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10511 Quartermaster Sergeant Instructor
DENNIS HUTTON
Royal Engineers  

Figure 1.  The Crest of the 20^th Company, Royal Engineers.

NOTE: QMSI Dennis Hutton’s Father, Sapper Dennis Hutton, Royal Sappers and Miners, was Serving in this Company in Freemantle Australia when Dennis was Born.

(Image courtesy of Stuart Gase)

by

Lieutenant Colonel Edward De Santis
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(July 2021) 

1.  INTRODUCTION  

            This study was initiated after the author acquired the Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (VR) that was awarded to Quartermaster Sergeant Instructor (QMSI) Dennis Hutton, R.E.  The information provided in this study was obtained from the History of the Corps of Royal Engineers, official Army records (service papers), medal rolls, family trees, and civil documents.  Every effort has been made to make Dutton’s story as accurate as possible given the available resources.

            This is not only the story of QMSI Dennis Hutton.  It also is the story of his father, 462 Sapper Dennis Hutton who served in the Royal Sappers and Miners (later the Royal Engineers) and QMSI Dutton’s three sons: 11011 Corporal Ernest Hutton, R.E., 270301 Sapper Henry J. Hutton, R.E. and Major (Brevet Lieutenant Colonel) Daniel Hutton, O.B.E.  Summaries of their service, or as much as could be found from various sources, also are included in this work.  A tree of the Hutton male lineage may be found in Appendix 1 at the end of this narrative.

2.  EARLY LIFE AND FAMILY INFORMATION  

            Dennis Hutton was born near the town of Freemantle in Western Australia in June of 1856. He was the son of 462 Sapper Dennis Hutton (1829-?) and Mary Hutton, née Jewel (1822-?).  Although nothing is known about his family or his early life in Australia, other than his father’s service there, it is appears that his father had been a British soldier who was serving in Australia at the time of his Dennis’s birth.  Evidence of this can be inferred from the 1861 Census of England (see table below) taken in the town of Brompton showing his father’s occupation as “Engineer.”  Further evidence is shown in the 1871 Census of England taken at the School of Military Engineering, Gillingham, Kent and in the court records associated with his father’s 1875 trial for bigamy.  The records indicate that the elder Dennis Hutton had been serving at Shorncliffe Camp in Kent with the 23^rd Field Company, Royal Engineers in 1861.  He also is listed as a Chelsea Pensioner in 1868 with the rank of Sapper upon his discharge. 

1861 Census of England (RG 9/20)

NOTES:

      (1)   Thought to have been born in Dunbarton.
(2)   Mary Hutton, née Jewel (1822-?).
(3)   Mary Catherine Hutton (1850-?).
(4)   Probably Freemantle, Australia (1854-?).
(5)   Freemantle, Australia (1858-?).
(6)   Emily Kennedy Hutton (1859 - ?).
(7)   The name Willm is not incorrectly spelled.  It appears in a number of census documents for the Hutton family and it is a name known to be used in the United Kingdom.
(8)   Probably Freemantle, Australia.

            The 1871 Census of England provides further information regarding the Hutton family as shown in the table below.

1871 Census of England (RG 10/913)

NOTES:

      (1)   Dennis Hutton is now an officer’s servant, probably a Sapper, and is no longer passing himself off as an “Engineer.”
(2)   Mary Catherine (19), Willm (17) and young Dennis (14) are no longer living with their parents.  Dennis had already joined the Army in 1870 as a Boy Soldier.

3.  PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

            The following is a physical description of Dennis Hutton on his enlistment in the Army in 1870:[1]

 4.  ENLISTMENT  

            Soon after his arrival in England, young Dennis decided to enlist in the Royal Engineers as a Boy Soldier. The fact that he enlisted at Chatham, Kent, the home of the Royal Engineers, provides further evidence that his father was a member of Corps and perhaps prompted his young son to join up. It was not unusual for Victorian soldiers to urge their sons to enlist, and in some instances the youngsters were actually recruited and enlisted by their fathers.

            Dennis was given a medical examination at Chatham by a military surgeon on 21 June 1870 and was considered to be fit for military service.  He was enlisted for service in the Royal Engineers at Brompton Barracks at 2:15 p.m. on 29 June 1870 by Sergeant Major M. Coles, R.E. His enlistment was witnessed by Lance Corporal Henry Lacey, R.E. Dennis agreed to enlist for a period of 12 years and was provided with a free kit, but was given no bounty for joining the Army. The authority for his enlistment was dated Horse Guards, 24 June 1870 and signed by Colonel H.F. Keane,[2] Deputy Adjutant General, Royal Engineers.

            On 1 July 1870 Dennis Hutton took the Oath of Attestation of a Recruit at 3.30 p.m. at Rochester, Kent before Francis Webb, Justice of the Peace for Rochester. His oath was witnessed by Lance Corporal Francis A. Scott, R.E.  On 4 July 1870 he was again vaccinated against smallpox, but according to his medical records this vaccination "failed"; that is, the surgeon considered that the vaccination had been ineffective.

            The preliminary certification of Dennis Hutton's enlistment was made by the Recruiting Service Subdivision Officer at Chatham on 6 July 1870.  On 12 July the Certificate of Commanding Officer was signed giving final approval of his enlistment and attestation. This final approval was given by Colonel H.F. Keane. Hutton's name was duly recorded on the Regimental Register as a Boy Soldier, Regimental Number 10511 and he was assigned to the 27th Company, Royal Engineers.

