Journey to the Far Side of the World

When William Winder enlisted in September of 1839, part of the 21st regiment was already in India, having arrived there from Tasmania earlier that year.  Additional elements of the regiment followed from Australia during the first half of 1840 (they had been on convict escort duty) while William was settling into the supposedly boring routine of garrison life at Chatham.  At some point that year, William learned that he and others at the depot had been ordered to join the regiment in India.

Although intended to show clipper ship routes, this map gives a sense of the 1840's voyage to India

How did William react to the news?  One British soldier (Donald Featherstone) claimed that Victorian soldiers considered assignment overseas as good news.  Featherstone wrote that all ranks, not just officers anxious for fame and glory, wanted to be on active service, not garrison duty.  This was supposedly because of the boring routine of "home soldiering" with no real "outlet for individual enterprise and responsibility."  Anything William knew about service in India was limited to what he heard from his fellow soldiers.  Human nature being what it is, some of this most likely was intended to impress or scare him with the risks and dangers that lay ahead.  He also probably heard about the less expensive cost of living living as well as the financial opportunities, both legal and otherwise.

Even if William was pleased with the assignment to India, it seems almost certain that as he watched England disappear over the horizon, he wondered if he would ever return.  I had those same doubts when I left for Vietnam in 1971 and, regardless of age or generation, it must be impossible to avoid such feelings.  In William's case, not coming back was more than a possibility since the majority of the British soldiers sent to India never returned to England.  Eventually, however, William needed to turn his attention to adjusting to his temporary new home.

East Indiaman 'Repulse' built about 1820

Although it was temporary, it was a relatively long temporary.  William and his compatriots most likely sailed on a four masted, East Indiaman.  In addition to the slower speed of a wind driven sailing ship, this was prior to the opening of the Suez Canal which made the trip even longer.  Although some travelers to India sailed through the Mediterranean to Egypt and then made a land journey to the next port, most soldiers took the far longer route down the west coast of Africa, around the Cape of Good Hope and across the Indian Ocean.

My father, Hank Zinn, traveled to India in World War II by boat crossing the Atlantic and the Mediterranean to the Suez Canal and Indian Ocean.  That trip over a longer distance, but in an much faster ship took about 35 days including about a week in different ports along the way.  William's journey, on the other hand, took between 100-120 days which meant living in the close confines of the ship for almost one-third of a year. My father kept a diary of his time overseas and in describing the voyage to India, he wrote, "I can't believe there could be so much water."  One can only imagine how William, who had probably never even seen the sea before, must have felt.

East Indiaman 'Prince of Wales' built in 1842 specifically as a troop transport ship

My father also described how once on the ship, he and 150 other men crammed themselves into a compartment of three tiered bunks which he compared to a "sweat box," calling it unbearable.  William, most likely, would have found those quarters luxurious compared to sleeping in hammocks as close together as "fingers on our hands."   At least William had been prepared for tight quarters by his experience in the barracks at Chatham.  As William settled into his small space with a low ceiling, two decks below the surface, he must have been glad, he was under 5'6".

While life in the Chatham barracks prepared him for communal living in very limited space, the constant darkness along with the odor of "putrid bilge water" (don't ask) were new features that took some getting used.  The assault on the eyes and nose was accompanied by challenges for the ears, the "grating noise" of the creaking of the ship's timbers.  All of these negatives became worse in the heat of the tropics, especially if the ship was becalmed which could happen for days on end.  Unlike barracks life, the ship board experience did not include smoke filled rooms as smoking was forbidden because of the fire hazard.  Surprisingly the food was better than in garrison, to the point that most men put on weight during the voyage.

Calcutta about 1850

My father killed a lot of time on his voyage by reading, an option, not available to Williams.  Playing cards and singing were the only other two alternatives described as being available to British soldiers.  To fill some of the time and probably to maintain some sort of discipline, "parade," or mandatory formations were held twice a day, once for health checks and once for muster or attendance.  The health checks were no formality as one of the most feared diseases was cholera which could have a devastating effect on a closely confined, captive population.  It's hard to visualize what William's experience was like - seemingly endless days, nothing on the horizon, but water, increasingly hot and uncomfortable temperatures, little, if anything to do.  He probably thought the voyage would never end.  But finally one day, the ship reached Calcutta - William Winder had arrived in India!

In the Ranks

Upon arrival at the regimental depot at Chatham, William and his fellow recruits were quickly introduced to the realities of army life.  Exchanging their worn and probably ragged civilian clothes for new, uncomfortable and perhaps ill-fitting uniforms removed any lingering doubts about the magnitude of their changed circumstances. Home in this new world consisted of barracks built during the 1790's, small red brick buildings constructed for "internal control," and definitely not for comfort. The forbidding structures were laid out in a square intended to keep soldiers in by controlling access and egress.  The men lived in a large open room where they slept, ate, and smoked.  Smoking was so prevalent that on one occasion, an officer entering a 72' by 36' room holding 48 men, could not see any of them because of the smoke.

