P.C. Hutt Court Martialled and Imprisoned

Re: No. 1526 Sergeant George Henry Hutt

On P.C. George Henry Hutt's military enlistment forms he recorded his year of birth as 1853 (aged 18) in 1871, but, however, on his police application form he recorded his year of birth as 1855 (aged 24 years) in 1879. If George Henry Hutt was born in 1855, then he was not being honest about his age when he enlisted in the 88th Regiment of Foot. He would have been only 16 years of age; not 18.

I have found six pages of George Henry Hutt's military service records and he was court-martialled and imprisoned in 1873. On the form it states:

"His name appears seven times in the Regimental Defaulters Book - one of which is a Court Martial."

As to his court-martial, trial, and imprisonment it states:

"In confinement awaiting trial From 27 Sept., 1873 - 3 Oct., 1873
Tried by Regimental Court Martial 4 Oct., 1873
Imprisoned From 4 Oct., 1873 - 31 Oct., 1873
Released Private From 1 Nov., 1873 - 8 Dec., 1875"

If George Henry Hutt could be dishonest and unethical as to the filling out of his military service enlistment forms what else was he dishonest about?

It seems that Mr. Hutt would/could bend the rules upon his own whim wherever and whenever he chose. Releasing Catherine Eddowes, a heavily drunken woman at 1:00 a.m. could have been another bending of the rules on his part.

On his police application form, his date of birth is listed as 1855, but on his military service enlistment form, it is dated as 1853; meaning that he was only 16 years of age when he was serving his country as a soldier; or was he dishonest on his police application form? Either way, both are criminal acts.

Maybe, instead of guarding Eddowes in her cell, he should have been in the one next to hers!

Also found on his service records are the stations and garrisons at which he served, including date of arrival at the stations/garrisons. They are:

"Portsmouth 20-6-71
Aldershot 20-8-72
Colchester 9-9-73
Preston 27-7-75
Armagh 1-4-76
Athlone 16-8-76
Galway 7-4-77"

George Henry Hutt was formally discharged on June 14th, 1878, being found unfit for further service after having served six years and 312 days in total.

Seen on a website on the 88th Regiment of Foot:

Militarily, the whole of Ireland was administered as a separate command with Command Headquarters at Parkgate (Phoenix Park) Dublin, directly under the War Office in London. The regiment recruited mainly in the counties of Galway, Roscommon, Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim: its garrison depot was located in Galway.

Copyright ©2013: http://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/Unit-Info/243

The garrison depot in Galway is exactly where George Henry Hutt arrived in 1876 and the military service forms in my possession are stated as having been filled out in Galway on June 30, 1877 by Lieutenant General Sir H. Shirley as Colonel.

In 1876 George Henry Hutt was residing on a base in Athlone, Ireland and I have found a marriage registered in Athlone in 1877:

George Henry Hutt, "Ireland, Civil Registration Indexes, 1845-1958"

name: George Henry Hutt
registration district: Athlone
event type: MARRIAGES
registration quarter and year: 1877
estimated birth year:
age (at death):
mother's maiden name:
film number: 101253
volume number: 3
page number: 7
digital folder number: 4179386
image number: 00073
Citing this Record

"Ireland, Civil Registration Indexes, 1845-1958," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FY7W-V2W : accessed 15 Jan 2013), George Henry Hutt, 1877; citing vol. 3, p. 7, General Registry, Custom House, Dublin, Ireland; FHL microfilm 101253.