Figure 2. Colonel Hussey Fane Keane,
Deputy Adjutant General Royal Engineers
(Photograph courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery)  

5.  POSTINGS, ASSIGNMENTS AND CAMPAIGN SERVICE

Service as a Boy Soldier

            Hutton was appointed a Bugler on 1 January 1871 and on 5 January his company arrived at Fort Camden in Cork, Ireland.  The 27th Company was a fortress company. Its mission at Fort Camden was to perform engineering works in support of the defence of Cork Harbour. Typically, his duties while serving as a Bugler with the company may well have included blowing reveille at 0600 hours in the summer months, at 0630 in the winter and at defaulters paraded a quarter of an hour after reveille.  Following shortly before breakfast he may have blown a bugle call and everyone paraded and marched to the cookhouse.  Within an hour the main morning parade took place.  For this he blew a sustained ‘G’ five minutes before parade time, followed by the ‘Fall In’ which brought all the troops on to the parade square at the same time.  Another call summoned the sick to sick parade and yet another call was blown for ‘Orderly Room’.  This was held at 1000 hours if there were any disciplinary cases to be heard by the CO (Saturdays and Sundays excepted).

            The bugle heralded the start and finish of work parties, drill and training sessions; mail distribution once a day; fire alarms and fire drills.  The first appearance of the CO, at 0900 hours, was recognized by the duty bugler, when all personnel on or near the square were brought to attention until dismissed by the CO with a ‘Carry on, please!’  As the duty bugler, he was also in attendance when the main guard was called out by the sentry on post for every call made officially on its services.  In fact, the bugler was used to communicate every instruction of a general nature.  There was a call for everything that was done.  After the ‘Tea” call at, say between 1630 and 1700 hours, the main defaulters parade of the day was held when all those on jankers (defaulter’s punishment) paraded in full marching order.  There was ‘officers dress’ and ‘officers mess’ at 2000 hours followed by the ‘First Post’ at 2130 hours and ‘Last Post’ at 2200 hours.  The main guard turned out and stood with arms presented for the duration of the playing of the Last Post.  Lights out ended the normal round of calls for the day.

            It may have been the practice for the orderly officer to inspect the main guard at odd times during the silent hours so there was little or no respite for him as the duty bugler.  It was a very long and busy day on main guard duty, for a bugler more than anyone.  Erring buglers found guilty of misdemeanors were given additional duty with the main guard.  The company was, in fact, very dependent upon his efficiency for the running of the unit.

            While at Fort Camden, Hutton was admitted to hospital on 19 January 1872 to be treated for a fever associated with a simple cold. He was released from hospital on 27 January after a stay of nine days.  On 8 August 1872 he was required to be re-vaccinated against small pox, since his last vaccination had not been deemed effective. This time the doctor at Fort Camden was satisfied with the "perfect" results of his vaccination.

Service in the Ranks 

            By 31 July 1873 the Army reckoned that Dennis Hutton had probably reached his 17th birthday. Hutton apparently knew that he had been born during the month of June of 1856, but he was unsure of the date. Since his birth date was uncertain, the Army allotted a two month period between 1 June and 31 July to be certain that he was 17 years of age before being admitted to the ranks.  Therefore, it was not until 1 August 1873 that Dennis Hutton officially became 10511 Sapper Dennis Hutton, Royal Engineers.

Chatham (1873 – 1875)

            Hutton was posted from Ireland to England shortly after becoming a Sapper. He arrived at Chatham on 21 August 1873 to take up his new duties which probably involved a period of training in the basic skills of military engineering.   He was awarded Good Conduct Pay at the rate of one penny (1. d.) per day[3] on 1 June 1875 and was promoted to the rank of 2nd Corporal on 24 August 1875.  After a few days short of two years, Hutton was again posted back to Ireland, to the military camp in the Curragh District. It is even probable that he was reassigned to the 27th Company after his period of training at Chatham.

Ireland (1875 – 1881)

            2^nd Corporal Hutton arrived in the Curragh on 31 August 1875. On 1 April 1877 he was promoted to the rank of Corporal.  While in Ireland he met his future wife, Ellen Hinchcliffe of Ballysax, a town in County Kildare, in Leinster Province of eastern Ireland. On 17 September 1878, at the age of 22, Hutton married Ellen Sarah Hinchcliffe in her hometown of Ballysax. It is probable that Ellen was as young as or younger than Dennis at the time of their marriage. They were married without leave; that is, without the formal permission of Hutton's commanding officer.[4] Under these circumstances, Mrs. Hutton was entitled to none of the privileges granted to wives on the Married Rolls.

            Corporal Hutton was authorized Good Conduct Pay at the rate of 2.d. per day on 1 June 1879.  The Hutton's first child, Daniel, was born in Ireland on 7 January 1880.  A little over a year later, on 31 March 1881, Corporal Hutton was promoted to the rank of Sergeant.

            The 1881 Census of England taken about the time of his promotion to Sergeant shows Hutton’s family, less his father, living in Chatham in the household of one William Hoskin as shown in the table below.  

