During May 1868, Ireland, Dublin. Quartered at Ship Street Barracks.

1 Oct 1868. During Oct 1868, Ireland, Dublin. Moved to Richmond Barracks.

1 Nov 1868. During Nov 1868, Ireland, County Wexford. Detachments sent here to keep order at elections.

1 Feb 1869. During Feb 1869, Ireland, The Curragh. Regiment moved here another (sic).

1 Nov 1869. During Nov 1869, Ireland. Another turn of election duty.

1 Jan 1870. During Jan 1870, Ireland, The Curragh. Orders received to move to India.

17 Feb 1870. On 17 Feb 1870, Ireland. The Regiment embarked on the troopships 'Serapis' and 'Crocodile'. These they left at Alexandria and re-embarked at Suez on the 'Jumna' and 'Malebar'

[soxybob]

Hello Frogsmile, wow! thanks so much for this information looking at the places listed I think my best bet will be the Sligo posting as Ballina is on the border of Sligo, indeed I believe it used to come under Sligo and then became part of Mayo. I am very excited about this whole thing as, until literally a few weeks ago when I visited Ballina after many years I had absolutely no idea that my family were such illustrious members of the military, although I do vaguely remember my father saying that his grandfather's(that would be Quartermaster Sergeant Joseph Boshell) favourite song was Soldiers of the King, which at the time I thought was an odd choice for an Irishman! I have found a lot of information about other members of my family Major F.S. Boshell who was Quartermaster in the Regiment during W.W.1 and was awarded the D.S.O.and M.C. and his son Colonel Frankie Boshell, who was commanding officer of the Regiment from 1963 to 65 and was awarded the D.S.O. during W.W.2 and also an M.B.E. and C.B.E. but I am not sure of their relationship to me, maybe great uncles but until I can find out more about my great grandfather I won't know I do know that Major Boshell followed his father and grandfather into the Regiment so it is a family tradition that goes back a long way. I am going to Wiltshire on the 25th July to The Wardrobe to look at items that belong to the family I know there are a lot of War Diary entries mentioning Major Boshell and also a sword which is engraved with the name Boshell so the assistant curator is very kindly going to show me these plus other items that are not on display so I am very much looking forward to this. I am immensely proud to have such heroic and honourable men as ancestors and will pass this on to my children and grandchildren again, many thanks and hope I haven't rambled on too much! Sheila.

[Mark A. Reid]

Hello Sheila;

Congratulations on starting to research your family's illustrious military career!

I have nothing to add to Frogsmile's comprehensive report but wondered if you were aware that a Michael Bosheel ( variously spelt ) enlisted in Dublin in 1832 and spent the next 24 years in the 3rd Bn. 60th Rifles, retiring as a Quartermaster Sergt. No doubt because of his position he was allotted Regimental Number 1. When he was discharged he was 42 years of age and gave his civilian trade as Farrier.

Probably not an ancestor but I thought it an uncommon surname and worthy of mention. Good luck with the research, I'm sure you will have lots of fun!

Cheers,

Mark

[soxybob]

Hello Mark, Thanks for your mail actually I was very interested as I know my great great grandfathers name was Micheal Boshell so there is a strong possibility that it could be him I will look into it further , Thanks again, Sheila

[FROGSMILE]

Hello Frogsmile, wow! thanks so much for this information looking at the places listed I think my best bet will be the Sligo posting as Ballina is on the border of Sligo, indeed I believe it used to come under Sligo and then became part of Mayo. I am very excited about this whole thing as, until literally a few weeks ago when I visited Ballina after many years I had absolutely no idea that my family were such illustrious members of the military, although I do vaguely remember my father saying that his grandfather's(that would be Quartermaster Sergeant Joseph Boshell) favourite song was Soldiers of the King, which at the time I thought was an odd choice for an Irishman! I have found a lot of information about other members of my family Major F.S. Boshell who was Quartermaster in the Regiment during W.W.1 and was awarded the D.S.O.and M.C. and his son Colonel Frankie Boshell, who was commanding officer of the Regiment from 1963 to 65 and was awarded the D.S.O. during W.W.2 and also an M.B.E. and C.B.E. but I am not sure of their relationship to me, maybe great uncles but until I can find out more about my great grandfather I won't know I do know that Major Boshell followed his father and grandfather into the Regiment so it is a family tradition that goes back a long way. I am going to Wiltshire on the 25th July to The Wardrobe to look at items that belong to the family I know there are a lot of War Diary entries mentioning Major Boshell and also a sword which is engraved with the name Boshell so the assistant curator is very kindly going to show me these plus other items that are not on display so I am very much looking forward to this. I am immensely proud to have such heroic and honourable men as ancestors and will pass this on to my children and grandchildren again, many thanks and hope I haven't rambled on too much! Sheila.

I am pleased that I was able to help Sheila. I obtained the information online via the wardrobe's website. They have done a great job in making some of their records available online and in my view have set a benchmark for other museums to follow. You will enjoy your visit I am sure, although sadly there are so many regiments now having to be covered in the museum (through amalgamations), that much of their collection has through necessity to be stored in the backrooms.

