Читать книгу The Fatal Cup: Thomas Griffiths Wainewright and the strange deaths of his relations - John Price Williams - Страница 25

The artistic, dilettante 20-year-old used to fluttering his way around London’s literary salons was now banished to the cold and wet south of Ireland. The regiment had been based for the preceding few months, at Fermoy, a small town on the river Blackwater in County Cork and it had been recruiting hard as it was under-strength.

In its last overseas tour, in Surinam and Barbados, 27 officers and 500 men had died from yellow fever. And the misfortunes had continued. On the way home, the troopship Islam, with a battalion on board, had been wrecked on the Tuskar Rock, off the coast of Ireland, a notorious graveyard for ships. A history of the Regiment says that although only one man, one woman and “some children” were drowned; all the arms, luggage and appointments were lost. The survivors were saved by workmen building a lighthouse on the rock at the time; none too soon, it would seem.

As the new ensign was waiting to be gazetted, having his uniform made, and choosing his sword, the 16th left the barracks at Fermoy, and set sail from nearby Monkstown for Canada. The war with the United States was not two years old and the 16th was being posted to guard the Canadian border against the threat of attack from the south. Wainewright’s first chance of military glory had vanished.

While the regiment was still at sea, he arrived at the huge barracks in Fermoy, the final part of which had been completed a few years previously.

It was the largest military base in the west of Ireland, with accommodation for more than 180 officers, 2,800 other ranks and 152 horses. But

JOHN PRICE WILLIAMS

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