1881 Census of England (RG 11/893)

             It would appear from this census that the Hutton family are living as boarders with the Hoskin family, along with Jemima Sandiland, another boarder.  The elder Dennis Hutton has left the family after his illegal second marriage in 1875, which is described later in this research work.  Mary Hutton is still claiming to be his wife and indicated that he was a Bricklayer.  In fact, when Dennis Hutton was sentenced to prison for bigamy he was shown to be a Plasterer, a trade closely related to Bricklayer.  The elder Dennis Hutton was no longer in the Army at this time and one wonders what his son, Sergeant Dennis Hutton and for that matter all his sons, must have thought of their father’s shameful treatment of his family. 

Chatham (1881 – 1882)

            Sergeant Hutton was again posted to Chatham in 1881, arriving there with his wife and son on 21 June. Shortly after his arrival at Chatham he attended and successfully passed a course of instruction in musketry at Hythe, a training camp on the east coast of England below Folkestone in Kent. On 7 March 1882, under the Army Discipline and Regulation Act of 1879, Sergeant Hutton re-engaged to complete 21 years of service with the Colours.[6]

Aldershot (1882- 1883)         

            Hutton was temporarily posted to Aldershot in the latter part of 1882.   He completed his assignment there and returned to Chatham on 2 November 1882. As it turned out, the date of his arrival home was the day that his wife gave birth to their second son, Henry.

St. Helena (1883 – 1884)

            On 27 February 1883 Sergeant Hutton sailed for St. Helena. He arrived on the island on 10 March 1883.  St. Helena, of course, was Napoleon's place of exile between 1815 and 1821. A volcanic island some 1,200 miles west of the coast of Africa, St. Helena presented a landscape of gorges, valleys, and springs over the greater part of the island, with plains in the northeastern portion. It was a port of call for British shipping during the time of Hutton's assignment there. The Commander Royal Engineers (CRE) on the island was a Lieutenant Colonel, and there was one Lieutenant assigned to handle district work for the improvement of the islands facilities. A Royal Engineers fortress company was normally also assigned to the island. It is most likely that this fortress company is the unit to which Sergeant Hutton was posted. His wife and two sons, in all probability, remained in the U.K.; perhaps in England, but more likely in Ireland with Ellen's relatives.

            While serving on St. Helena, Sergeant Hutton passed a course of instruction in field works. He also served as an assistant instructor for the annual field works course taught to Royal Engineers personnel on the island.

Active Service in South Africa (1884 – 1886)

            Sergeant Hutton was posted to South Africa from St. Helena, arriving in Natal on 16 October 1884.  His arrival there coincided with the buildup of British forces for the Bechuanaland Expedition of 1885, which was commanded by a Royal Engineer, Sir Charles Warren. Sir Charles had previously shown his aptitude for dealing with the native tribes in Griqualand and Bechuanaland, so it was with great approval of the colonists in Natal that he was selected for the purpose of commanding a column to advance rapidly into Bechuanaland to settle the difficulties which had arisen there between the natives and Boer freebooters.

Figure 3.  Sir Charles Warren.
(Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia)  

            The engineer units employed in this campaign included a Balloon Detachment, a Mounted Section of the Telegraph Battalion, the 7th Field Company, and a locally raised Pioneer Regiment. Hutton's records do not show to which unit he was assigned. As he appears to have been trained as a Sapper, without any specialized skills, it is doubtful that he was assigned to the Balloon or Telegraph Sections. The 7th Field Company was sent to South Africa from England and was probably at full strength when it arrived in South Africa. Unless he was assigned as cadre to the locally raised Pioneer Regiment, Sergeant Hutton may have been assigned to the headquarters staff of the Commander Royal Engineers for the expedition, Lieutenant Colonel A.G. Dunford, R.E. This possibility is even more likely when one considers that Sergeant Hutton arrived in Natal in October of 1884, perhaps as a member of an advanced party, while the remainder of the troops did not arrive until two months later. His assignment to the expeditionary force may have also resulted from the fact that Royal Engineers officers, non-commissioned officers and other ranks could more quickly get to South Africa from St. Helena than they could from England.

            The majority of the troops arrived at Cape Town in December of 1884 and were pushed forward as quickly as possible to Langford, where railway communication ended. The advance into Bechuanaland was then made from there. Warren had drawn up the following memorandum before leaving London, which clearly defined the objectives of his expedition:

"The object of this mission and expedition is to remove the filibusters from Bechuanaland, to pacificate the territory, to reinstate the natives in their lands, to take such measures as may be necessary to prevent further depredations, and finally to hold the country until its further destination is known."

The first part of his scheme was quickly accomplished and before long Warren had established his column at Mafeking, a distance of 314 miles from Langford. Warren employed his engineer troops to build forts or redoubts at Barkly, Taungs, Brussels, Vryburg, Groot Choing, and Sitlagoli. Water supply was also provided by the engineers by sinking wells where they were required. A telegraph line was laid as rapidly as the troops marched, and sometimes in advance of the column. After completing the camp at Mafeking, the engineers continued their forward movements to Monopolole, 120 miles north of Mafeking. The telegraph line was carried for 90 miles of that distance. While at Mafeking, the engineers also constructed a Wesleyan Mission there.[7]

            Sergeant Hutton left the Bechuanaland Expedition in April of 1885 and was posted to Cape Town, probably to a staff position, arriving there on the 14th of the month.  Sir Charles Warren's troops were subsequently withdrawn from the Bechuanaland District in July and August of 1885.

