1495 Pte Jno Sullivan

Does anyone know of any other biographical details of 1495 Jno Sullivan over and above those given in The Silver Wreath, for example where he attested?

Hi Tasker .
I dont have a copy of ' The Silver Wreath ' but the following is from ' The Noble 24th ' by Norman Holme .

Sullivan , John . 1 /24 / 1495 Private . Transferred from 1 / 14th Regt 1 / 1 / 68 . Served in H Co at St. Helena 1876 -77.
Effects claimed by his mother , brothers and sisters . South Africa Medal with Clasp 77-78-79.
cheers 90th.

Thanks 90th, that is very, very interesting and explains why his place of attestation is not stated. Seems like he must have been an older fellow. The 14th eventually became a Yorkshire titled regiment in 1881, so this is likely to be the location where he attested.
I would guess he was Irish by his name. From the details you have suplied, I reckon i could research his papers at Kew, or ask my favourite researcher to do it, but I would be struggling to spend 7.5K at the moment with the markets the way they are, let alone research a man before buying the medal. I would really love to become custodian of this man's medal however. It would look great in anyone's collection. Are you thinking of it? Can you lend me 5K or go halves with me? In all seriousness, they do seem to be holding their value and it equates roughly to winning it at auction for 6200. I think it is worth that and i reckon that it would be easier to research this man than the average casualty, given that he joined from another regiment and and was an old veteran. Should be a lot more documents relating to him. Might be entitled to other medals too and be present on the medal rolls.

Hi Tasker .

:lol!: . I thought about it but dismissed it just as quickly !. They will ( medals ) hold their value , cant say I've ever heard
of their price dropping . Also as you say Pvt John Sullivan's records and the like would certainly make interesting reading .
cheers 90th.

Click Here

There are NO other personal documents - even at Kew - his enlistment papers would have been destroyed after he was killed in action. You may try looking at the pay & muster rolls (at Kew) for 1/14th for 1868 to find extra information - such as place of enlistment. Obviously you can work out where he was possibly killed at Isandlwana as he was in H Company 1/24th.

Please do not upset me - by using that horrible US abbreviation - Pvt - the British Army always use 'Pte'.

:p;: Hopefullly we'll remember Kenny ! . :p;:
90th

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.][You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]


"Rare and highly desirable Zulu War campaign medal awarded to Private John Sullivan of "H" Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Foot, killed by Zulu warriors at the massacre at Isandlwana, South Africa on January 22, 1879. This example bears the "1877-8-9" clasp above the medal itself. The obverse bears an image of Queen Victoria in profile and reads at edges: "VICTORIA REGINA", while the reverse bears a lion and thistle bush, a native shield at bottom, and the words: "SOUTH AFRICA" at top. The edge of the medal is deeply engraved: "1495. PTE. J. SULLIVAN. 1/24TH FOOT.". The medal, which swivels at top, is complete with its fully-intact ribbon. But for some light accumulated soiling, the medal is in excellent condition. The battle of Isandlwana was the first major encounter in the Anglo-Zulu War, instigated when British troops crossed the Buffalo River into Zululand. Pvt Sullivan was under the command of Capt. George Vaughan Wardell, a Canadian whose company was among the first to cross the boundary. After a skirmish with outlying parties of the enemy, on January 20th the column advanced to the foot of Isandlwana Hill. Two days later, the Zulus attacked in force, using their traditional "horns and chest of the buffalo" tactics. At first the British advanced, then pulled back in an orderly manner until the Zulu right horn punched a hole in the British right flank. Wardell, Sullivan, and their fellow soldier, were at the center of the line and on the fringe of the break-through. Desperate fighting ensued: once flanked, they finally resorted to bayonets until they were annihilated. Of the 1,700 men at Isandlwana, 1,300 were killed - no prisoners were taken".

Source: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I saw a Medal to a KIA at Isandlwana ( Pte Connolly from memory ) Hammer for 9,000 GBP's at the DNW Auction late last week , it was a pre auction bid which was the opening bid , and that's what it went at .
90th
PS
I remember when you could get one for 5,500 - 6k easily enough , and it wasn't that long ago , 3 yrs or so possibly ? .