Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, Victoria small letter reverse awarded to Private C. Wadey, 1st Battalion, 11th Regiment of Foot, who had previously seen service in India during the Indian Mutiny with the 54th Regiment of Foot. He would receive the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal for 18 years service whilst in Jubbulpore, India.
Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, Victoria small letter reverse; (1604 PTE. C. WADEY. 1-11TH FOOT.)
Condition: Good Very Fine
Caleb Wadey, a labourer of Horsham, Sussex was born about 1836 and attested for the 54th Regiment of Foot on 3rd October 1857. Aged 21yo, he was 6ft tall with a fair complexion, light hair and hazel eyes, and was paid a bounty of £1 10s. He sailed for India on 12th January 1858 on a voyage that took almost four months. Caleb served most of his time with the 54th Foot in India, including service in the Indian Mutiny for which he was awarded a Mutiny Medal with no bar.
After the 54th returned to England he completed his initial 10 years service, and at Manchester re-engaged for a further period of 11 years, and transferred to the 1st Battalion of the 11th Foot on 4th January 1867. The 1/11th was in India at this time and Caleb probably joined them with a draft of 92 men which arrived in Calcutta via the Cape on 5th 1868. The Battalion had been based at Faizabad for five years and moved to Morar Gwalior, 140 miles west of Cawnpur, in November 1869. There was much boredom for those stationed in India, and although Caleb did not overindulge, the C-in-C India, Lord Napier of Magdala, in his January 1871 inspection found ‘a will drilled smart set up battalion’, but at the same time observed that ‘the returns’ of the battalion showed the existence of too much crime, more especially that of drunkenness.’ During the next few years the battalion improved its previous shortcomings, and maintained a high standard of shooting.
In January 1873, the Battalion moved by march and train to Subathu where they remained for a year. In November of the following year they undertook a ten week 748 mile march to Jubbulpore – a combination of flag-march and training session. There in 1876 Caleb would receive his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal for 18 years service and the battalion remained until repatriation. They sailed for home in the Jumna departing on 13th March 1877 and arrived in Plymouth, via the Suez Canal, exactly one month to the day later.
After 21 years with the colours Caleb retired on 29th October 1878 when his 1s 1d Chelsea out-pension commenced, and he became an in-pensioner on 1st September 1907, one of only four admitted that year. Caleb Wadey died of chronic bronchitis in Chelsea Hospital on 29th December 1913, aged 76 years, and was buried on New Years Day 1914.
