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6027 Sergeant Major
DAVID W. STEWART
Royal Engineers  

by  

Lieutenant Colonel Edward De Santis, MSCE, P.E., MInstRE
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(April 2022, revised from 1999)  

Figure 1.  Cap Badge of the Corps of Royal Engineers (Victorian)
(Image courtesy of Wikipedia)  

1. INTRODUCTION

            The original research for Sergeant Major Stewart’s medal was done in 1999.  Since then additional information has been located on the internet regarding his life and military service.  The majority of the information contained herein was taken from his military service papers (WO 97/1856) which fortunately had survived at the then Public Records Office, now The National Archives.  Unfortunately these records contained only his discharge papers; therefore, much information regarding his family and specific information regarding his postings was not included.  Because of the unavailability of his actual service papers, some guesswork had to be applied to his date and place of birth and to the probable dates that he was posted from location to another.  It is the author’s hope that this guesswork has not gone too far astray and has not led to invalid assumptions.  Where such assumptions have been made they will be discussed in detail.  

2. EARLY LIFE AND ENLISTMENT

Early Life

                According to his Medical History contained in his discharge papers, Stewart was 23 years old when he enlisted in the Royal Engineers in March of 1859.  At that time he claimed that he had been born in the Parish of Letham in the County of Perth.  If this information is accurate, he would have been born in 1836.  When he was discharged in 1880 he made and signed a declaration indicating that he had been born in Letham, in the County of Perth and that he was 42 years old.  This declaration would indicate that he was born in 1838.  In the same declaration he stated that he had been 21 years old on his date of enlistment in 1859, again making his year of birth 1838.  During the early Victorian period it was not unusual for soldiers to not know their dates and places of birth exactly.  Apparently the clerks and officials who administered his discharge did not recognize these discrepancies.    

            Using the information above a search was made for David W. Stewart on Ancestry.com.  No family tree could be found for him, however the 1891 Scotland Census did provide some interesting information regarding a David W. Stewart that may very well apply to the subject of this research. 

1891 Scotland Census

            Comparing the information in the census with Sergeant Major Stewart’s discharge papers, we can make the following observations:

(1)   If the David W. Stewart in the table above was 52 years old in 1891, he would have been born about 1839.  This date compares favorably with the years of birth obtained from Sergeant Major Stewart’s discharge papers; that is, 1836 to 1838. 

(2)   The census indicates that Stewart had been born in Letham, Forfarshire.  In his military records he indicated that he had been born in Letham, Perthsire.  Forfarshire (now Angus) and Perthshire are adjacent to one another.  Could the town of Letham have been in Forfarshire in 1839?

(3)   In the census Stewart’s occupation is shown as Clerk of Works.  Stewart served as a Military Foreman of Works in the Royal Engineers Establishment for Engineer Services (E.E.S.).  That position would have made him well qualified for the Clerk of Works position with the Prison Commission.

            The three items of comparison listed above make it reasonably likely that the David W. Stewart in the 1891 Scotland Census is Sergeant Major David W. Stewart, R.E.

            Looking further on Ancestry.com for information regarding David W. Stewart uncovered him in the 1881 Scotland Census as a lodger living in the household of one David Anderson.  He is shown as being 43 years of age and working as a Clerk of Works for the Prison Commission of Scotland.  Presumably he was unmarried at the time.  How and when he met his wife Maria is unknown.  Since Stewart had never served on Malta they may have met in the U.K.

3. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

            On the date of his enlistment Stewart was given a medical examination.  He was described as having a fair complexion, brown hair and blue eyes.  His chest measurement was 36 inches and his muscular development was described as good.  On the day of his medical examination Stewart’s pulse was 72 beats per minute and his respiration 18 inspirations per minute.  The examining doctor noted that he had no small pox marks on his body and that he had been vaccinated, as evidenced by three vaccination marks on his left arm, nevertheless, he was re-vaccinated after his enlistment.  Stewart was determined to be fit for general military service and for service in the Corps of Royal Engineers.

4.  ENLISTMENT AND TRAINING  

Enlistment

            Stewart was enlisted in the Royal Engineers on 31 March 1859 at Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, Scotland.  Since he had been a Mason in civil life he was especially welcomed into the Corps since Mason was one of the Corps Trades.   On 1 April 1859 David Stewart attested for service in the Royal Engineers.  He was assigned Regimental Number 6027 and the rank of Sapper, and was sent to Brompton Barracks at Chatham, Kent for his period of recruit training as an engineer soldier.

