Genealogy Forum UK

Ancestry found a military attestation record dated 2 Feb 1867 for my great-grandfather Joseph Brooks (b1846) - I attach part of it. I can't find any other military record for Joseph. Two questions:

1. What does the "Attestation" actually mean?
2. Where else could I look to find if he really did any military service?

Thanks for any help you can supply!

The Attestation was a statement made by a recruit on joining up.

The attestation (which you don't seem to have attached) usually gives the regiment that the recruit joined. You can check out that regiment's history by searching online. Some of those regiments carry quite detailed service info.
The following decades census records may show if he was still in the services.

I've found a pension record for my great-grandfather (attached, highlighted) but I can't decipher the corps name - could anyone help?

He appears to have spent 2 years 9 months in Bermuda - lucky old Joseph?

I' can't make much sense out of the other columns

Commissariat?

I agree, commissariat, the part of an army responsible for supplying food & equipment, but I think the Bermuda service applies to the previous entry. I think your man's service was in India, South Africa & Egypt.
I can't read the image but it looks lke there is a wealth of info regarding which corps he was in and for how long which might help you work out how long he was abroad.

Thanks for your help.India, South Africa and Egypt!! What a globe-trotter!

Two years 9 months sounds an odd period - any thoughts on this?

Unfortunately, a rather blurry image is all I've got. Once the lockdown ends I'll make a trip to the National Archives to see the original document

Free access at national archives while we're all on lockdown, let is know if you find anything. Good luck
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

It's difficult without being able to read the document but I think he might have been either travelling to or back from India. The Suez canal didn't officially open 'til 1869 so ships had to go round the Cape to get to India, the journey took around 6 months so some of that service would have been travelling. Another option was to take a ship to Alexandria in Egypt then overland to the Red Sea before embarking again to cross to India. As a member of the commissariat & Transport Corps he may not have gone direct to India (or back to England) which might explain service in Egypt or South Africa.

Thanks for that SRD - makes sense

Hi Garry,

Can you give the birthplace of Joseph Brookes?

Was he from around Whitechapel, Middlesex and his father's name was David?

Your Joseph was in the Army Service Corps (Transport Corps),

He left the Army 1883 to reside at 11, St James's Avn, Farnham.

I'm very confident that I've found Joseph's military papers but need you to confirm the above details.

He fought in the Zulu war of 1879 and Egypt 1882, not the front line but supplying the troops with essential items.

I hope this helps.
Adrian

Hi,

The Corp was Commissariat and Transport Department.

I may be able to also clear up a few things from the document you posted.

He didn't serve in Bermuda or India and you need to really look carefully at these documents because they can be very misleading, trust me I've found out the hard way.

India was printed on all the soldiers columns probably to save time to write India because majority of soldiers were posted there and if you check you'll see a line against Joseph's India entry. If you check previous soldiers records a number is added to India to show how many years. The Bermuda entry is for the soldier above Joseph and only numbers are inserted against handwritten South Africa and Egypt.

If the records I've got are correct then your Joseph served:
Home 1867-1878
South Africa 1878-1882
Egypt 1882-1883 Expeditionary Force
Home-Discharged

Regards
Adrian

Hi,

James L Dalton was the same Rank as Joseph and served with the same Corps during the Zulu War and fought at Rorkes Drift winning the VC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Langley_Dalton

Hi Adrian

Apologies for my being rather slow in replying here, and thanks for some interesting information about Joseph Brooks, my great-grandfather.

He was born 4 JUN 1846, Clerkenwell, London. His father was Daniel Brooks, his mother Anne Brooks, nee Banks

The 1881 census lists Joseph as a wine porter living with his wife and 4 children, born approx. 1868, 1872, 1878 and 1880. If this is correct, surely he can't have been in South Africa 1878?

This is the first time I've seen an Army Pensions record and it looks rather blurry on screen, so I've not found making sense of it easy.

Garry

Hi Garry,

The Joseph Brookes that you posted was the one that served in South Africa and Egypt being awarded the Zulu (with clasp) 1878-1879 and Egypt with bronze star medals respectively. On his enlistment papers, he original enlisted with the Army Service Corps and was given the Number 238 before joining the Commissariat and Transport Department re-assigned number 4190. The number 238 corresponds to the Joseph Brookes that you posted.

He served in the Corp from 1867 until 1883 and wasn't married during his service according to his military records.

Are you sure this is your Relation?

I found the Joseph Brookes you posted on the 1871 census at the army barracks in Farnham, Sussex and his place of birth Whitechapel aged 25 and unmarried. He can't be your relation, can he? Joseph Brookes is a common name, maybe you got mixed up?

Regards
Adrian

apowell wrote:Hi Garry,

The Joseph Brookes that you posted was the one that served in South Africa and Egypt being awarded the Zulu (with clasp) 1878-1879 and Egypt with bronze star medals respectively. On his enlistment papers, he original enlisted with the Army Service Corps and was given the Number 238 before joining the Commissariat and Transport Department re-assigned number 4190. The number 238 corresponds to the Joseph Brookes that you posted.

He served in the Corp from 1867 until 1883 and wasn't married during his service according to his military records.

Are you sure this is your Relation?

I found the Joseph Brookes you posted on the 1871 census at the army barracks in Farnham, Sussex and his place of birth Whitechapel aged 25 and unmarried. He can't be your relation, can he? Joseph Brookes is a common name, maybe you got mixed up?

Regards
Adrian

Mine is Joseph Brooks without an "e", but I know mis-spellings were common with my surname. I'll investigate further shortly.