Uniform of a Sergeant Major of The Border Regiment

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Mabel Georgina BURRELL grand daughter of Captain William Palmer THORNE. He is pictured here in the uniform of the Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant of the 2nd Battalion Border Regiment c 1889 (rank indicated by star above four inverted chevrons). The tunic shown is the full-dress scarlet tunic with crimson sash; the collar and cuffs are white and on the collar is the Border Regiment collar badge of a button with a Dragon and the word CHINA within a wreath.

William Palmer THORNE was born 2 Nov 1856 at East Stoke (also known as Stoke Under Ham and Stoke Sub Hampden) in the Registration District of Yeovil, Sub-district of Martock, Somerset, England, s/o George THORNE, farm labourer, and Susan ms PALMER.
He enlisted in the army at the age of 12 in 1868 as a drummer boy. In March 1869 he went with the 55th Foot Regiment to exotic places such as Chakrata, East Indies, Peshawar, Delhi, Umballa, and Aden before returning to the new home barracks at Gosport in March 1877.

William THORNE, Colour Sergeant, married on 2 Dec 1877 at Gosport, Hampshire, Georgina Rachel GILLARD born abt 1857 Gosport Army Depot, West Cowes, Isle of Wight, d/o William Henry GILLARD.
In March 1879 the 55th Regiment moved to Shorncliffe in Kent where their first two children were born. William George THORNE b 31 May 1879 and Eva Maud Mary THORNE b 24 Dec 1880, mother of Mabel Georgina.
In 1881 The Border Regiment was formed from the the 55th Foot Regiment (2nd Battalion) and the 34th (1st Battalion). The Border Regiment Military Museum is at Carlisle Castle in Cumbria, England and Captain William Palmer THORNE's medals can be seen there.