Training

             Sapper Stewart’s training began with the basics that were required for each man to learn to be a soldier.  This involved military customs, the wearing of his uniform and insignia, military discipline and the use, and the care and maintenance of his weapon.    Following a period of basic training, Foster then received the training necessary to make him an engineer soldier.  This involved such field engineering subjects as tunnelling, trenching bridging and other skills necessary to support the cavalry, infantry and artillery in the field.  

5.  POSTINGS, ASSIGNMENTS AND CAMPAIGN SERVICE

Service at Shorncliffe (1860 - 1862)

            After about a year in training at Chatham, Sapper Stewart was assigned to duties at Shorncliffe Camp near Dover.  It is believed that he had been posted to the 34^th (Service) Company as will be explained below.[2]  He was promoted to the rank of 2nd Corporal on 1 April 1861.  On 10 June 1861 Stewart was admitted to hospital at Shorncliffe with a fever resulting from an unknown infection.  After treatment, he was released back to duty on 27 June.  He continued to serve in England for about six more months before being posted to service overseas. 

Service in Bermuda (1862 - 1867)

            Although his service papers do not indicate his unit of assignment it is most likely that he served with the 34^th (Service) Company.  This company was formed at Chatham between July of 1858 and September of 1859.  The service companies were originally organized at Chatham to serve in the role of depot companies.   

            On 21 November 1859 the 34^th (Service) Company arrived at Shorncliffe and served there until 30 September 1861 when it returned to Chatham.  The company sailed for Bermuda from England on 12 November 1861 and arrived on the island of Bermuda 7 December 1861.  The company and remained there until 15 May 1867 when it sailed for Halifax, Nova Scotia after having served on Bermuda for 5 years and 119 days. 

            On 1 April 1862 Stewart was awarded Good Conduct Pay at the rate of 1.d. per day.  Shortly thereafter, on 1 October 1862, he was promoted to the rank of Corporal.

            The effects of climate took their toll on many men assigned to Bermuda and other tropical stations in the 19th century.  In those days Bermuda was not the tropical paradise and vacation spot that it is today.  The soldiers were normally accommodated in barracks, which for the Eastern Military district that included St. George's Parish were at St. George's Garrison, on Barrack Hill above St. George's Town. Although a thousand miles north of the West Indies, fast mail boats periodically introduced yellow fever to the British colony which caused various epidemics there during the course of the 19^th century.  Although the spread of the disease would be stopped by the cold winters, it would be introduced again periodically.  The Royal Navy and British Army personnel assigned to the North America and West Indies Station's main base and the Bermuda Garrison, respectively, suffered far higher death rates from the infection than did the civil populace.   As this was deemed partly due to being accommodated in crowded, poorly-ventilated barracks, the practice of moving soldiers into tent camps during the warmest months was adopted. In the Eastern Military District, the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers shared a tent camp at Tucker's Town, on Bermuda's Main Island while the infantry had its own at Ferry Reach.[3]

            Stewart was stricken with yellow fever and hospitalized on 20 August 1864.  He was fortunate to have recovered from this potentially deadly disease and was released back to duty on 12 September.  He continued his duties on Bermuda and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant on 1 February 1866.

Service in Canada (1867 - 1868)

            Sergeant Stewart proceeded directly to a new posting in Canada after having served for a total of 5 years and 119 days in Bermuda.  He arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 13 February 1867.  Since the 34^th (Service) Company sailed from Bermuda on 15 May 1867 and if Stewart had been with the company on Bermuda, then he could have been a member of an advanced party sent to Canada to await the arrival of the remainder of the company in May.  It also is possible that Sergeant Stewart had been posted to Canada as an individual replacement for another unit already there.  As Halifax was a seacoast town, it is probable that Stewart was posted to a fortress company there.  The most likely company for him to have served in at Halifax would have been the 5^th Company, which had served there from 15 May 1867 to 24 December 1868, a period of 1 year, 7 months and 10 days.

            On 1 April 1867 Sergeant Stewart became eligible for Good Conduct Pay at the rate of 2.d.[4] and on 4 July 1868 he re-engaged at Halifax to complete 11 years and 270 days with the Colours.  After serving a total of 1 year and 144 days in Canada, Sergeant Stewart was posted home.  Based on his discharge papers he left Halifax about 76 days prior to the 5^th Company departing Canada.

Home Service (1868 - 1880)

            Sergeant Stewart arrived in England in September of 1868 and was immediately posted to Chatham, where he was assigned to the 38th Field Company, Royal Engineers.  After a short stay in Chatham, he was posted to Ireland to serve under the Commander Royal Engineers (C.R.E.) Belfast.  This posting put him into what would become known as the Establishment for Engineer Service (E.E.S.), establishment in the Royal Engineers responsible for construction and maintenance of garrison facilities.

