On 25 Mar 2008 at 19:56, Peter Booth wrote: > Would anyone know the eligibility requirements for an army pension > > around 1850? > > Would there be an age requirement, perhaps 70 and a service > requirement > of maybe 20 years or so? Would it be open to enlisted men or just > officers? Pensions for private soldiers (or 'other ranks' but not 'enlisted men') were not automatic merely for service, but only available, after application, to men who were injured or otherwise unfit for further military work because of their army service. Applications made (many in the class WO97 filed at the National Archives) detailed the man's career and the nature of his service and injuries. There is a name index to this class (made by the Friends of the PRO and available from them or at TNA) Some similar applications fall into other WO classes. Officers tended to go on half-pay when they retired from active service. Some men (single or widowed) were actually accommodated in the Cheslea Military Hospital (residental, not medical) and their details are similarly in WO97. One of these Chelsea Pensioners stated firmly that his qualification for admission (in the C20) was '17 years of undetected crime'. In fact, his career had been an exemplary and dazzling one/