Enlisted at Gloucester on the 14th of April 1844.
Age: 17 years 11 months.
Height: 5' 6".
Trade: None shown.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma and Sebastopol.
Died, "of disease", in the Regimental Hospital on the 14th of October 1854.
A "James" Townsend is recorded on the Crimean War memorial situated outside of the "Queen's Hotel" at Cheltenham. This is almost certainly the same man.
There is a copy of a photograph of this memorial in the 17th Lancer file.