William Ginn of the Royal Artillery d. c. 1866

William (actually William Edward) was attested for the Royal Artillery at Woolwich in June 1841.  He stated himself to be 16 years 1 month old.  He was 5ft 10ins tall, brown haired and grey eyed with a fresh complexion.  At recruitment he stated himself to have previously been a Shoemaker.

William Ginn married Mary Ann Mingo at the Register Office at Stoke Dameral, Devon in 1854.  The certificate states that he was a bricklayer, which was possibly a confusion of his father's occupation at the time.  Alternatively he may have lied if he lacked permission to marry.

    Royal Artillery Sergeants 1856 with Crimean War Medals and captured Russian banners

William was discharged on 24th May 1864.  His conduct throughout his service had been "exemplary” and he had risen to Sergeant.  It is stated that he served 5 years and 8 months of his time in Nova Scotia, with 1 year and 2 months in the Crimea.  This suggests that he went to the Crimea in late winter 1854/5 and doubtless took part in the bombardment of Sebastapol shown below. 

 For the latter service he received the Crimean War Medal (with Sebastopol clasp) and the Turkish War Medal. He also received an award for long service.

                                                          Sebastopol bombardment

It is not clear what happened to William and Mary Ann after William was discharged to pension.  William gave an address (Sandy Hill in Plumstead) that he intended to move to, and Mary was already living at that address in 1863.  What is known is that William died before 1871,  (likely the registration entry for a William E. in 1866 in West London - probably in hospital) as Mary was living as a widow in the 1871 census and remarried (still at Sandy Hill) a William Burch (Bombardier in the Royal Artillery) at Woolwich in 1873.

William and Mary had four children:

Mary Jane - was traced in 2009. She married in 1874 to a William Waterfall  (shown below) who was a carpenter later a soldier from Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire and although his father William snr was from St Neots in Hunts, his mother Hannah (nee Hart – she had originally married a Thomas Wand) was born in Bayford, Herts ie Hertford  in 1807 or so.  Try as I might, I cannot yet say that William and Mary Jane were relations but the coincidence is obviously very strange.  There is a story here as Mary was jailed at the Old Bailey no less for saying that she had her parent's consent when she married (she was underage) which she did not.  It turns out from what people have told me that William was a bit of a one for the ladeeez so that may explain why.

Sophia - finally traced in 2010.  She was at a Patriotic School for Girls in 1871 after her dad died.  Married Charles Evans (a fireman) in 1881.

Benjamin - a Bombardier in the Royal Artillery.  Married Rose Wilkinson at Farnham in 1886 and they had a daughter Rose in 1888 who married George Ernest Gooch at Aldershot in 1908.  Benjamin Ginn died at Barrackpore in India in 1889. Rose the widow was variously Rose and Rosa.  There is a record in the FORBIS database of the marriage of a Rosa Ginn to a William Webber in Bengal in 1890 – indeed it is the only Ginn marriage recorded.  In 1901, in Devon, a William Webber, Sergeant in the Royal Garrison Artillery with wife Rosa and children born at home (Woolwich, Devonport, Aldershot) and in India is recorded in the census.  His "daughter" Rosa Webber aged 12 is recorded with them - I would assume this to be Rose Ginn

Roger Mingo - an Army Schoolmaster.  Married Louisa Mingo in 1885.