John Kneller was born in 1832, and enlisted in the then 23rd Regiment of Foot on the 9.12.1854 at Winchester. He served in the Crimea and was wounded during the siege of Sebastapol and was hospitalised at Scutari for a period of 3 months. Whilst there he often saw Florence Nightengale doing her rounds of the wounded. Due to his wounds which included the lose of an eye he was invalided out of the army in 1856.
At the age of 84 and very frail he was the only Crimean War Veteran to attend her funeral at St. Margaret's Church, East Wellow.
The photo shows him at the graveside.
Re: John Kneller Private 4614 23rd Regiment of Foot
Great story. Have you got a bigger version of the newspaper you could share please?
Al
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Re: John Kneller Private 4614 23rd Regiment of Foot
Al, Sorry no. Have tried but that is the largest I could get it. After that it became indistinguishable, however, perhaps someone on the forum with better computer skills could have a try.
Re: John Kneller Private 4614 23rd Regiment of Foot
a fair amount on google about the story, including a BBC 2010 commemorative piece.
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Re: John Kneller Private 4614 23rd Regiment of Foot
Al, Great that you managed to enlarge the photo. Thanks for the information re sources, will have a look, find it fascinating that despite his wounds, medical services at the time he lived as long as he did.
Re: John Kneller Private 4614 23rd Regiment of Foot
Newspaper accounts show he died in March 1917 and was given a funeral with military honours.
Here are FindMyPast newspaper links. My photoshop skills are also lamentably poor so I can't attach a clip. It is literally a couple of lines saying the above though.
The Mirror must have had a soft spot for him because they also have a photo showing him greeting the OIC of 2nd RWF when they landed back in the UK in Mar 1914 from 17yrs service in India.
What's the date of that Mirror photo in the opener?
An interesting spin off from another account of him greeting 2nd RWF home was a titbit which said that of the men who went out to India in 1896 only six were still with the battalion. Would it be of interest to try and identify them? Barely a few months later the battalion went to France so a starting point would be looking in the Medal Rolls for 2nd Bn men with numbers < roughly 5079 (enl 9 7 1896) or maybe I haven't though it through properly. If of interest I'll start another thread if need be rather than hijack this one?
Re: John Kneller Private 4614 23rd Regiment of Foot
Scrap the last about the six men. They are named on P 332 of Vol 2 RRRWF as
H Yeates of Port Dinorwic (afterwards Lt & Quartermaster
Sgt Major Murphy who went out as a Sgt.
Colout Sgts J Jackson and F Jones who went out as Privates
Lance Corporal Wilton
Priate R Williams
(6 Sgts and 327 Rank & File had been transferred from the 2nd Bn to the 1st Bn when they met in Malta a few weeks before. I suppose they included any 1896 men it would have been mentioned?)
The story of the old boy greeting them is on that page as well but he is named as John Mellor.
Re: John Kneller Private 4614 23rd Regiment of Foot
She died 13.8.1910 and was buried on 20/8/1910. There is a better photograph of him taken from another angle ( From the other side of the open grave ) on www.countyjoe.com/nightingale/funeral.htm. In this article he is said to have been 82 years old.
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