Born at Cucklington, near Frome, Somerset, and christened there on the 9th of August 1818, the son of William Syms [sic] and his wife, Johanna, nee Parsons.
His parents were married at Cucklington on the 4th of October 1803, his father having been born there, according to the parish records, "about 1778". On both occasions the family name is shown as "Sims".
See also the record of his brother: 1285 William Sims - 13th Light Dragoons.
Enlisted at Hounslow on the 28th of October 1837.
Age: 20.
Height: 5' 7".
Trade: Labourer.
Appearance: Fair complexion. Grey eyes. Brown hair.
At Scutari General Hospital from the 14th of September 1854 sent to rejoin the regiment on the 10th of November.
Is shown on a nominal roll of officers and men of the regiment at the Cavalry Depot, Scutari, made out on the 9th of November 1855, as being On Duty there from the 4th of November.
From this he did not serve in Eupatoria with the regiment.
Discharged from Hulme Barracks, Manchester, on the 21st of April 1862."Own request, after 24 years service."
Served 24 years 176 days. In Turkey and the Crimea: 2 years.
Aged 44 years 5 months on discharge.
Conduct: "very good." In possession of five Good Conduct badges.
Never entered in the Regimental Defaulters book.
Awarded a pension of 1/1d. per day.
Pension increase awarded on the 22nd of November 1886.
To live in the West London Pension District on discharge.
But he was in Bristol in 1862 and Shrewsbury from the 1st of April 1870 at least till 1875.
Documents confirm the award of the Crimean medal with one clasp and the Long Service and Good Conduct medal.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasp for Sebastopol and the Turkish medal.
Lummis and Wynn state, "No clasps."
A supplementary roll (undated) signed by Major Henry Holden shows him as being issued with the Crimean medal (without clasp) on the 7th of October 1855.
Awarded the Long Service & Good Conduct medal on the 31st of May 1859, with a gratuity of £5.
1871 Census
Atcham Vicarage, Atcham, Salop.
Stephen Sims, 53, married, Coachman & Domestic Servant, born Cucklington.
1881 Census
67, North Street, Shrewsbury.Stephen Sims, aged 62, Railway Servant and Chelsea Pensioner, born Cucklington, Somerset.
Mary Sims, wife, 58, born Yockleton, Shropshire.
Two children are shown: a son, John, aged 30, a Post Office Clerk, and a daughter Caroline, 16, a Pupil Teacher.
1891 Census
Victoria Street, St Mary's, Shrewsbury.
Stephen Sims, 74, retired Army Pensioner, born Cucklington.
Caroline, 26, Certified School Mistress.
In-Pension application held over: "As man is much too ill to travel at the moment" (August 1900).
Extract from the "Broad Arrow " for the 14th of September 1901:
"The death took place at Shrewsbury in his 88th [sic] year, of Trooper Stephen Sims, 13th Light Dragoons, who served with Lord Raglan in the Crimea, and during the latter part of the campaign was Orderly to Lord Harlech."
Extracts from the "Shrewsbury Chronicle" for the 13th of September 1901:
"Death. - SIMS. At Bomere Heath, Shrewsbury, Stephen Sims, aged 83. (Friends will kindly accept this, the only intimation.)"Death of a Shropshire Veteran, - Private Stephen Sims, formerly a Trooper in the 13th Dragoon Guards [sic] (now the 13th Hussars) who served in Lord Cardigan's Brigade in the Crimea, died at Bomere Heath, near Shrewsbury, on Monday last, at the age of 83 [9th of September 1901].
He was one of the oldest Shropshire veterans, and had seen 24 years service. He held the Turkish, Crimean and Long Service medals, and it was his proud boast that he had served under the reign of five sovereigns.
Although he was in the Light Brigade, he was not one of the famous "Six Hundred", being at the base at that time.
He was orderly to Lord Harlech (then a Major in the Dragoon Guards) in the Crimea. Lord Harlech, a year older than Sims, was much attached to his old servant."
Sims was buried in the Shrewsbury General Cemetery, Grave No. 33. 14. E.
There is a photograph of his gravestone (which also commemorates his wife, Mary, who died aged 67 in May 1889, and daughter Caroline, who died aged 78 in December 1943) in the 13th Hussar file.
Census information for 1871 & 1891 kindly provided by Chris Poole.