Chatham about 1831

Instead of beds, the men slept on thin straw filled mattresses or straw filled wooden "cribs" with all of five inches between sleeping soldiers.  William may have felt the army preferable to the workhouse, but the workhouse inmate was allotted more space as were convicts.  In fact, government regulations allocated soldiers less than one-half of the space provided for convicts.  Reportedly the barracks smelled of pipe clay, damp clothing, lamp oil, dish cloths, soft soap as well as butter and cheese parings, not to mention other things better left unmentioned.  William was probably used to rough, crowded living accommodations, but nothing had prepared him for this.

In that regard, it probably goes without saying that sanitary facilities were primitive so we'll just leave it at that.  Shaving was not a problem as most soldiers wore beards.  What washing did take place was performed at an outside pump or from a communal tub which had other far less hygienic uses.  Such minimal attempts at cleanliness usually took place right after wake up at 5:00 in the summer or 7:00 in the winter before going on duty at 5:30 or 7:30 respectively.  Duty was dominated by "drill," learning individual and unit movements which had practical application in battle.  Initially William and other raw recruits went through the equivalent of basic training which was "rigorous and repetitious" and could last up to six months.

19th Century Military Barracks 

While the primary focus of William's training was how to be a soldier, there was one aspect that was very different from modern military training - the history and tradition of his unit - the 21st Regiment of Foot.  Many British regiments have long and glorious histories going back centuries.  The 21st, for example, was formed in 1678 as the Earl of Man's Regiment of Foot.  Shortly thereafter it was renamed the 21st Scots Fusiliers ( a fusilier is a light musket used only by select units).  The regiment's number signifies its seniority within the army, the lower the number, the older the regiment.

 In its distinguished history prior to 1839, the 21st had served in many wars including the American Revolution and the War of 1812.  In the latter conflict, it had taken part in capturing Washington, D.C., but also suffered defeat at New Orleans at the hands of the American army commanded by Andrew Jackson.  Today over three centuries later, the 21st still exists as the Royal Highland Fusiliers.  Given such long histories, British regiments are in a sense immortal, no matter how often individuals come and go, the regiment lives on.  The scene in the Errol Flynn movie, "They Died With Their Boots On," where they adopt the song "Gary Owen" as their theme song illustrates the point (www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m7RPjQxjmA).  All of this contributed to regimental pride and Esprit de Corps that was passed on to new recruits, both in training and on active duty.

Colors of 21st Regiment of Foot 

Since the discipline and communal living must have been a major culture shock for William, we can only hope he wasn't too let down by how the food and pay differed from the recruiting pitch.  A soldier's daily pay had been increased in 1797 when it reached a shilling a day where it would remain for the next 70 years so William never received a pay raise in his over 22 years of active service.  At 20 shillings to the pound, the pay rate would have equaled just over 18 pounds per year.  However, unlike Union army soldiers who received pay plus food, plus uniforms, plus medical care, a British soldier's pay was "stopped", that is reduced, for a whole range of things including food, medical care and new equipment.  Many new recruits didn't get paid for months until up front expenses, conveniently unmentioned during the recruiting process, were repaid.  The unfairness of the system received some minimal recognition in 1847 when it became mandatory that a solider be paid a minimum of 10 pence per day.

Victorian Army Barracks at Great Yarmouth 

Although soldiers effectively paid for their food, that did little, if anything, for the quality or quantity.  For many years there were only two meals per day, breakfast and dinner (lunch).  Fortunately for William, in 1840, after he enlisted, an evening or tea meal was added.  This was also long before mess halls with full time cooks so soldiers were divided into groups of 12, given food to cook for themselves which they ate at communal tables in the barracks.  Both breakfast and the tea meal (the latter was served about 5:00) consisted of bread with small beer or tea.  Dinner served at noon was a more substantial meal of boiled beef and potatoes, with the quality of the beef sometimes more than a little questionable.  Soldiers, of course, had the option of buying food, that is, if there was anything left of their pay.

One of the many unknowns of William Winder's story is what he knew about the army and army life before taking that fateful step.  Obviously he couldn't read about it so his only source of information was verbal, but it seems doubtful, he knew many soldiers before enlisting.  One thing he most likely didn't know was that about one-third of the army, was serving outside of England, with 29 regiments in India alone.  It's even possible that before enlisting, William had never even heard of India.  But at some point after joining the 21st, William found out that he and the rest of the regiment were about to embark on an ocean voyage half-way around the world to just that very place.

"Taking the Queen's Shilling"

Other than birth, marriage and death, it's hard to say with certainty where any person was on a specific day in Victorian England.  In the case of William Winder, there is at least one other day where we know for sure where he was.  On September 26, 1839, William Winder was in Coventry, England, about 85 miles slightly northwest of Horsley.

Why was William in Coventry?  A laborer, unmarried (as far as we know) and probably unemployed, or at least underemployed, William most likely left Horsley looking for work and followed it wherever he found it.  By the end of September with the harvest nearing an end, William faced the challenge of supporting himself over the winter months.  The step he took was a drastic one - a "game changer" in modern parlance, for on that fateful day, William Winder "took the Queen's shilling" by enlisting in the 21st Regiment of Foot.

