2839 Sergeant John WEAVER joined the 61st (South Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot on 30 Oct 1848, aged 14 10/12 in Jullundur (now Jalandhar) in the Punjab.
His regimental records confirm he was born in Bromsgrove, and his age at enlistment and discharge confirm that he was born in December 1833.
Neither he, his father, John WEAVER, or brother, Joseph, appear in the 1841 census suggesting that they had already left England. His mother had died in 1837.
His father was also a soldier, originally in the 41st Foot, and later in the 61st Foot.
John joined the regiment as an underage Private, probably at the request of his father during the Second Anglo-Sikh War of 1848-49 in which the 61st were involved.
Three years later he was made Drummer and started accruing pay and pension credits. He was promoted to Corporal in December 1857 at the end of the Indian Mutiny and his involvement in the Siege of Delhi. He was awarded the Indian Mutiny Medal with the Delhi clasp2 which his father was also awarded. However his father was injured during that conflict and was sent back to England in 1858 and discharged from the regiment.
From India the regiment moved to Mauritius in 1859 for a year before returning to England. He was promoted to Sergeant in December 1859. There followed garrison duties in the Channel Islands and Ireland. In October 1866 the regiment arrived in Bermuda to garrison the Imperial fortress where they stayed until 1870. They then moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia. His record suggests that he only stayed in Bermuda and Canada for 1 year and 10 months, returning home early, perhaps due to ill-health or depot responsibilities.
In 1871 he was back in the Channel Islands living in St Peter Port with a detachment of the 61st Foot.
In 1872 the regiment returned from Canada to Ireland and John was formerly discharged in Enniskillen for medical reasons. At his discharge on 28 Nov 1872 he had served for 20 years and 292 days and was 38 11/12 years old. He had "phthisis" (tuberculosis) and "syphilis but not intemperence".
His conduct was described as very good. As well as the Indian Mutiny medal he held 4 other good conduct medals and multiple good conduct badges.
He was 5ft 8ins tall, of fresh complexion with light blue eyes and brown hair. He had no scars.
Sergeant John WEAVER died in Kings Norton in June 1875, 3 years after his discharge and 1 year before his father.