            On 1 June 1885, while in Cape Town, Sergeant Hutton became eligible for Good Conduct Pay at 3.d. per day.  On 31 July 1885 his marriage was finally recognized and he was placed on the Married Rolls.  This action was of great benefit to his wife and family as they now were entitled to many benefits and privileges heretofore denied them. On 17 November 1886 Sergeant Hutton sailed for England aboard HMS Pretoria bound for a new posting and a reunion with his wife and children.  While aboard ship he became ill and was treated for a sore throat. He was admitted to sick bay on 3 December and was released on the 5th.

Chatham and Shorncliffe (1886 – 1894)

            Sergeant Hutton reported to Chatham for his new posting on 8 December 1886. In all probability he was assigned to the School of Military Engineering as an Instructor. He was promoted to the rank of Company Sergeant Major on 1 March 1887 and on the 3rd of that month he reported for duty at the Royal Engineer barracks and training facility at Shorncliffe, just west of Folkestone.

            On 23 June 1887 the Hutton's third son, Ernest, was born.  Ellen Hutton now had an infant, a five-year old and a seven-year old to care for. In 1888 Company Sergeant Major Hutton completed 18 years of service with the Colours and was awarded the Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.  On 1 June 1889 he became eligible for Good Conduct Pay at 4.d. per day.  Company Sergeant Major Hutton returned to Chatham on 1 November 1889 and was posted as an instructor to the School of Military Engineering. Shortly after his arrival at Chatham his Medical History was reviewed and verified by Lieutenant Colonel William George Morris, R.E.[8] During the 19 years of service with the Colours, Hutton's health had been extraordinary. He had been in hospital for a total of only 12 days; 9 days as Boy Soldier and 3 days while aboard ship. Her Majesty Queen Victoria certainly got her money's worth from this rather robust Soldier of the Queen.

            On 6 November 1889 Hutton was promoted to the rank of Quartermaster Sergeant Instructor at the School of Military Engineering.  While he enjoyed good health and was being rewarded with a medal and with promotions for his good service, apparently his wife was not as fortunate. Ellen Sarah Hutton died on 7 April 1890 leaving QMSI Hutton with three young sons to care for. Considering that she was probably his age or younger when they got married, Ellen Hutton was probably no more than 34 years old when she died. This was a young age to die even for the late Victorian period.

            Quartermaster Sergeant Instructor Hutton's grief after the death of his wife, and his obligation to care for his sons, did not deter him from continued military service. On 17 April 1891 he was granted permission to continue in service beyond 21 years.[9]  On 15 July of that year he was appointed to the rank of Quartermaster Sergeant.

            Quartermaster Sergeant Hutton soldiered on for three more years and in March of 1894 he gave three months notice of claim for discharge from the Army.  On 1 June 1894 he became eligible for Good Conduct Pay at 5.d. per day and on 30 June he was finally discharged.

6.  RELEASE FROM SERVICE

            Quartermaster Sergeant Hutton's habits during his years of service were described as temperate and his conduct was rated as "very good." He had never been tried by court-martial, nor had his name ever been entered in the Regimental Defaulters Book. He had been a model soldier and non-commissioned officer, with no record of punishment or imprisonment." On the date of his discharge his total service towards his engagement was reckoned at 24 years exactly." The period of time that he served while underage as a Boy Soldier and Bugler, a total of 2 years and 335 days, was not allowed to reckon towards his Good Conduct Pay." During his period of military service he had earned a Second Class Certificate of Education. His assignments at home and abroad included the following:

Station                                     Inclusive Dates

Home                                      1 July 1870 to 26 February 1883

St. Helena                               27 February 1883 to 2 October 1884

South Africa                           3 October 1884 to 8 December 1886

Home                                      9 December 1886 to 30 June 1894

            In 1894 Dennis Hutton returned to "civvy street" with three young sons aged 7, 12 and 14 years. His oldest, Daniel, was the same age as his father was when he enlisted as a Boy Soldier in 1870. Dennis Hutton was only 38 years of age when he was discharged from the Army. He had known nothing but Army life since he was a young boy, and his military service records give no indication of a trade or calling that he could work at as a civilian. Unfortunately there are no records to indicate how this relatively young man with three very young sons was able to make his way in the world at the turn of the century.
 ______________________________________________________________________

            The following sections are presented in tabular form to summarize Quartermaster Sergeant Dennis Hutton’s promotions, appointments, military training and qualifications and the medal that he was awarded during his time in the Army.  They are provided to give the reader easy access to these aspects of his military career.  The tables are followed by sections dealing with his marriage, his family, personal information and post-service life.

__________________________________________________________________________

6.  PROMOTIONS, APPOINTMENTS AND CONDUCT

            Hutton received the following promotions during his time in service:

             Hutton received or was eligible for Good Conduct Pay at the following rates during his time in service:

NOTE: Hutton’s awards were made under the 1876 Rules for the award of Good Conduct Badges and pay.[10]

7.      MILITARY TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS  

Military Training: Dennis Hutton received the following military training during his time in service:

 Qualifications:  Hutton earned the following qualifications during his time in service.

