Pte John Wall 2/24th Foot

Does anybody have any info on Pte John Wall 2/24th Foot who was at Rorke's Drift? Any info would be much appreciated, thanks.

Hi Madziro

Welcome to the forum.

WALL, John. 25B/1497 Private Born at St. James's, Deptford, Kent; trade - labourer. Enlisted for 25 Brigade at Chatham, Kent 1/12/1877. Previously served as Private (8100) in West Kent Light Infantry Militia. Description: age 18 years, height 5' 5 1/4" fresh complexion, blue eyes, brown hair. Attested, December 1877, precise date not recorded. Posted to 2nd Bn 24th Foot.
Private, December 1877. In prison 17/10/1878-18/10/1878; tried 19/10/1878; sentenced to 21 days imprisonment with hard labour; released 8/11/1878. Admitted to hospital at Secunderabad, India 4/5/1881-12/8/1881. Service continued in South Wales Borderers 1/7/1881. Treated for Dyspepsia; diagnosis changed to Mania. Embarked at Bombay for England in HMT Maiabar 28/10/1881. Admitted to Netley Hospital 25/11/1881. Treated for Mania attributed to intemperance. Condition not improved, will be unable to contribute to his own support. Declared unfit for further service and discharged from Netley Hospital 27/12/1881. Served for 4 years, including 2 years in South Africa. Character bad and dirty, not in possession of any Good Conduct Badges. Has appeared in the defaulter book on ten occasions; twice convicted by court martial (WO97). Discharged 15/9/1879. An Injury Assessment Board held at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea 27/12/1881 confirmed that he was suffering from Mania - from intemperance. Pension award rejected (reference A93244, WO116) Intended place of residence: Lunatic Asylum, Barming Heath, Maidstone, Kent 27/12/1881.
Served at Home, in South Africa, and in India 17/8/80-28/1 0/1881. Served in the Kaffir War 1878. Served in the Zulu War 1879 (WO97), a Private in B Company at the defence of Rorke's Drift. References: 'Chard' roll; Bourne rolls; Dunbar list.

Also this

Donald Morris states in ‘The Washing of the Spears’, that Private John Wall used the phrase ‘As black as hell and thick as grass’ after he had returned from the Oskarberg with the clerics, the Reverened George Smith and the Reverend Otto Witt, but neither mention either Wall or his quote in their accounts.
He was born at St James, Deptford, Kent. Trade - Labourer. Attested at Chatham on 1st December 1877, aged 18 years. Previously served in West Kent Light Infantry (8100). He was five feet five and a half an inch tall with a fresh complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. He served in South Africa and India. Confined on 17th October 1878, tried on 19th October 1879 and sentenced to 21 days imprisonment with hard labour. He was released on 8th November 1878. Embarked at Bombay for England in HM troopship ‘Malabar’ on 28th November 1881. Following a medical examination at Netley on 25th October 1881 he was found to be insane ‘as a result of intemperance’, he was declared insane and discharged from the service on 27th December 1881. Intended place of residence:- Lunatic Asylum, Barming Heath, Maidstone, Kent. Medal for South Africa with Clasp ‘1877-8-9’. The ‘Medal Roll’ gives his initial as ‘F’. his medal was returned to the Mint on 7th November 1882.

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South Africa 1877-79, 1 clasp, 1877-8-9 (1497 Pte. J. Wall, 2/24th Foot) edge bruises to obverse rim, otherwise nearly extremely fine £6000-8000
Hammer Price: £11000 - 28 March 2002