John McCarthy: Ballyvourney to India - Part 2
- Irish-Welsh Ancestry
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
One of those who survived the Great Hunger was my children’s great-great-grandfather, John McCarthy. He was born around June 1844 in Ballyvourney, Co. Cork. The Ballyvourney baptism register records John McCarthy, son of Owen McCarthy and Ellen Ryan. From later records I do know John had a brother named Denis. I have nothing else on John from the time he was born until he joined the British army.
Enlistment and Training
John McCarthy enlisted into the British Army (65th Foot) on the 13th of February 1866 at
Tralee, Co. Kerry He probably enlisted due to poverty and a lack of employment, a common story for many young Irish men in the decades after the Great Hunger. Regular wages, clothing, and food - however modest - could be more secure than anything available at home. His army records show that he was Soldier Number 1181, a Private in the 65th Foot Brigade. He stood at 5 feet 6 inches tall, with blue eyes and fair hair, and weighed 140 lbs.
The enlistment process for Irish recruits in the 1860s was straightforward. Recruiting Sergeants were a familiar sight across rural Ireland, often setting up in busy streets or outside public houses, their red uniforms and confident manner designed to attract attention. Once a young man presented himself, he would undergo a medical and physical inspection to ensure he was fit for service. If accepted, he signed the attestation papers, swore allegiance to the crown, and was officially taken on as a soldier. For many, the prospect of being paid a shilling a day - small as it was - represented a lifeline in a country where work could be scarce and hunger was never far away.
After enlistment, John was sent to the regiment’s depot to begin his training. For several weeks, life became a rigorous introduction to military discipline: early rises, endless drilling on the parade ground, marching in formation, and learning to handle the rifle with precision. Bayonet practice, guard duty, and instruction in barrack routine were all part of moulding the civilian into a soldier. He would also learn the importance of proper uniform and kit maintenance - a poorly polished boot or loose button could result in punishment.
The training was designed not only to make recruits physically capable, but to reshape their identity. The Army became their home, their regiment a new family. When this initial phase was complete, John was ready to join his battalion for full service, wherever the Empire might send him.
Early Years In The Army
John McCarthy’s army records are sketchy. Medical notes, pay details, disciplinary
entries, and postings are included, although many gaps remain. His medical records present particular challenges: shorthand was used, and euphemisms often disguised certain illnesses. I will do my best to add only those details from his records that I feel confident are accurate.
England and Ireland
In 1866 John and the 65th Foot were in Plymouth, Devon, for a year, then Aldershot, Hampshire. The 65th were ordered to Ireland in 1867. Once in Ireland, John was stationed at several key locations. In Dublin, the bustling capital, he would have been at the heart of military and administrative activity. The Curragh, renowned for its extensive plains, was a major training ground for the army and a site of historic military significance, In Cork, a vital port city, he would have been involved in coastal defence and local garrison duties. Finally, in Kinsale- possibly at the historic Charles Fort, which overlooks the harbour- he would have experienced one of Ireland’s most strategically important military sites, famed for its role in defending against naval attacks. Also, against possible local rebellions.
These Irish postings coincided with a period of heightened alert. The spectre of Fenian
activity weighed heavily on soldiers and officers alike, and garrison towns were under careful surveillance. Troops drilled more frequently, kept watch over transport routes and arsenals, and monitored suspected Fenian gatherings. Everyday military life was shadowed by the possibility of insurrection or attack, making routine duties tense and regimented. Even in relatively peaceful towns, the presence of extra patrols and heightened orders of readiness would have been a constant reminder that political unrest was never far away.
During his service with the 65th Regiment of Foot, John faced a few disciplinary issues. On one occasion, he was charged with disgraceful behaviour, and on several others, with breaking out of barracks.
In the British Army of the 1860’s such charges were considered breaches of military discipline rather than serious crimes.
Disgraceful conduct referred to behaviour that brought discredit to a soldier’s character or regiment- often involving drunkenness, insubordination, or disorderly behaviour. Breaking out of Barracks meant leaving the barracks without permission, typically after curfew or while under orders to remain confined. These offences could result in confinement to quarters, loss of pay, or, in more serious cases, imprisonment.
India
After serving for several years in Ireland, John and the 65th Regiment of Foot were transferred to India as part of the British Army’s regular overseas rotation. On 11 January 1871, the regiment embarked from Queenstown (now Cobh, Co. Cork ) aboard the troopship H.M.S. Serapis, bound for Bombay (modern-day Mumbai).
The voyage typically took around 60 to 70 days, depending on conditions and coaling stops enroute through the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal, which had opened only two years earlier. There are reports from 1871 of the Serapis encountering difficulties on one of her voyages, including an incident where she reportedly ran aground and had to be towed into Port Said for repairs. However, it is unclear whether this occurred during the same journey carrying the 65th Regiment or on a subsequent voyage later that year. Regardless, such events highlight the hazardous and uncertain nature of long-distance military transport in the Victorian era, even for modern steam-powered troopships.
Agra
After disembarking at Bombay (Mumbai) in the spring of 1871, the 65th Regiment of Foot travelled north to Agra, in the North-Western Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh). Agra , still bearing the scars of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, remained a major British garrison city, strategically located on the route between Delhi and Central India. Its fort, cantonments, and barracks had been rebuilt and modernised in the decade following the uprising, becoming a key base for British infantry, artillery, and administrative units.