            On 26 July 1869 Sergeant Stewart was appointed a probationary Military Foreman of Works.  This rank was a rank associated exclusively with the E.E.S.  Stewart became eligible for Good Conduct Pay at the rate of 3.d. per day on 1 April 1871 and was promoted to the rank of Quartermaster Sergeant and appointed to the position of 2^nd Class Military Foreman of Works on 5 March 1872.  He then became eligible for Good Conduct Pay at the rate of 4.d. on 1 April 1875. 

            In April of 1877 Quartermaster Sergeant Stewart completed 18 years of service with the Colours and became eligible to receive the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.[5]  He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant Major on 6 May 1878 and became eligible for Good Conduct Pay at the rate of 5.d. on 1 April 1880.

            At this point it is of interest to summarize Stewart’s military service with regard to promotions and Good Conduct Pay to understand what an outstanding soldier he must have been in the eyes of his superiors.  The following table is helpful in this regard.

            It should be noted that Stewart became eligible for each increment of Good Conduct Pay on the anniversary of his enlistment.  Such consistency over a 21-year period indicates that he had absolutely no infractions of any kind on his record with regard to conduct.

6.  RELEASE FROM SERVICE

            Sergeant Major Stewart’s total service with the Royal Engineers was reckoned as shown in the tables below.   Upon completing 21 years of service in April of 1880, he claimed discharge upon termination of his second period of limited engagement.  This request was probably a disappointment to his superiors, as a senior non-commissioned officer of his quality would have readily been granted permission to serve beyond 21 years if he chose to do so.  On 23 July 1880 a Regimental Discharge Board convened at Belfast to consider his request.  The Board consisted of the following three officers of the 16th (Bedfordshire) Regiment of Foot:[6]      

Board President:         Captain W.H. Young

Board Member:           Lieutenant Laurence Carrington Grubbe

Board Member:           Lieutenant Charles Edward Stuckey Lean

            On the day the Board convened, Sergeant Major Stewart had served 21 years and 119 days with the Colours.  He had served abroad for 6 years and 263 days.  The Board noted that he had never been tried by court-martial and that his name had never been entered in the Regimental Defaulters’ Book.  His conduct and character during his career were described as “very good.”

            Stewart’s service papers showed that he was in possession of one Good Conduct Badge which he had earned before being promoted to the rank of Sergeant.  Furthermore, he would have received a total of five Good Conduct Badges had he not been promoted to the rank of Sergeant.  He was also in possession of the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal and a First Class Certificate of Education.

            As he prepared to leave the Army, Sergeant Major Stewart’s commanding officer, Colonel R.H. Strotherd, R.E.,[7] Commander Royal Engineers in Belfast, had this to say about him:

“Habits and conduct in the service most satisfactory.  Thoroughly temperate and trustworthy & zealous in the performance of his duties.”

            Colonel Strotherd reviewed and approved the proceedings of the Discharge Board at Belfast on 24 July 1880.  Stewart’s discharge was finally approved at the Headquarters of the Irish Command in Dublin on 10 August 1880.  On this date Stewart’s final service was reckoned at 21 years and 132 days. 

            At the time of his discharge he was described as being 42 years of age, his discharge papers indicating that he had been 21 years of age when he enlisted.  This information is in conflict with his enlistment papers which indicate that he was 23 years of age when he joined the Army.  Stewart’s further description on discharge indicates that he was 5 feet 6 inches tall, with a fresh complexion, blue eyes and brown hair.  His distinguishing marks or scars included a cicatrix[8] on the left arm and a large scar on the right breast.

            The Military History Sheet is missing from his service papers, so there is no information available about whether he was married or had any children.

NOTE:  The dates of each posting should be considered to be approximate as some have been not been verified by his service papers.  His total service and the periods of his service at home and abroad are accurate as they were taken from his discharge papers.

7. MEDALS, AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

            Sergeant Major Stewart had no active war service and therefore was not eligible for any campaign medals.  He did receive the Long Service and Good Conduct medal for his more than 21 years of service.  His medal is named to him on the rim at the time that he was a Quartermaster Sergeant.  The naming is in upper case letters as indicated here:  

6027. Q^RM^R S^GT D.STEWART, R^L ENGINEERS  

Figure 2.  The Long Service and Good Conduct Medal of Sergeant Major David W. Stewart, R.E.
(Photograph from the author’s collection)

8. POST SERVICE LIFE

            Sergeant Major Stewart indicated at the time of his discharge that his intended place of residence was to be 130 Great Georges Street in Edinburgh, Scotland.  As of 2022 there is no such address to be found on Google Earth.  There is a George Street in Edinburgh but not a Great Georges Street.  Street names might have been changed in the intervening 142 years since Stewart left the Army.  The building shown in the figure below is the structure that currently exists at 130 George Street in Edinburgh.  It appears to be a structure that could have existed in 1880.