 8.      MEDALS, AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

            Quartermaster Sergeant Instructor Dennis Hutton only medal during his time in service was the Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (VR).[11]  Hutton had served in the Army from 1870 to 1894.  During this period the British Army was engaged in many small wars and campaigns including the Ashanti War (1873-1874), the Zulu War (1877-1879), the Afghanistan War (1878-1880), the war in Egypt and the Sudan (1882-1889), the campaigns in North West Canada (1885) and East and West Africa (1887-1900) and other minor actions.  Hutton took part in none of these wars or campaigns; hence, his only medal entitlement was for the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.[12]

Figure 4.  Quartermaster Sergeant Instructor Dennis Hutton’s
Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.
(Photograph from the author’s collection)  

The medal is named to Hutton in upper case engraved script as follows:  

10511. C^OY SERG^T MAJOR. D. HUTTON R.E.  

NOTE: Hutton was awarded the medal in 1888 while he was a Company Sergeant Major, hence the rank shown on the medal.

9.  MARRIAGE, FAMILY AND PERSONAL INFORMATION

Spouse and Children

            Dennis Hutton and Ellen Sarah Hinchcliffe married in Ireland on 17 September 1878.  Ellen accompanied her husband to Chatham in 1881 and to Aldershot in 1882.  She provided Dennis with three sons before, sadly, she died on 7 April 1890 while Dennis was serving as a Quartermaster Sergeant Instructor at the School of Military Engineering in Chatham.  Summaries of the lives and military service of each son are given below.  

Daniel Hutton (1880 - 1950)

            Daniel was born in Ireland on 7 January 1880.  The 1939 Register of England for the area of Fleet, Hampshire shows Daniel, a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, and his wife Florence living at an address named “Melita.”  Florence’s date of birth in the register is shown as 15 July 1877.

            Daniel had enlisted in the Royal Engineers prior to the start of the Great War of 1914 - 1918 and had risen to the rank of Superintending Clerk (Sergeant Major) by 1916.  He was appointed a Lieutenant Quartermaster on 28 April 1917[13] and was posted to the War Office (A.G.7).  Initially (on 27 May 1919) he was appointed a Staff Captain at the War Office in place of a Lieutenant Colonel W.G.C. Brown, C.B.E.[14] who had died in office.  This posting to the position on the staff normally given to an officer of higher rank is an indication of the efficiency of his service as seen by his superiors.  Following this temporary appointment he rose steadily in the ranks between the wars and was promoted to Captain on 24 April 1925[15] and to Major on 28 April 1932.[16]  In 1938 he was the senior Quartermaster in the Corps of Royal Engineers.[17]   He had already been appointed a Member of the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (M.B.E.) on 2 June 1925 (Birthday Honours).[18]  He retired from the Army just before World War 2 as a Major (Brevet Lieutenant Colonel), M.B.E.  In the New Years Honours List of 1941 he was appointed an Officer of the British Empire (O.B.E.).[19]

            Although he remained at the War Office during all of the years of the Great War, he is shown in the War Services List of 1922 as a Lieutenant Quartermaster (1914-1919), although apparently he had not seen active service during the war.  A Medal Index Card could not be located for him for his service during the war to determine whether he was entitled to the British War Medal or Victory Medal or both medals.

            Daniel Hutton died on 28 February 1950 at his home at “Melita” on Avondale Road in Fleet Hampshire.  The probate of his will took place in London on 6 May 1950 with his effects of £3731-8s-3d (about $166,335 US in 2021 currency) going to his widow, Florence Louisa Hutton.

Henry J. Hutton (1882 - )

            Henry Hutton was born in Curragh Camp, Ireland on 2 November 1882.  He enlisted as a Sapper in the Royal Engineers, Regimental Number 270301.  This number indicates that he may have served in one of the Light Railway Operating Companies, R.E., as numbers in this series were awarded to men who served in these units.[20]  No service papers were found for him, but his Medal Index Card indicates that he was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal as well as the Silver War Badge (SWB).  He may have received the SWB for wounds, injuries from an accident or illness contracted while on active service.

Figure 5.  The Medal Index Card of Ernest Hutton.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com)    

            Unfortunately his MIC does indicate in which theatre of war he served or when he entered that theatre of war.  If he did serve in a Light Railway Operating Company it is most likely that he served in France and Flanders.

            No information could be found regarding Henry Hutton’s life after leaving the Army, nor could his date of death be located.

Ernest Hutton (1887 - ?)

            Ernest Hutton was born at Shorncliffe, Kent on 23 June 1887.  Ernest joined the Royal Engineers as a Boy Soldier on the 15 April 1902 at the age of 14 years and 10 months.  At the time of his enlistment he listed both his brother Daniel and his brother Henry as his next of kin, showing Daniel as a Staff Sergeant, R.E. and Henry as a Sapper, R.E. 

            The following is a summary of Ernest’s military service in the Royal Engineers as taken from his military service papers:

Promotions and Appointments

Attested as a Boy Soldier:      15 April 1902

Appointed Bugler:                  15 March 1903

Awarded 1^st G.C. Badge:       15 April 1904              (Good Conduct Badge)

Posted as a Sapper:                 15 June 1905

Granted Service Pay (7.d):     15 June 1907

Awarded 2^nd G.C. Badge:      15 June 1907

Appointed Lance Corporal:    20 August 1907          (Unpaid)

Appointed Lance Corporal:    11 October 1908         (Paid) (8^th Company)

Promoted 2^nd Corporal:           2 February 1911

Transferred:                             30 September 1911

Transferred:                             10 December 1911      (“H” Depot Company)

Re-engaged:                            8 July 1913                  (To complete 21 years service)
                                                Defence Light Section, Indian Sappers & Miners, Aden

Promoted Corporal:                1 April 1914    (3^rd Sappers and Miners)

