THE CANADA GENERAL SERVICE MEDAL TO PRIVATE H. CHURCH, 30TH (CAMBRIDGESHIRE) REGIMENT WHO SAW SERVICE AT CORNWALL, ONTARIO, DURING THE 1866 FENIAN INVASION OF CANADA.

THE CANADA GENERAL SERVICE MEDAL TO PRIVATE H. CHURCH, 30TH (CAMBRIDGESHIRE) REGIMENT (THE POST 1880 1ST BATTALION THE EAST LANCASHIRE REGIMENT), WHO SAW SERVICE AT CORNWALL, ONTARIO, DURING THE 1866 FENIAN INVASION OF CANADA. Canada General Service Medal, 1 clasp, Fenian Raid 1866 (officially impressed in a combination of plain block capitals and lower case italics: Pte. H. CHURCH 30th. REGIMENT.). The word Regiment in naming details originally struck up in error to read “REGMMENT”, the letter “M” double struck, but subsequently officially corrected by removing part of the details of the first letter “M” so as to read “REGIMENT”, otherwise a few scattered edge nicks and bruises, Good Very Fine to Almost Extremely Fine.

Medal accompanied by photocopied regimental pay lists for the periods covering Henry Church’s enlistment into and discharge from the 30th Foot, copy original medal roll, along with copied extracts from the 1851 and 1911 census returns, the Regimental History and Captain John A. McDonald’s “Troublous Times in Canada (W.S. Johnston & Co., Toronto, 1910).

Private Henry Church is not listed on the published medal roll, which records a total of 99 medals and clasps to the 30th Foot (17 officers and 82 other ranks, 4 of the medals awarded to other ranks being late issues). Private Church is, however, recorded on the original medal roll, and research accompanying medal confirms Church as having served in Canada during the qualifying period with the Regimental Depot at Quebec and in the field at Cornwall under Colonel Pakenham of the 30th Foot. Private Church’s Canada General Service Medal was awarded in 1913 and is thus a previously unrecorded late issue, revising upward the total number of medals awarded to the regiment to 100.

Henry Church is recorded in the 1851 census as a 13 year old agricultural labourer, born in Christchurch, Isle of Wight, the son of 43 year old James Church, also an agricultural labourer. He enlisted into the 30th Foot 0n 20/10/1866 and was discharged from the 30th Foot at Chatham on 15/11/1856. Henry Church is recorded in the 1911 census as being a 73 year old general labourer born Rookley, Isle of Wight, and then resident in the Isle of Wight Union Workhouse, Parkhurst (the different places of birth given in the 1851 and 1911 censuses can be explained by the fact that Rookley and Christchurch are only about 15 miles apart and so for census purposes are essentially the same place). The medal roll records Henry Church’s Canada General Service Medal as having bene sent to him at the Parkhurst Infirmary at Newport, Isle of Wight, on 20/6/1913, with a receipt for same being returned on 1/7/1913.

Initially it was thought that Cornwall, Ontario, was to be one of the first towns to be attacked in Canada by the invading Fenians, by a force under the command of General W.T. Sweeny, an officer who had seen service in the American Civil War in the Union army and who was the Fenian Council’s “Secretary of War”. The following description of events in Cornwall at the time of the invasion is taken from “Troublous Times in Canada”.

“At Cornwall the situation was exceedingly serious, as it was known that General Sweeny had particular designs on that place and was making every preparation to deliver an attack. The possession of the canals was one of his chief desires and to ward of such an attempt a strong force was quickly mobilized at this point of danger. On the 2nd of June a public meeting of citizens was called and a committee appointed to act in concert with the military commandant in putting the town in a thorough state of defence. A patrol was established for ten miles up and down the river by the local companies, and navigation on the river and through the canal was stopped. Early on the 3rd of June troops began arriving from different points, and by the following morning over 2,000 had been assembled under the command of Col. T. H. Pakenham of H.M. 30th Regiment. The force which was mustered at Cornwall was composed of the 14th (Kingston) Battalion, the 25th Regiment (King’s Own Borderers), the 11th Argenteuil Rangers, a portion of H.M. 30th Regiment, one division of the Ottawa Field Battery, the 6th Hochelaga Light Infantry, two companies of Ottawa Rifles and two Cornwall companies.”

The following additional description of the events at Cornwall, Ontario, is taken from the Regimental History of the 30th Foot.

“On June 1st, 1866, news reached Montreal that a band of Fenians had crossed the Niagara River and seized Fort Erie. All regiments in the garrison were ordered to be ready to move at the shortest notice and the following evening Colonel Pakenham was ordered to proceed with 200 men by rail to Cornwall, forty miles above Montreal, to protect the communications by river, canal and rail between Upper and Lower Canada. In half an hour Colonel Pakenham was ready and the following morning he was at Cornwall. On the afternoon of that day he was joined by the remainder of the regiment, except 10 Company which was at Chambly for musketry and was incorporated with a field force based on St. Johns. The field force assembled at Cornwall under Colonel Pakenham consisted of the 30th, Headquarters wing of the 25th, a wing of the 47th, Grey Battery R.A., a half battery Ottawa Artillery, two very smart battalions of Upper Canadian troops, the local volunteers, and the Argenteuil Rangers (The Gentiles), physically one of the finest regiments which ever wore a red coat, they came from the lumber camps north of Ottawa. The duties were patrolling the St Lawrence and finding pickets to protect the canal and railway. Owing to the decided action of the United States Government the trouble with the Fenians quickly died away and the force was reduced. The 30th returned to Molson Barracks, Montreal on June 22nd at the Cornwall Railway Station the Mayor and Town Council with many of the citizens, and the council of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry had met the regiment and requested Colonel Pakenham to receive and address expressing the thanks of the district for the good conduct of the regiment while quartered there.”