Mr. George Garnett, Remount Department.

I recently acquired thid carte-de-visite of an officer in mufti from a well-known auction site.

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(John Young Collection)

The photograph was taken in the Essex garrison town of Colchester, and the sitter had endorsed the reverse of his visiting card with his rank, surname and regiment.
Lt. Garnett, 57th, 1871

So I checked my Hart’s Army List, 1879 to see if I could find the officer, but to no avail.

Then I started searching other avenues and found I had come up trumps.

George Garnett was born on 27th August 1845, at Stoke Hall, Stoke, Cheshire.

He was educated at Acton Grammar School, Nantwich, Cheshire.

Commissioned an Ensign in the 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment by purchase, on 30th August 1864.
Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, again by purchase, on 27th February 1869.

He retired his commission on 17th February 1872, apparently on the insistence of his future wife, Mary Eleanor Curwen.

He then studied at the Royal Veterinary College, Camden Town, London and gained his diploma to practice as a veterinary surgeon.

The trail then goes cold until I discovered two entries for him in both the Cape and Natal repositories of the South African National Archives, dating from 1879, seeking a position in Government Service.

It appears Natal accepted him as he was employed in the Remount Department in Durban, and subsequently on the Transvaal frontier.

At the conclusion of the Zulu War he joined the Cape Mounted Riflemen as a veterinary surgeon with the rank of Captain.  Garnett saw service in the Gun War of 1880, for which he received the Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal with clasp ‘Basutoland’.

He died in Hove, Sussex on 1st January 1924.

For further details relating to George Garnett please see https://geneagraphie.com/getperson.php?personID=I269629&tree=1

JY

Nice one John