John Tourish

Hello Everyone

I joined this forum as I have been spending over a year researching into my Mother's Great Grandfather John Tourish and am still unable to find inforamtion about him.

He was a private in the 2/23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers. I have no idea when he enrolled, but I do know that he died of wounds recieved at the battle of Amoaful in the Ashantee wars. He took a gunshot wound to the neck on 31 Jan 1874 and died at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Netley Hampshire on 15th April 1874. He had travelled back from the Gold Coast on the Vitcor Emmanuel, arriving on 11th April 1874.

I know he was living in Barracks at Gillingham, Chatham, Kent on 31st January 1871, as that is on my Great Grandmother's birth certificate. He is not in the barracks in the 1871 census. He was married to Ann Jones from Brecon, but I have no idea when or where. His second daughter was born in Oldcastle, Ireland on 17th Jan 1873.

I believe he was born about 1841, and by the name maybe in Ireland, but again I cannot find any evidence.

Please, can anyone help me as to where I can look for more information. Where might he have been in 1871? I see there are a few 2/23rd in the barracks. Did privates live in the town? If I can find a census with his name on then I might be able to trace when and where he was born.

My mother is 91 now and I would love to find this information for her.

Regards and thanks in advance:smileicon:

Lesley

1013 Pte John Tourish was 33 years of age when he died from his wounds at Netley in April 1874. So that would tie in with your view of his birth in 1841. In 1861 he was in Malta with the Regiment. I don't have books to hand at the moment. These but dates spring to mind :
1863 in Gibraltar
1866 in Canada
1867 in England
1872 in Ireland
I am pretty sure the Battalion were in Gillingham, Kent in 1871 - but need to check.

Have you tried tracking him through the muster rolls at the National Archives?

From Regimental Records: Voll 11. I can confirm that the 2^nd Battalion RWF, landed at Portsmouth and proceeded to Newport, Monmouthshire on 29^th October 1867.
1868, remained at Newport. May 14^th 1869 Moved to Aldershot. 24^th March 1870 proceeded to Chatham. 2^nd Aug 1871 proceeded to Woolwich with a Company at Windsor Castle. 12 Aug 1872 proceeded to Blandford for manoeuvres, 13 September 1872 embark at Portsmouth for Ireland.
Glyn

Many thanks for this. It certainly fits in with when the daughters were born.

Lesley

There is no record of him that I can find in the National Archives, but thank you.
Lesley