who might this be 1856 -1861?

[gadlard]

hi All

I've recently inherited via my father, a walking-stick once belonging to my grandfather, henry frederick adlard. this stick has an ornate ivory dog's-head handle below which is an heavy silver ferrule with the family crest & my grandfather's initials 'hfa'. Beneath the ferrule is mounted, with silver pins, a silver plate ca 8cm long with the following cursive engravings:-

st michaels 1856
ascension
west coast of africa
madeira 1857
chatham
woolwich 1858
nottingham
dum dum 1859
singapore 1860
quinhon
hong kong
fu-lien-hwan
pehtang
taku
tientsin
chun-kia-wang
tung chow
pekin
yueng ming yueng
calcutta 1861
ranneegunge

should anyone have any idea to which arm of the forces such a postings list might refer, i would be most grateful for the info. the central key is obviously the china campaign of 1860, even including a presence at the old summer palace, but it would seem to refer to both naval & land actions/postings? this plate cannot refer either to my grandfather himself - since he was only born in 1869- nor his father, who was a merchant businessman in India between 1859 & 1885, nor any other plausible relation on our family trees.
looking forward to some enlightenment, please

regards

graham adlard

[heliwest]

Very Interesting but difficult to resolve. Most of the places are to do with the China campaign which led to the capture of the Taku Forts , the march to Pekin and the burning of the Summer Palace. Yung Ming Yuen refers to the Palace and Chung Kia Wan was a place where there was a confrontation on the way to Pekin. Pehtang is a place on the coast on the Gulf of Pechilli. Dum Dum is now part of Calcutta and was a military area including an arms factory. The reference to West Coast of Africa, Ascension, Singapore and Maderia and Chatham might indicate a RN connection but more probably Royal Marines who did indeed receive the bar to the Taku Forts in 1860. The infantry used to sail in troopers which used to go via the West Indies and then go East to go around the Cape. I doubt if they would have landed at Ascension or gone anywhere near the west Coast of Africa.

[gadlard]

hi Heliwest

many thanks for your observations & comments - will broaden search accordingly!

graham adlard

[crimea1854]

Hi

I have Kevin Asplin's China Medal Roll 1856-60: Royal Navy (including RMs), and Henry F Adlard does not feature I'm afraid. I find the Ascension Island reference interesting, because it was the RN's base of operations for their anti-slavery patrols off the West Coast of Africa.

Martin

[heliwest]

Good point about Ascension. Another avenue might lie in the the fact the both Woolwich and Chatham are mentioned. Woolwich is where Royal Engineers (and Artillery) were trained and Chatham was a base for the Engineers. Another thought is that the plate might indicate a generation beyond grandfather. Anyone who served in the military at that time must have been born in 1840 or thereabouts.

Joe West

[amoaful73]

Hi
I have Kevin Asplin's China Medal Roll 1856-60: Royal Navy (including RMs), and Henry F Adlard does not feature I'm afraid. I find the Ascension Island reference interesting, because it was the RN's base of operations for their anti-slavery patrols off the West Coast of Africa.
Martin

And to complete the job, I have the equivalent China Medal roll for the Army and again no Adlards listed I'm afraid.
Many of those postings do have something of a Navy feel to them, but then again........Nottingham?