Transferred:                             27 September 1914     (“G” Depot Company)

Discharged:                             23 November 1914     (No longer fit for war service)
                                                                                    (Tuberculosis)  

Service at Home and Abroad  

Qualifications  

Third Class Certificate of Education:             December 1902

Second Class Certificate of Education:          7 December 1906

Electrician (Skilled)                                        October 1903

Electrician (Superior)                                      December 1904

Passed class of instruction in Swimming:       September 1905  

Medical History  

31 May 1907 – 4 Jun 1907: Cottonera, Malta (Diarrhea)

6 Apr 1910 – 11 Apr 1910: Cottonera, Malta (Influenza)

17 Apr 1914 – 27 Sep 1914: Station Hospital Aden (Tuberculosis of the lungs)

28 Sep 1914 – 22 Oct 1914: Dilwara, India (Tuberculosis of the lungs)        

            Due to his contracting tuberculosis, a Medical Board was convened to determine if Ernest Hutton could continue to serve in the Army.  At the time that the board was held Hutton was serving with “G” Depot Company at Chatham.  His description at the time of his discharge was noted to be as follows:

                       Hutton’s trade was listed as “Carpenter” on his Army Form B. 268, although he had qualified as a Superior Electrician during his time in the Army.  In Hutton’s Proceedings on Discharge his Commanding Officer does indicate that he was a “skilled carpenter,” so he obviously must have exhibited this skill while serving.

            Ernest indicated that his intended place of residence upon discharge was to be 6 Baden Road in Gillingham, Kent. 

Figure 6.  6 Baden Road, Gillingham, Kent.
(Photograph courtesy of Google Earth)  

            When he was discharged due to his poor health, Hutton’s military character was rated as “Exemplary” and the commander of the Depot Battalion stated that he was a “Superior Electrician & skilled carpenter.  Thoroughly trustworthy & intelligent.  A very good man at his trades & as a non-commissioned officer.  Thoroughly sober.”  He obviously was an excellent junior non-commissioned officers and engineer soldier and it was no doubt with much regret that the board had to find him unfit for further military service because of his tuberculosis.

            The Royal Engineers Medal Roll for the British War Medal shows Ernest Hutton receiving the medal with an entry in red ink next to his name reading as follows: (BWM) Retd 992K CRV 76^B d/11/4/24 8626/Adl.  His name appears on a page of the roll entitled:

ROLL OF INDIVIDUALS entitled to the Victory Medal and/or British War Medal granted under Army Order 266 of 1919. 

            As shown, there is a line drawn through the words Victory Medal indicating that the men whose names appear on this page of the roll were not entitled to that medal.  Corporal Hutton was in India on 4 August 1914 when the Great War began and he returned to England on 23 October 1914, a period of 80 days.  The regulation for the award of the British War Medal indicated that officers and men of the British Army, including Dominion and Colonial forces, were required to have either entered an active theatre of war or to have left the United Kingdom for service overseas between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918, and to have completed 28 days mobilised service.  India was not a theatre of the war while Hutton was there; hence, he was not entitled to the medal.  Initially the medal was issued to him.  Upon further review by someone it was determined that he was not entitled to it and he was required to return it; hence, the abbreviation Retd.

            His Medal Index Card shows the award of the British War Medal on roll RE/101 A3, page 579 with a similar notation in blue ink as on the medal roll reading: Retd. (99K.R.1923) 8426 Adl.  Again, these notations have been interpreted to mean that he was issued the medal in error and that he had to return it.  His Medal Index Card also contains a notation indicating that he was awarded the Silver War Badge (SWB List RE/68) undoubtedly because of his illness contracted while on active service in 1914.

            Following his discharge Corporal Hutton became a Chelsea Pensioner, Number 17635 D.  He was examined and treated and re-examined and retreated from 1914 to 1922.  In October of 1917 the Ministry of Pensions recommended him for sanatorium treatment and declared that his capacity for earning a livelihood in the general labour market was lessened by 60 percent due to his illness. 

            No additional information about Ernest Hutton could be uncovered during the course of this research regarding his life after leaving the Army.  He may not have had a very long life.  

Figure 7.  The Medal Index Card of Ernest Hutton.
(Photograph courtesy of Ancestry.com)

Parents

            As previously indicated, Dennis Hutton’s father was a Sapper in the Royal Engineers (formerly the Royal Sappers and Miners).  He was born in Old Kilpatrick, Dunbartonshire,  Scotland on 22 September 1829.

            Hutton enlisted as a Private in the Royal Sappers and Miners in September of 1847, Regimental Number 462.  He later became a Sapper when the Royal Sappers and Miners were redesignated as the Royal Engineers.  His description on enlistment indicated that he was 5 feet 9½ inches tall with a fresh complexion and dark brown eyes.

            Hutton was posted to the 20^th Company, Royal Sappers and Miners and he departed from Portland with his company on 2 November 1851, arriving in Freemantle, West Australia on 30 January 1852. In February 1852, Second Lieutenant Edmund Frederick Du Cane was placed in charge of all convict works within the Eastern District of the Swan River Colony. The building of convict hiring depots at Guildford, York and Toodyay became his responsibility. Improvement of district roads and bridges would be under his direction.

Figure 8.  Lieutenant Edmund Frederick du Cane, R.E.

