Description
Private George Lockton, of St. George’s, Bow, London, enlisted for service with the 1st Battalion Rifle Brigade on 13 September 1845, having previously worked as a labourer.
Serving in the Kaffir Wars of 1846-47 and 1850-53, he is known to have served in the same company as Private John Pine, a relatively new recruit several years his junior, and whose letters from the Kaffir War of 1850-53 were published in ‘The Crimea Society Journal’, Volume 8, Number 1, of April 1990. Upon the outbreak of the Crimean War, Lockton (and Pine) returned again to active service at the Battles of Alma, Inkermann and Sebastopol. He was sent to receive treatment at Scutari on 14 November 1854, after which he died on 27 November that year from unknown causes – mostly likely from a combination of disease and exposure.
Perhaps as a result of his death in hospital, some confusion appears to have come about regarding his precise entitlement concerning the Crimea Medal. The medal roll for his 3-clasp Crimea Medal (above ) appears to include the annotation ‘W.O. 24/9/55’, however, in addition to this, an earlier Crimea Medal had already been issued, but with only his earlier entitlement to two clasps for ‘Alma’ and ‘Inkermann’. His South Africa Medal 1853 was sent out the following year, in the summer of 1856 (‘medal sent W.O. 21/7/56’).