To appreciate the magnitude of William's decision, we have to recognize how differently military service was perceived during Victorian times.  First of all, the British army in the 1840's and 1850's was quite small equal to only about 1% of the population so army service was neither a common choice nor a widely shared experience.  Yet at the same time, the army constantly needed men to the tune of 11-12,000 per year due to death, discharge and disability.

Recruiting volunteers was difficult, if for no other reason that enlistment was theoretically for life or, in practice, 25 years.  In addition the public attitude towards the army was a far cry from today or at least what we like to think it is today.  After Napoleon's final defeat in 1815, there was no real threat of invasion and, if there was, the primary responsibilities fell to the navy.  While the navy, however, was pretty much out of sight and, therefore, out of mind, the army was in sight and in minds that were ambivalent about its value.  Although it comes from a later time, Rudyard Kipling' s poem, "Tommy Atkins," speaks eloquently to the issue.

"Yes, makin’ mock o’ uniforms that guard you while you sleep

Is cheaper than them
An’ hustlin’ drunken soldiers when they’re goin’ large a bit

Is five times better business than paradin’ in full kit.

Then it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, ‘ow’s yer soul?”

But it’s “Thin red line of ‘eroes” when the drums begin to roll,
.
Is cheaper than them

It's probably reasonable to say William was typical of the men recruited into the British army at this time. Fairly short at 5' 5/8" with gray eyes and brown hair, his lack of literacy was shared with the majority of his peers.  The army reportedly preferred "respectable docile country lads" and there is no reason to doubt William matched this description.  Certainly like the majority of his fellow privates, he was very familiar with hard work in all kinds of weather and conditions.  Now, however, he would experience not just hard work, but military training and discipline and adventures probably beyond his wildest imagination.The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,

O it’s “Thin red line of ‘eroes” when the drums begin to roll."

"Tommy Atkins" by Rudyard Kipling 

Hard Times - Gloucestershire in the 1830's

The first contemporary evidence we have of William Winder is his enlistment in the 21st Regiment of Foot in September of 1839.  William's military career will be the subject of multiple posts, but for now suffice it to say that young men like William didn't "go for a soldier" if things were going well in their lives.

Horsley in Gloucestershire where William Winder grew up

Although we don't have many facts about this part of William's life, some reasonable conclusions can be drawn from we do know.  Since William had to make his mark, rather than sign his name, on important documents like a marriage certificate, he clearly had little, if any, formal education.  This would be consistent with his stated occupation of laborer.  Given that he lived in rural Gloucestershire, it's probably not too much of a reach to believe he was primarily an agricultural laborer.  Further support can be drawn from the number of people working in that field (sorry!).  In 1851, more than a decade after William joined the army, there were over one million agricultural laborers in England, fully 25% of all males.

Agricultural Laborers in England about 1832

Perhaps not surprisingly, agricultural laboring was also the lowest paid occupation of the time, in spite of being very hard work.  Today we may have a very idyllic view of farming, but agricultural laborers worked long hours in all kinds of weather, especially during the harvest which became a race against time, not to mention "rain, mud and cold."  Working for days in wet clothing frequently led to bronchitis and rheumatism in addition to regular aches and pains (William died of chronic bronchitis).  Typically someone like William would start doing simple farm tasks as a small boy, gradually taking on harder worker as he got older and bigger.

One of the many problems with this occupation was that the agricultural laborer may have learned do his job, but he typically learned nothing else so that many in Victorian society viewed him as little different than the horses he drove or led.

A Hedger and Ditcher - probably what agricultural laborers looked like after many years on the job

As an agricultural laborer, William most likely had a difficult time earning enough to support himself and/or make a contribution to his family's finances.  To make matters worse a severe six year depression began in 1836-37 leading to what has been called the "grimmest period" of the 19th century.  Aged 16-17 at this time, William would have had an increasingly difficult time finding work of any kind.

Gloucestershire harvest note the number of workers including those on the bales at rear

Some outside help was available in earlier economic downturns through "poor laws" which dated back all the way to 1602 in Elizabethan England.  Under these laws assistance for the sick, aged and unemployed was the responsibility of the local parish and paid for by poor rates (taxes) levied upon the local residents.  Relief took the form of cash payments sometimes even to those who were working in order to be sure everyone in the parish had at least a subsistence income.  In the early 1830's, however, a combination of resistance to increasing poor rates and political beliefs in a free market economy led to the New Poor Law of 1832.  Unlike the cash payments of the old poor laws, the New Poor law required institutionalization in workhouses where families were separated and required to live in intentionally harsh conditions with inadequate food.  Simply put the New Poor law (protested by Charles Dickens in Oliver Twist) couldn't deal with increasing numbers of men and women who wanted to work, but couldn't find anyone who would hire them..

The New Poor Law 

Not surprisingly many workers claimed they would rather die than subject themselves and their families to the workhouse.  It's also no wonder that emigration or at least leaving Horsley became a preferable alternative for many.  By 1851 Horsley and neighboring Nailsworth had lost 1/3 of their population.  Some Window families took "advantage" of sponsored emigration programs to Australia and I have been in contact with people there who are very likely our relatives.  William Winder also left Horsley and he too would end up in Asia, but in his case, it would be in India, wearing the red coat of a British soldier.