The name Boshel is indeed unusual and as you say it is French, I am surmising that they might have been 'emigres' from 'the Terror' (French Revolution) as that would fit with the timeline when the family seem to have arrived in England. There were two significant emigrations from France to England, the first as the result of the wars for Catholic ascendancy over the Protestants, when the French Protestants ("Huguenots") had to flee and then, decades later, the Royalists (and their many supporters) after the revolution.

Your families service with the 66th and then their successors, 2nd Batt Royal Berks, seems epic and I am sure that they will have seen a lot of action between them. I will be interested to hear all that you learn after your visit to the museum.

There were so many valiant Irishmen in the British Army and sadly a lot of their stories have been repressed until now because of the troubles. Pleasingly there is now something of a renaissance beginning and families with British Army connections all over Ireland are taking an interest in their forebears lives and carrying out research and dusting off long hidden away records and artefacts. As part of this many of the old Irish Regiment's Associations are being resurrected and efforts made to collect together hitherto dispersed records and collections in order to create small regimental museums.

You might find this link of interest too: http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Berkshire ... paign.html

[crimea1854]

Sheila

I have had a look on the Find my Past site (FMP) and they have Joseph Boshell's service record. I am certain it's him, because it records his marriage to Bridget on 28 July 1882. He originally enlisted into the 86th at 14, where he gave his birthplace as Newbridge, Kildare. He subsequently bought himself out, and then enlisted into the 49th when 19 1/2. What is interesting is the Sgt who signed his papers was a Thomas Boshell, far too much of a coincidence! He subsequently transferred into the 13th Regt, seeing active service against the Zulus in 1879.

FMP also has the service papers of Thomas Boshell 49th Regt, who was born in St John's, Canada in 1844.

Both the above have additional service, and perhaps more importantly family information.

Martin

[soxybob]

Martin, what can I say? you are a star! thank you so much,it is almost certainly my great grandfather, I will go onto the site and check it out , thanks again this is great news for me Very Best Wishes, Sheila

[FROGSMILE]

Brilliant stuff again Martin and you have turned the trail on its head a little, as of course this means that his and the families only association with Berkshire was after the 49th retitling in 1881 and he was not even serving with the regiment by that time.

This means that as he was a 49th soldier his unit was associated with Hertfordshire from 1782 and his uniform was scarlet with green facings.

His original unit was an Irish Regiment, the 86th (Royal County Down), who were in Ireland from 1821 until 1827 and 1840 to 1842.

His next unit, the 49th, were in Ireland from 1845 to 1851 and then again from 1864 to 1865. I wonder if the former date was when he transferred?

He presumably ended up in the 1st Battalion of the 13th (after 1881 Somerset Light Infantry) as they went to South Africa in 1874 and did not return to England until after the close of the Zulu war fighting in 1879.

The 49th were not in Canada in 1844 so presumably Thomas Boshel's parents were associated with yet another regiment, unless perhaps the paternal line was French Canadian?

If someone can list the timelines that Joseph was in each regiment I will endevour to list where he served.

[crimea1854]

Sheila

I don't know if you have delved further into the records available on FMP, but having now had a look at the Army BDM index there is listed the birth of Thomas (1844) shown to a soldier in the 60th (Kings Own Royal Rifles) - GRO Regimental Birth Indices Vol. 1076 page 8. Having checked what regiments were in Canada in this time period I can confirm the the 2nd Battalion 60th were there. Unfortunately you would have to order the actual certificate to perhaps confirm his parents names. However, having looked again at the available service records, there is a Michael Boshell (born Dublin 1814) serving with the 60th who was in Canada, but no dates for this service are given.

It might be that I am constructing a completely fictitious family from those records that are available, but certainly worthy of further research.

Martin

[soxybob]

Hi Martin, I have tried looking of FMP but it's telling me there are no records for Joseph Boshell I don't want to pay out if there is no information, but, knowing me I am doing it wrong, regarding Micheal Boshell, I believe that is my greatgreat grandfather, father of Joseph, the time period would be about right, however both Micheal and Joseph are common names, however Boshell isn't some information I have from a cousin is that Micheal married Margaret Walshe and hey had at least 4 children and now I look I can see that apart from Joseph, there is Thomas, so it would appear that they are brothers, that is if it is the same Thomas Boshell who was a sergeant. I will buy credits and see if it will maybe come up with more information, but I think this must be my family as the name is uncommon. Thanks so much for your ongoing help without you and Frogsmile I would be completely at sea .Sheila

[FROGSMILE]

Brilliant stuff again Martin and as Sheila says the Michael Boshell you found seems likely to be the same man referred to by Mark Reid above. Presumably he must have served with both 2nd and 3rd 60th.

Sheila you really do have connections with some really elite regiments! You have rifle green, scarlet and khaki flowing through your veins. No wonder your ggf favourite song was "Soldiers of the Queen". I sense that they were all proud to have taken the shilling of the Queen Empress of an Empire on which the sun never set.