(Image courtesy of Wikipedia)

            The 20th Company, Royal Sappers and Miners were tasked to supervise the development of infrastructure necessary to the new convict system. It was agreed that non-commissioned officers of Sappers and Miners would fill the dual role of instructing warders at convict hiring depots, prisons, various administration buildings, roads and bridges in addition to escorting convicts to and from work sites. Sappers who were trained blacksmiths, carpenters and stonemasons would be of immense value during the construction of convict hiring depots.  Dennis Hutton served as an Instructing Warder at the Guildford Convict Depot from February 1852 to September 1853.  He served in Western Australia until 4 October 1859 when he departed Freemantle aboard the Robert Morrison bound for London by way of the Cape of Good Hope.

            Hutton had a daughter, Mary Catherine Hutton, who had been born in Woolwich, Kent in 1850 prior to his departure for Australia.  Mary Catherine had been born, apparently out of wedlock, to Mary Jewel, the woman that he would subsequently marry.  He married Mary Jewel on 17 February 1851 at St. George the Martyr in Southwark, Surrey.  Mary accompanied Hutton to Australia and they had three children born there; William (or Willm) James (1854), Dennis (1856) and Emily Kennedy (1859).  A fourth child, William Charles, was born to them in Southampton in 1869.

            Dennis and Mary Catherine appeared to have remained together until 1875 when Hutton unlawfully married a woman named Catherine Jane Condon, née Gates, (1819-?) while he was still married to his first wife.  This second marriage took place at St. Mary Magdalen in Woolwich, Kent on 5 May 1875.  Catherine Jane Gates also was married at the time to a man named Condon.  Shortly after they married Hutton’s unlawful marriage was uncovered and he was brought to the Old Bailey to answer to the charge of bigamy, a charge probably brought about by Catherine Jane. 

Figure 9.  Catherine Jane Condon, née Gates.
(Photograph courtesy of Selina Armstrong)

The following testimony was presented during Hutton’s trial for bigamy:

WILLIAM MOORE (Policeman R 263). “I produce a certificate of the prisoner's first marriage—I have examined it with the register. (This certified a marriage at St. John's [sic] the Martyr Church, Southwark, on 17th February, 1851, between Dennis Hutton, aged 22, bachelor, and Mary Jewell, 29, spinster.) I also produce a second certificate which I have compared with the register. (This certified a marriage at Woolwich Parish Church, on 5th May, 1875, between Dennis Hutton of age, a widower, and Catherine Jane Conden also of age, a widow).”

WILLIAM BLEACH . “I am a staff Serjeant of pensioners at Woolwich Dockyard—I have known the prisoner a number of years; he is a bricklayer—he was formerly in the Engineers, and is a pensioner of 1s. a day, for which he has to sign a book as a receipt—I know his signature—this is a receipt on or about 3rd April, for a pension to be paid to his wife and children at Chatham.”

EDWARD JOHN THOMPSON. “I am a painter and glazier, of 8, William Street, Bull Fields, Woolwich—I knew the prisoner in 1861 in Shorncliffe—I belonged to the same company, the 23rd Royal Engineers—he was in the married quarters—his wife lived with him—I saw him about three weeks ago—he told me was going to get married—I said "What are you going to make of the first wife?"—he said "She is dead"—I saw his wife at the police-court the other day, but till then I had not seen her since 1861.”

MARY CATHERINE HUTTON. “The prisoner is my father—my mother is alive, I was with her on Sunday morning—it is a good many years since I can remember the prisoner living with my mother; they were living together five years ago, and then I went and travelled with a family as lady's maid—I am 24 next month.”

 Thomas Barriskell.  “I am the landlord of the Cornish Arms, Waterman’s Fields, Woolwich – on Wednesday, 5^th May, I saw the prisoner married to Catherine Condon, my mother-in-law, and signed the register as a witness.”

Catherine Jane Condon.  “I am married – I call myself a widow – my husband[21] has been away twenty-four years, and I don’t know that he is living – I told the prisoner of it before I was married to him – I did not know his wife was alive – he told me he received a letter that she was dead, but he did not see her die – he said he had lost the letter – I did not see it – I told him my husband had been away twenty-four years; he went away in 1852, and I had the last letter from him in 1855. 

The Prisoner [Hutton] in his defence stated that his wife left him five years ago, stating that she did not wish to have anything more to do with him; that he subsequently went to stay at Mrs. Condon’s house, and afterwards married her; that she knew he had a wife, and that it was perfectly understood between them that if her husband came home he would have to stand on one side.

In reply to the court the Jury stated they believed that he told Mrs. Condon that his wife was dead.

Verdict: Guilty. 

            It is obvious from the testimony that both parties had been previously married before they married each other.  Both stories appear to be rather shaky; however, the jury was inclined to believe that Hutton was the bigamist and that since he could not produce the so- called-letter indicating that his wife was dead, his story was shakier than hers.  To be tried in a civil court it is obvious that Hutton had already left the Army by 1875.  In the U.K. Calendar of Prisoners for Kent in 1875 Hutton’s trade is shown as “Plasterer.”  He was sentenced to 3 months in the House of Correction at Maidstone.  Obviously his marriage to Condon would have been null and void.  No information could be found regarding the whereabouts of this first wife Mary after 1881.

