Birth & early life
Enlistment
Service, discharge & pension
Medals & commemorations
Death & burial
1051 William BUSHELL.
Born at Nonington, Kent.
Enlistment details
Enlisted at Canterbury on the 19th of October 1841.
Age: 21.
Height: 5’ 7”.
Trade: Labourer.
Fresh complexion. Grey eyes. Lt. brown hair.
He was shown on a nominal roll of men of the Regiment made out at the Cavalry Depot, Scutari on the 9th of November 1855 as being On Duty there from the 24th of October.
Sent money from the Crimea to his wife, Hannah, “At Stephen Gibson’s, Star Street, Canterbury.”
Invalided from Scutari to England on the 12th of March 1856.
Discharged from Cahir in the 18th of October 1858 as being “Unfit for further service. This man suffers from Epilepsy - resulting from being kicked in the head by a troop horse whilst engaged on duty. He does not appear to have been intoxicated at the time of the accident. The duty engaged in was riding horses on watering duty at Canterbury in 1851. The horse threw him and he was struck on the head by the horse’s hoof. He was taken to the hospital, where he remained for a month. From that time till now he has constantly been having epileptic fits which he never had before. There are several men who saw the accident and know he never suffered from fits before it...”
Served 16 years 58 days. In Turkey and the Crimea, 2 years.,
Conduct, “good.” In possession of three G.C. badges.
Aged 37 years on discharge.
Was awarded a pension of 6d. per day, but this was increased to 9d. per day from the 11th of May 1888.
To live in Canterbury after discharge.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman, Sebastopol and the Turkish medal.
Further information
The 1881 Census Return shows him as living at Horton Cottage, Chartham, Kent, an Agricultural Labourer, aged 59, born at Nonington, Kent, with his wife, Hannah, a Laundress, aged 59, born at Petham, Kent, and a son of 17, also an Agricultutral Labourer and a married daughter Hannah Lane aged 24, born Canterbury and granddaughter Elizabeth aged 6 .
Applied for possible increase of pension but a letter was sent to the Revd. C. Randolph:
“No power, but would encourage application for possible In-Pension status at Chelsea Royal Hospital.” This reply was sent on the 17th of September 1899, but there is no indication if this was taken up.
A Crimean medal with impressed naming was offered by Baldwin’s in April of 1935.
Editor’s note: The GRO records show him as dying aged 80 in the Bridge District (includes Chartham), Kent in the September quarter of 1900.
Photographs & illustrations