Trouble Interpreting Handwriting on Army Service Record

Question

I am currently studying, via FindMyPast, the WO97 British Army Service Record for 2802 Sgt George Bowler, who I think is my Great Great Grandfather. Most is fairly straightforward but the location where he was re-engaged for further service is hard to interpret. I think it could be Adjar, now in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Certainly at this time 80th Regt was serving in India. Can someone take a look and confirm or confound this please?

Comments

Can you post the image on here?  Many of us don't have FindMyPast subscription, so we can't see it.

Is there a profile on wikitree so we can see what dates are appropriate?  There are a lot of George Bowler from England on wikitree. Does family search have the information that we can all see?

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I had trouble posting the image on here (something I must learn to do!) so I have uploaded snips of the document and a photograph to the profile of Bowler-1131.

The biography is very much a work in progress as I have a lot more to add. I just hope the George Bowler of 80th Foot is the same George Bowler I am descended from.

Answer 1

The 80th regiment can be found but need to know what type of regiment.  80th foot is infantry, you also have engineers, cavalry, etc, .Let me know what year you are talking about.  Information on the 80th Foot is long.

80th Foot. 18th century,  80th regiment of foot, ( Staffordshire  Volunteers) 1973. To 1881, It joined with the 38th Foot and became the South Staffordshire regiment.  Today it’s known as the 3rd Battalion Mercian Regiment. Then there is the 80th Regiment of Foot (Royal Edinburg Volunteers). 1778 to 1783, transferred to America in 1881, it surrendered at Yorktown, there is a place to get names of men in a regiment  I will look it up will take a few days. But need year, he served. Smith-203576..

Comments

Thank you Alfred for your reply. I had found out a little more about George Bowler and confirmed he was in 80th Regiment of Foot (Staffordshire Volunteers) having joined on 23 June 1848, his 16th birthday. During his time with the regiment the majority of George's service (15 years 10 months) was overseas. 1 year 4 months at Cape of Good Hope (now South Africa) and 14 years 6 months in East India. During his service in India the regiment was involved in putting down the "Indian Mutiny" (1857-59) and the "Bhutan War" of 1864-65. He was awarded the "Indian Mutiny Medal, 1857-1859".

His trade is difficult to read from his WO 97, (see https://www.wikitree.com/photo/png/Bowler-1131-2) it might be Kornet(sp) or Hornist, either of which would suggest he was a musician. The photograph I have, which I believe to be of him, has a white tunic and a glengarry. Musicians usually wore tunics of the regiment's facing colour with red facings, and the 80th wore glengarries, although they were not a Scottish regiment.