Irish Soldiers, Pensions and Imperial Migration during the Early Nineteenth Century
During the Napoleonic Wars the British government implemented a pension scheme for discharged soldiers and after 1816 extended benefits to veterans who chose to remain in various colonies throughout the empire. The Chelsea Hospital kept colonial pension applicant information (most of whom were born in Great Britain and Ireland) within specific admission books, now housed in the UK National Archive. The first admission book covers the years 1817 to 1826 and in addition to detailing the service of individual soldiers, points to a particular method of imperial migration where some soldiers appeared to have employed the army to escape socio-economic conditions at home permanently while continuing their association with the British army and state once abroad. Four case-studies involving Irish soldiers are highlighted in order to demonstrate this point. The Irish soldiers are noteworthy because they are over-represented among those veterans who opted to remain in the colonies.