            From his treatment of his wives and family there is no doubt that the elder Dennis Hutton was a rogue and a bounder.  He ended his military career in 1868 with 21 years of service; however, he never got above the rank of Sapper in all those years.  His conduct was certainly not “very good” or “exemplary” and the odds are his performance as a soldier was not either.[22]  From various records (census and service papers) he had listed his occupations at various times as Bricklayer, Slater, Engineer (which of course he was not),[23] Officer’s Domestic Servant and Plaster.  He did not seem to excel in any field of endeavor.  

Figure 10.  House of Correction, Maidstone.
(Image courtesy of Wikipedia)  

11.  POST SERVICE LIFE

            In 1894 Quartermaster Sergeant Dennis Hutton returned to "civvy street" with three young sons aged 7, 12 and 14 years. Dennis Hutton was only 38 years of age when he was discharged from the Army. He had known nothing but Army life since he was a young boy, and his military service records give no indication of a trade or calling that he could work at as a civilian. Unfortunately there are no records to indicate how this relatively young man with three very young sons was able to make his way in the world at the turn of the century.

            As we have seen, all three of his sons joined the Army to serve in the Royal Engineers.  One served as a Sapper, one as a Corporal and one attained the rank of Major (Brevet Lieutenant Colonel) and was the recipient of the M.B.E and O.B.E.  His sons followed in the footsteps of their father and their grandfather in the service to their country.  They surely made their father proud, but they certainly could not have been proud of their grandfather.

ADDENDUM NO. 1.  

 REFERENCES:

Army Lists

1.      Monthly Army List, December 1919, p. 800f.

2.      Monthly Army List, December 1920, p. 817.

3.      War Services List, 1922, p. 638.

4.      Monthly Army List, June 1926, p. 338a.

5.      Monthly Army List, October 1935, p. 333a.

6.      Monthly Army List, April 1938, p. 333b.

Books

1.      COCKERILL, A.W.  Sons of the Brave: The Story of Boy Soldiers.  Leo Cooper, London, 1984, pp. 157-158.

2.      PORTER, W. The History of the Corps of Royal Engineers. Volume II. The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, Kent, 1952.

Census

1.      1861 Census of England (RG 9/20).

2.      1871 Census of England (RG 10/913).

3.      1881 Census of England (RG 11/893).

4.      1891 Census of England (RG 12/660).

5.      1901 Census of England (RG 13/723).

Documents

1.      Marriage License, Dennis Hutton and Mary Jewell, 17 February 1851.

2.      Marriage License, Dennis Hutton and Catherine Jane Condon, 5 May 1875.

3.      Convicted and Sentenced Report, Central General Court, County of Kent, 7 June 1875.

4.      Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915, for Ellen Sarah Hutton, 1890.

5.      Probate Calendar, 1950, p. 718: Daniel Hutton.  

Family Trees

1.      Dennis Hutton (father) by Selina Armstrong.

2.      Catherine Jane Gates by Selina Armstrong.

3.      Catherine Jane Gates by Sue Hanson.

4.      Philip James Condon by Sue Hanson.  

Internet Web Sites

ROYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS in Western Australia

https://sappers-minerswa.com/sappers-index/sappers-g-m/hutton-dennis/

Toodyay Convict Hiring Depot (1852–1872)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toodyay_Convict_Hiring_Depot_(1852%E2%80%931872)  

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (9 February 2016), June 1875, trial of DENNIS HUTTON (44) (t18750605-429).

https://www.oldbaileyonline.org  

London Gazette  

1.      Supplement to the London Gazette, 27 April 1917, p. 4036.

2.      Supplement to the London Gazette, 9 August 1919, p. 10178.

3.      Supplement to the London Gazette, 3 June 1925, p. 3774.

4.      Supplement to the London Gazette, 1 January 1941, p. 9.  

Royal Engineers Lists  

1.   January 1930, p. xiii.

2.   October 1932, p. xiii.

3.   October 1935, p. xiii.

Service Papers

462 Sapper Dennis Hutton, (R.S.& M. and R.E.)

1.      War Office Files WO11-130 (1851): Pay List.

2.      War Office Files WO11-169 (1859): Muster Roll.  

10511 Quartermaster Sergeant Dennis Hutton, R.E.

1. W097/3124. Attestation Paper. Public Record Office, London.

2. W097/3124. W.O. Form 1143. Medical History. Public Record Office, London.

3. W097/3124. W.O. Form 39 A. Public Record Office, London.

4. W097/3124. Record of Services. Public Record Office, London.

5. W097/3124. Form F. Medical History. Public Record Office, London.

6. W097/3124. Military History Sheet. Public Record Office, London.

7. W097/3124. Statement of Services. Public Record Office, London.  

11011 Corporal Ernest Hutton, R.E.  

1.      Army Form B. 267. Long Service Attestation

2.      Description on Enlistment

3.      Statement of Services

4.      Military History Sheet

5.      Medical Reports (6 pages)

6.      Pension Form 135.

7.      Army Form B179. Proceedings of a Medical Board on an Invalid. (4 pages)

8.      Form M.P. X9.  Pensioner’s Record Card.

9.      Ministry of Pensions Letter, October 1917.

10.  Medical History.

11.  Army Form A.B. 172.  Medical Certificate.

12.  Army Form B. 268. Proceedings on Discharge.

13.  Royal Engineers Medal Roll, British War Medal.  

270301 Sapper Henry J. Hutton  

1.      Royal Engineers Medal Roll: British War Medal and Victory Medal.

2.      Medal Index Card.

ENDNOTES: