Born in London c.1834.
Enlisted at London on the 12th of February 1852.
Age: 18.
Height: 5' 8".
Trade: Painter.
From Private to Corporal, 26th of October 1854.
Wounded in action at Balaclava, 25th October 1854, although not shown on the official "Casualty Lists."
Corporal to Sergeant, 2nd of February 1855.
Discharged on the "Reduction of the Regiment and men desirous of quitting the service," from Dublin on the 25th of March 1857.
Served 5 years 41 days. Conduct and character: "good".
He re-enlisted into the 17th Lancers at London on the 22nd of March 1858. His details were then given as:
Regimental No. 302.
Age: 25.
Height: 5' 8".
Trade: Painter.
Fair complexion. Blue eyes. Brown hair.
The muster rolls for the July-September 1858 period show no particular service movement shown during the whole of the period.
Arrived in India to join the regiment on the 8th of October 1858.
From Private to Sergeant, 13th of January 1859.
In action against the rebels at Zeerapore on the 29th of February 1859 and at Baroda on the 1st of January 1859.
Appointed to Troop Sergeant Major on the 5th of June 1859.
Tried by a Regimental Court-martial, reduced to Private on the 16th of January 1865, but was re-instated in the rank of Sergeant on the same day.
Appointed to Troop Sergeant Major on the 2nd of November 1866.
Re-engaged to complete 21 years' service at Heston on the 16th of March 1866. His previous service in the 17th Lancers was allowed to reckon towards pension — vide War Office Authority, dated the 5th of May 1866:
"Absent without leave," 4-7 of February. Tried by a Regtl Court-martial and reduced to Private on the 12th of February 1867.
From Private to Corporal, 23rd of November 1870.
Discharged from Dublin on the 10th of May 1874 "At own request, free, to pension."
Served 21 years 1 day.
In Turkey and the Crimea: 2 years
In India: 6 years 7 months.
Conduct and character: "good".
In possession of four Good Conduct badges.
Aged 41 years on discharge.
He was also in possession of the 2nd Class Certificate of Education.
He is shown on the Regimental "Married roll" from the 10th of January 1861, but was removed from this for "mis-conduct" in December of 1870. At this time he and his wife, Mary, had four children, aged 9, 7, 5 and 3 years.
Documents confirm the award of the Crimean medal with four clasps, the Turkish Medal and the Mutiny medal.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Balaclava. Inkerman, and Sebastopol, and the Turkish medal.
Mutiny medal without clasp.
Member of the Balaclava Commemoration Society in 1879.
To live at the "Railway Works", Dublin on discharge.
He was living in Inchincore, near Dublin, in April of 1881. (The railway work-shops and stores of the G.S.R. were there.) His pension at the time was 1/5d. per day.
The India Office records show him as marrying Mary Ann Badcock at Secunderbad, India, on the 10th of January 1861.
He was then shown as being a bachelor, aged 26 years, and she as a widow, aged 25. His full name was shown as Thomas David Lark and his father as Thomas Lark. Her father was shown as Daniel Kingsley.
Their first child, also Thomas David, was born at Secunderbad on the 16th of November 1861 and christened on the 19th of December by the Revd. H.F. James.
A second child, Louise, was born at Secunderbad on the 13th of June 1863 and baptised on the 14th of July by the Rev. George English.
His wife's first husband was Armourer Sergeant Henry Badcock of the 17th Lancers, who died at Secunderbad on the 9th of November 1860 from "Hepatitis," aged 29 years. He was buried on the following day by the Revd. Thomas A. Pratt. A child born to them, Henry William, died at Secunderbad of "fever" aged 2 years, and was buried there on the 8th of August 1860 by the Revd. J. Ostrehaus, Chaplain.
In an Account and Address Book formerly used by James W. Wightman when Secretary to the Balaclava Society, his name is crossed through as though "Deceased", but there is no indication as to date. The Address column merely shows, "Not known." He does not appear to have ever been sent a copy of the Rule Book and Membership list.