Hello List Jonathan said: I have a relative who enlisted in the 7th Dragoon Guards for 12 years; at Liverpool in 1885. His service record states that he was discharged by purchase on 20 Dec 1890 at Umballa, India. The 1891 census shows that he was living with his Mother in Yorkshire. I do not find his arrival in the UK passenger arrival lists on Ancestry. Can anyone suggest how he could have returned so quickly. He may have returned in a group of British Army troops, perhaps with a returning regiment, via the Overland route. The FIBIS Fibiwiki page British Army, section "Historical books online" has links to an article called "The New Overland Troop Service to India" from Colburns's United Service Magazine 1867 Part 3, page 226. (Google Books) Cheers Maureen (Sydney)