Figure 3.  130 George Street, Edinburgh.
(Photograph courtesy of Google Earth)  

            After leaving the Army Stewart took a position with the Prison Commission in Edinburgh as a Clerk of Works.  A Clerk of Works is employed by an architect or a client on a construction site. The role is primarily to represent the interests of the client in regard to ensuring that the quality of both materials and workmanship are in accordance with the design information such as specification and engineering drawings, in addition to recognized quality standards.  Clerks of Works were often employed from the most highly qualified non-commissioned tradesmen in the Royal Engineers after they left the Army.  Stewart certainly would have qualified for such a position.  The qualification could be held in one of three specialties: electrical, mechanical and construction.  It is most likely that Stewart would have qualified in the construction specialty. 

            The Prison Commission in Scotland was a public body of the Government of the United Kingdom established in 1877.  It was responsible for the operation of what is now the Scottish Prison Service.  Since Stewart became a Clerk of Works for the commission in about 1880 he got in on the ground floor after its formation and probably was one of the first Clerk of Works employed. 

            Since Stewart was living and presumably working in Edinburgh in 1881 it is possible the he may have worked at the Calton Jail.  The Calton Jail, as it was then known, was once the largest prison in Scotland. It opened in 1817 and towered over the surrounding area, a great, hulking Victorian edifice that looked a lot like a fortress. So much so, that it was said to have confused 19th-century visitors to the city, who thought it was the famous Edinburgh Castle.

Figure 4.  Calton Jail.
(Image courtesy of edinburghlive)  

9.       MARRIAGE, FAMILY AND PERSONAL INFORMATION

Parents  

            No information could be found regarding David W. Stewart’s parents.  Information of this type normally is obtained from family trees on web sites such as Ancestry.com.  Searches were made but no information was found.

Marriage  

            According to the 1891 Scotland Census, David W. Stewart was married to a Maltese woman named Maria (maiden name unknown).  As indicated in the narrative no specific date could be found for Stewart’s marriage.  He was discharged from the Army in 1880 and was found to be residing as a boarder with a family at 16 Breadalbane Terrace in Edinburgh in 1881 while working as a Clerk of Works for the Prison Commission of Scotland.  It was assumed at this time that he was a bachelor. 

Figure 5.  Breadalbane Terrace, Edinburgh.
(Photograph courtesy of Google Earth)  

NOTE:  Figure 5 above shows a row of houses on Breadalbane Terrance in Edinburgh.  Number 13, the Anderson house where Stewart was living as a boarder in 1881, is the house with the fourth dormered window in from the street.

Children  

            Stewart’s eldest daughter, Flora H. Stewart, was six years old in 1891 according to the Scotland Census, thereby making her year of birth 1885.  No specific information regarding Flora could be found on Ancestry.com.  It may be assumed, based on Flora’s date of birth, that David and Maria were married between 1881 and 1884.

            The Stewards youngest daughter, Maria L. Stewart, was 4 year old in 1891 according to the Scotland Census, thereby making her year of birth 1887.  No specific information regarding Maria could be found on Ancestry.com.  

Siblings

            Since no family tree was found for David W. Stewart, no information regarding his siblings, if any, could be located.

REFERENCES:

Books  

1.  CONOLLY, T.W.J.  Roll of Officers of the Corps of Royal Engineers From 1660 to 1898.  The Royal Engineers Institute, Chatham, Kent, 1898.  

2.  GRIERSON, J.M.  Scarlet Into Khaki: The British Army on the Eve of the Boer War.  Greenhill Books, London, 1988.  

3.  PORTER, WHITWORTH.  The History of the Corps of Royal Engineers, Volume II.  The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, 1952 (reprint).

4.  SKELLEY, A.R.  The Victorian Army at Home: The Recruitment and Terms and Conditions of the British Regular, 1859-1899.  McGill-Queen’s University Press, Montreal, 1977.  

Census  

1.  1881 Scotland Census: Anderson Family, St. George, Edinburgh.

2.  1891 Scotland Census: David W. Stewart and Family.

Documents  

WO 97/1856.  Soldier’s Service Papers.  Public Record Office, London.  

            a.  W.O. Form 83.  Proceedings of a Regimental Discharge Board.

            b.  Form F.  Medical History.

            c.  Detailed Statement of Services.

Internet Web Sites

1. Edinburghline.

https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/creepy-history-behind-well-known-15474970

2. Google Earth
3. UK, Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensioner Admissions and Discharges, 1715-1925
   

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