Lieutenant in the 24th and Scots Guard, looking for history

[Will M]

Sir Thomas Leigh Hare, 1st Bt. gained the rank of Lieutenant in the service of the Scots Guards.3 He gained the rank of Lieutenant in the service of the 24th Regiment.3 He fought in the Zulu War in 1879.3 He fought in the Egyptian Expedition in 1882.3 He fought in the Suakim Expedition in 1885.3 From 24 July 1886, his married name became Cathcart. He held the office of High Sheriff of Norfolk in 1889.3 He held the office of Member of Parliament (M.P.) for South-West Norfolk between 1892 and 1906.3 He gained the rank of Major and Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel in the service of the P.W.O. Norfolk, Royal Field Artillery.3 He fought in the Boer War in 1901.3 In 1905 Member, Royal Victorian Order (M.V.O.).

Hello, I am looking for specific information in regards to Thomas Leigh Hare. He has fought in several wars and I am trying to find written information about his exploits in the wars. I would like to find specific mention of him during these times and I have yet to acquire a photo of him. I am most interested in him because of a Scots Guard sword I have that bears his initials. I have had help to research the sword and it is definately his, he most likely had it with him during the wars.

With my poor research skills, any help is greatly appreciated.

[Currie]

Hello Will,

His military career etc can be traced through the pages of the London Gazette.

“Thomas Leigh Hare”
http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/ ... st/start=1
“T L Hare”
http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/ ... st/start=1
“Thomas L Hare”
http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/ ... st/start=1

Movements of various regiments of the British Army can be traced via regiments.org now existing only at the Internet Archive. http://web.archive.org/web/200706290430 ... /index.htm

The Bury and Norwich Post, and Suffolk Standard, Tuesday, May 19, 1891, has a biography as at the time he was entering politics.

MR. THOMAS LEIGH HARE, the now accepted Conservative candidate for South-West Norfolk, the seat which Mr. W. A. Tyssen-Amherst, M. P., will vacate at the General Election, is an ex-military man. Born in 1859, he joined the Prince of Wales's Own Norfolk Artillery Militia at the age of nineteen, and was sent out to serve in the Zulu war the following year. Transferred to the 1st Battalion of the Scots Guards in 1881, he was despatched to Ireland in the winter of that year, the mission of his regiment and the Coldstream Guards being to preserve order at Dublin. A year later Mr. Hare went with the Scots Guards to Egypt, and was in the thick of the fight at Tel-el-Kebir, and three years later, at Suakin. At the end of the campaign he left the service, and settled down in Norfolk to the life of a country gentleman. Mr. Hare last year served his county in the office of high sheriff, and is now both a magistrate and a deputy lieutenant.

“Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage” 1914, Page 954, has details of medals etc. (viewable in full only in US it seems – there may be minor errors in text) http://books.google.com.au/books?id=Pf8 ... CC0Q6AEwAA

Sir Thomas Leigh Hare, 1st Bart., M.V.O., of Stow Hall, Stow Bardolph, Norfolk, J.P. and D.L., High Sheriff 1889, lord of the manor of Stow Bardolph, M.P. for S.W. Norfolk 1892-1906, Major and Hon. Lieut.-Col. (General Reserve of Officers) late P.W.O. Norfolk R.F.A., formerly Lieut. 24th Regt. and Scots Guards, served in Zulu War 1879 (medal with clasp), with Egyptian Exped. 1882 (medal with clasp and bronze star), with Suakim Exped. 1885 (clasp), and in S. African War 1901 (medal with two clasps), b. 4 April, 1859; m. 24 July, 1886, • Lady Ida Cathcart, dau. of the late Alan Frederick, 3rd Earl Cathcart, and has issue,
• Dorothy Ida Leigh, b. 6 Oct. 1887; m. 6 Jan. 1909, Charles Wilbraham John Howard, late lieut. R.N., son of Capt. J. H. Howard, R.N., and has issue (see • Carlisle, B.)
Sir Thomas Leigh Hare was created a baronet 21 Dec. 1905.
Creation—21 Dec. 1905.
Arms—Gu. two bars or. a chief indented of the second, a bordure wary also or. Crest— A demi lion arg. ducallr gorged or, debruised by a bendlet sinister wavy gu.
Seat—Stow Hall, near Downham Market, Norfolk.

No luck with a photograph, and not much specific to his exploits, but hope there’s something new there.

Alan

[Will M]

Thank-you Alan, great info, I had some basic info but this expands what I know. Thanks for the links, they will come in very helpful. Would be great to find his medals, but am I hoping for too much?

[Montrose Budie]

In the military records section http://www.findmypast.co.uk has a Boer War record for a Thomas Leigh HARE.

Nothing else that I can see which could mean that his full army records, incl enlistment details and statement of service, were amongst those record lost in a bombing raid in WWII.

As regards the medals, http://thepeerage.com/p8940.htm has good details on the child of his marriage to Lady Ida CATHCART, - Dorothy Ida Leigh HARE b. c 1887, d. 5 Dec 1968.

She married Commander Charles Wilbraham John HOWARD, on 6 January 1909.
Children of Dorothy Ida Leigh HARE and Commander Charles Wilbraham John HOWARD were
Major Geoffrey Charles HOWARD b. 30 Jan 1910
Susan Elizabeth HOWARD b. 12 Apr 1913, d. 2 Nov 1994

You need to trace forward and see if any descendants have the medals.


mb

PS Have you tried contacting the Scots Guards archives at -

Wellington Barracks
Birdcage Walk
LONDON
SW1E 6HQ ?

mb

[19JeSSMoRe85]

That was a fruitful of information. Been searching for swords with a historical basis and finally found the right one. Thanks for the information. I could now finally finish my thesis.

[trish1]

Hello Will

As mentioned above - there could be much information from the Scots Guards in London. I wrote to them (snail mail) but received an email reply shortly after my letter arrived, so if you write include an email address. My man joined in c. 1765 and I think they told me they only had records from c. 1790 onwards (I can't remember the exact date, but it wasn't too long after my man had left the guards)

Trish