ABSTRACT
On the 25th of January 1844, John Lilley, the son of a carrier in Lincolnshire, was attested for the Inniskilling (6th) Dragoons, at the age of nineteen. On the 19th of December, 1848, he became a corporal; and on the 16th of July, 1852, a sergeant. The next year he was promoted to the rank of troop-sergeant; and on the 3rd of July, 1853, to that of regimental sergeant-major. On the 25th of May, 1862, he died in prison. From the beginning of his career, until that period, he had continued to acquire the good opinion of all his superiors, and had, at least upon one occasion, been called to the front of his regiment, and had been highly complimented for the steadiness, coolness, and courage he had evinced on more than one occasion. If any further evidence were needed of the character which Sergeant-Major Lilley bore, it would be found in that furnished only last year after his lamentable death, by Colonel Shute, of the 4th Dragoon Guards. This officer, some years ago, commanded the Inniskilling Dragoons. He “knew Lilley well during his whole service in the army,” and in answer to a letter from the Sergeant-Major’s relatives, Colonel Shute thus wrote:—“I considered Lilley one of the most straightforward, truthful and worthy men I ever knew, thoroughly sober and trustworthy, an excellent soldier, and respected by all who knew him.” To prove the sincerity of Colonel Shute, it may be mentioned, that whilst in command of the Inniskilling Dragoons, he recommended Lilley for his commission as an officer, and for the adjutancy of the corps.
