Peter wrote: > > I have just watched part of the repeat programme as I was interested to > know about Grandfather Thorne. > > It seems he joined as a private in the 1870s and in spite of watching > closely when his army career was shown > I could not make out his promotion path! > > I suspect that he was in the Supply & Transport branch - formerly > Commissariat Dept- as he was finally an "Hon" Major > and this title was, as in earlier times, given to men above the rank of > Conductor; as was my Gt.Grandfather a Captain. > > Did anyone with 20/20 vision manage to view the papers please? > The papers presented to Rupert by Rosie Llewellyn-Jones were from the L/MIL/14 series in the India Office Records. They are typical of what may be found for a soldier of this type. He entered service in a regiment of the British Army that was sent to India. Whilst there, he opted for transfer to the "Unattached List" and entered the India Army Commissariat Department. His papers, including his British Army enlistment papers which we were shown, would have been transferred with him. No doubt the rest of his career was set out in some of the other papers, which we were not shown with the exception of those relating to his duty as a Durbar organizer. Much more fascinating were the letters written by Sgt. Major Thomas Johnstone to his wife in Madras, and Johnstone's photo. These were shown to Rupert by the lady historian in Allahabad. There was an implication that she had come across these in some archive in Allahabad. A number of colleagues and I believe that this is most improbable. We agreed that what we saw were photocopies of originals which probably came from the family's own archives, although this was not stated. I am reliably informed that they are not to be found in the Private Papers (formerly European Manuscripts) in the India Office Records. The excellent photo of Johnstone in uniform must have been taken before his death in 1857. The original may well have been an emulsion-on-glass and so what we saw was also a more recent copy. The plot thickens! Good Hunting! Peter Bailey Chairman Families in British India Society www.fibis.org