The Soldier's Return

After Goojerat, William Winder spent another five years in India with the 29th, but, as far as we know, he was never in combat again.  For the rest of 1849, the regiment remained in the Punjab at Wazirabad, probably to help discourage any Sikhs with second thoughts about accepting British rule.  After that came two years at Meerut, during which time, William spent three months in the hospital.  Then beginning in 1852, the regiment gradually moved eastward, basically retracing William's journey when he first joined the 29th.

Wazirabad, Punjab

For the first quarter of 1852, the 29th was at Cawnpore before moving to Dinapore (one of William's first stations in India) where it remained through the end of 1853.  As 1854 began William was once again on the move, but this time he was not with the regiment.  William was now in transit to Calcutta, his point of arrival in 1840, for the long ocean voyage to England.  On March 9, 1854, William Winder left India forever, and began a return journey the majority of his peers never made.

Cawnpore, India 

The exact date of William's arrival in England is unknown, but he was granted his "free discharge" (free meaning William was not entitled to a pension) on July 20, 1854, indicating the voyage probably took about four months.  All told William had served almost 15 years in the army, close to 14 of which had been in India.  Why William left India and the army is a mystery as his 1854 discharge papers have not survived.   Perhaps it was because of his health as indicated by his numerous hospital stays, although illness was the common experience of British soldiers in India.  Maybe he simply had had enough of both India and the army and wanted to come home.

Assuming it was fully William's choice, it wasn't the most prudent financial decision since he was about six years short of earning a pension which, as we shall see, was of no small importance.  Most likely William was discharged at the depot in Chatham where he began his military service, leaving the barracks in a cheap suit of civilian clothing, a final "gift" from the government.   Where William went after that is also unknown although it is probably reasonable to believe he returned to Horsley at least briefly.  Coming back after almost 15 years of little or no contact with anyone in Horsley and then just showing up one day without prior warning made for a different kind of reunion than subsequent generations experienced on return from military service.  Another British soldier after a lengthy tenure in India, met his father in the local pub, bought him several rounds of drinks, but wasn't recognized until he said, "Well then father, so you do not know me."

Badge of the 80th Regiment (Staffordshire Volunteers)

Information about William's family is so limited, it is impossible even to speculate about what family members he would have found in Horsley, assuming he actually went there.  Certainly the local economy hadn't improved and may have been worse.  One thing is for sure, whatever William did between July 20, 1854 and May 19, 1855, he didn't find it more attractive than military service.  On the latter date, in Portsmouth, William re-enlisted in the army, this time in the 80th regiment (Staffordshire), receiving in the process a bounty or bonus of 8 pounds (about six months pay).

Portsmouth Harbor

The following year, the 80th was off to South Africa and then to India to help put down the Sepoy Rebellion, but William stayed behind in England.  While it is speculative, an India veteran staying behind with, as we shall see, some unusual assignments suggests he may have re-enlisted under some special terms or conditions (official or unofficial).  The mid 1850's was a period when the British army was badly in need of men because of the Crimean War and the Sepoy Rebellion so it's not impossible the authorities were willing to make special arrangements for a veteran soldier with a good record and, perhaps, health problems.  Using someone like William for depot duty in England could conceivably free up other soldiers for duty overseas.

Aldershot, England 

However it happened, William remained in Portsmouth until the end of 1855 when he moved to Aldershot where new permanent barracks had just been built.  According to muster records, William was there through June 30 of 1856, the crucial period in Winder family history when James Ricketts (Winder) was conceived.  While William's role, if any, is unclear, there is no doubt of the identity of James' mother so we now need to turn our attention to a young woman from Worcestershire, named Mary Ricketts