The 65th Regiment’s posting in Agra formed part of Britain’s post-mutiny garrison strategy - maintaining a strong British presence in major centres of power across northern India. Agra’s cantonment lay to the south of the city, separated from the areas housing the local Indian population by a wide expanse of open ground. There stood lines of whitewashed barracks, parade grounds, a hospital, officer’s bungalows, and a small church, all shaded by avenues of trees to offer much needed relief from the fierce Indian sun.
On the 29th of November 1871, there was an explosion at the gunpowder magazine factory within Agra Fort, killing around thirty-five Indian workers. The conductor overseeing the work being carried out also died along with a sergeant. The conductor’s young son died in the explosion after entering the building to deliver a note to his father.
To give an insight into the make-up of the soldiers of the 65th Regiment of Foot in India. In a debate in the House of Commons, on the 8th June 1871, questions were asked regarding the age of many soldiers in the 65th that were now in India. The whole number of the Regiment was 919 strong, and of those 579 were privates and non-commissioned officers under 20 years of age. John McCarthy was approximately 27 years old.
One comment on John McCarthy whilst in Agra. John’s Army medical records show that he suffered from Ague on several occasions. Ague was an old military term for malaria. Treatment for this was Trius. Usually a form of cinchona bark, powdered or in syrup form, containing quinine.
After their posting in Agra, John McCarthy and the 65th Regiment of Foot were redeployed to Lucknow and subsequently to Dinapore (modern-day Danapur) in Bengal. These movements were part of the regiment’s strategic deployment across British India, ensuring a military presence in key garrison towns and along major communication and trade routes.
Life in Lucknow and Dinapore
In Lucknow, the regiment was stationed in a city that had recently witnessed the upheavals of the 1857 Rebellion, though by the time of John McCarthy’s service, the British had re-established control. Soldiers lived in barracks or temporary encampments, and the climate—hot summers, monsoon rains, and cooler winters—posed challenges similar to those they had experienced in Agra. Daily routines remained disciplined and structured: soldiers undertook morning and evening drills, musketry practice, guard rotations, and inspections. Maintenance of uniforms, weapons, and personal equipment was a constant duty, as was attendance at parades or ceremonial duties.
Dinapore, located near the Ganges River, served as a key military cantonment and training hub. The barracks were well-established, with separate quarters for officers and enlisted men, parade grounds, and facilities for supplies and equipment. The regiment’s routine there closely followed the pattern from Agra: strict drill schedules, physical training, sentry duty, and occasional exercises simulating battlefield conditions. Off-duty hours were often spent writing letters home, engaging in sports, or socializing with fellow soldiers.
Despite the different surroundings, the regiment’s disciplined schedule and the camaraderie among the men provided structure and stability. The familiarity of their daily routine helped soldiers like John McCarthy adjust to new postings while maintaining readiness for any military operations that might arise.
Army medical notes
John McCarthy’s service papers include a medical entry referring to “dementia.” In nineteenth-century military terminology, this diagnosis did not always carry the same meaning it does today. At the time, dementia was a general term used by army surgeons to describe various forms of mental or neurological disturbance. It could refer to confusion, memory loss, or disorientation brought on by tropical fevers, heat exhaustion, or the lingering effects of malaria and sunstroke — all common afflictions among soldiers serving in India.
Army medical officers often recorded such cases under broad categories, as medical understanding of mental health was still developing. For soldiers like John, years of service in a harsh and unfamiliar climate, frequent illness, poor diet, and separation from home could take a heavy toll on both body and mind.
John’s condition ultimately led to his discharge from the army and his transfer to Netley Hospital in England — a major military hospital established to care for soldiers returning from overseas service. His record of dementia stands as a poignant reminder of the immense strain endured by many ordinary soldiers of the era, whose sacrifices often continued long after the battles had ended.
Netley Hospital in Hampshire, England was officially known as the Royal Victoria Military Hospital. Netley was one of the largest and most advanced military hospitals of the Victorian era. Built to receive soldiers returning from the colonies, it stood on the shore, surrounded by landscaped grounds designed to promote rest and recovery.
At Netley, soldiers suffering from both physical and mental illnesses were treated by military surgeons. The term “mania,” also recorded in John’s file, was used at the time to describe episodes of agitation, restlessness, or emotional disturbance - conditions that might follow severe fever, heatstroke, or exhaustion. Together with the diagnosis of “dementia,” this suggests that John had experienced a serious breakdown in health, likely the result of years of hardship in India’s demanding climate.
The final record I discovered involving John and the British Army was involving his pension.
The Chelsea Board (Pensions) gave a few details of John's health (Dinapore). They stated he served over 8 years in India, hat he suffered with “mania” due to sunstroke, and that his next residence was going to be at Grove Hall, Bow, London. This was to be for a term of 12 months according to the Chelsea Board.
The outlook for John McCarthy making a full recovery and returning to civilian life would not have been certain. According to the ‘32nd Report of the Commissioners in Lunacy to the Lord Chancellor’, published in 1877, John was one of 443 inmates at Grove Hall Asylum, all of whom were categorised as lunatics. Of these men, just six were recorded in the report as being deemed curable.
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