ABSTRACT
This book of letters was published in 1863 with all surnames of the soldier and his family members removed. It is nevertheless possible for the family to be identified with confidence. According to the muster rolls of the 2nd Battalion of the Rifle Brigade, the only corporal with the initials H.B. to die during the storming of the Redan on 8 September was Henry Blishen. In his letter of 29 January 1855, H.B. says he had sent his parents £1..10..0 on 1 December. According to the battalion’s list of Soldiers’ Remittances for October—December 1854, Henry Blishen sent his father, William, £1..10..0. Throughout the letters, H.B. mentions his brothers, George, Charles, and Richard. According to 1851 and 1861 census data and Birth and Baptism Registers for England and Wales, William and Martha Blishen had four sons, Charles, born in 1827 and married to Mary Ann (also mentioned in the letters), Richard, born in 1829, Henry, born 1830, and George, born in 1834. H.B. rejoiced at news of the marriage of ‘someone dear’ to him in his letter of 7 October. The Register of Marriages for England and Wales shows that Richard married in the third quarter of 1854.
