21st Regiment of Foot (Service 1841-1848)

55th Regiment of Foot (Service 1848-1856)

During the time that James spent in the army the postings of his regiment are firstly with the 21st Regiment.

From 1839 they were in India and 1845 we know that the regiment was based in Kamptee in India, where a military cantonment had been founded in 1821.

This town is close to Nagpur in the state of Maharastra and 1846 they fought in Agra (near the Taj Mahal).

This battle was part of the First Anglo-Sikh War 1845-1846. This would tie in with his nearly seven years in the East Indies. Whether he was just in India is not clear at this stage.

In 1848 they were recorded as being in Scotland and it is at the end of that year that he was transferred to the 55th Regiment.

We know that the 55th Regiment was stationed in Ireland from 1846 during the Irish problem and he probably went straight there on transfer. He got married in Dublin in the middle of 1849.

In 1851 it appears they were stationed in England and in Ireland again in 1853. Although as the second son James was born in 1855 in London it seems likely that the family had settled in London prior to his posting to Ireland

In 1854 they were in Turkey and the following year in the Crimean. On the internet I have found that James Bussicott (army number 2629) was wounded in action in the Crimean War on 8th September 1855. He was wounded in the final assault of the Great Redan which was one of the fortresses guarding the city of Sebastopol by the Black Sea.

Again if you’re not a historian read more about the Crimean War 1853-1856 and about the Great Redan.

In 1856 the regiment was in Gibraltar and James spent 3 months there before moving back to England where he was discharged due to eye problems after thirty years in the army.

He continued to live in London and had an additional 6 children in addition to William and James. So his eyes weren’t causing him a trouble in that regard.