Afghanistan Medal; Egypt Medal
We don't know anything about John's family or early life.
He joined the 63rd Regiment of Foot and was given the service number 1421. We don't know when he enlisted or where he served.
The 63rd Regiment played a small part in the Second Afghan War of 1878-80. John was with them in August 1880 when they marched from Sibi in modern Pakistan to try to relieve British forces under siege in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Another force marching south from the Afghan capital Kabul got there first so John will have seen very little fighting. After the end of the war the 63rd Regiment stayed in Kandahar until the British withdrew from Afghanistan in April 1881.
On the 1st July the 63rd Regiment was renamed the 1st Battalion of the Manchester Regiment. They were based in Quetta at the time. By December the 1st Battalion were in Sialkot, still in modern Pakistan, where they would remain until they were ordered to Egypt.
The Anglo-Egyptian War broke out in June 1882 after the pro-British Khedive was deposed. Britain wanted to protect its commercial investments in Egypt, as well as the Suez Canal, which gave access to India. The 1st Battalion was sent to Egypt on the 6th September to join a larger force that had already landed. For this reason they did not see very much fighting. The war ended later that month with the British restoring the Khedive to power, but having much more control over the country.
John's time overseas ended on the 3rd November 1882. He returned to the UK and was stationed at Warley in Essex, and then at the Tower of London for a time. He volunteered to serve with the 2nd Battalion of the Manchester Regiment, and had joined them in Multan, today part of Pakistan, by March 1883.
The rest of John's life is a mystery. As well as his Afghanistan and Egypt Medals, John was also awarded the Khedive's Star for his Army service.
