Where's Thomas Pollard's diary?

Thomas Pollard died in 1859 and was buried in St James' churchyard

Anne Grimshaw is researching Thomas Pollard, a soldier who fought in the Peninsular War (1808-14).

For the past eight years Anne has been looking for Pollard's journal - extracts of which were published in the Accrington Observer in 1941.

The journal gives a fascinating glimpse into the life of an 'ordinary' man in the Napoleonic period.

But the journal has gone missing and she's asking for your help in finding it.

Anne explains: "I found Thomas Pollard when I discovered he was the brother-in-law of a possible ancestor of mine, John Grimshaw, who was also in the 2nd Foot Guards (Coldstream Guards). JG fought with TP in the Peninsular War. TP has since become a project in himself!"

Discharged

Mock up of Pollard's Military General Service Medal, granted in 1848

Thomas Pollard was born in Simonstone near Burnley. His army discharge papers describe him as 5 feet 7 inches tall with dark hair, grey eyes, a fresh complexion and a labourer by trade.

He enlisted in 1803 in the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards and underwent a period of training in England as part of the defence of Britain during the Napoleonic Wars. He was sent on the abortive Bremen Expedition in October 1805 in which he never encountered the enemy.

In 1807 he was sent on the Copenhagen Expedition, a naval expedition, backed-up by troops, to prevent the Danish fleet falling to the French.

During the Peninsular War (1808-14) he was sent to Spain and took part in actions at Talavera, Barrosa, Busaco, Ciudad Rodrigo, Fuentes d'Onoro and Salamanca, Vitoria, Nivelle and Nive. He was wounded in the hand and discharged from the army in September 1814 with a pension of 9d a day. He was 27 years old.

The following year he married John Grimshaw's sister, Sally, and they had two sons and a daughter. The family lived on Henry Street in Church.

You can from this why I am particularly interested to read his version of events Anne Grimshaw

In 1848 he was awarded the Military General Service Medal: "The medal was not granted until 1848 as it had to be applied for. TP's medal would have had nine bars - one for each action. Nine was very rare indeed," says Anne. The journal and medal could be together, as they are both missing.

Thomas Pollard's pension of 9d a day was stopped in 1819 when he refused to join a Veterans' Battalion. It was finally reinstated after appeal in 1851 when he was 65 years old, but not back-dated.

Fascinating glimpse

Thomas Pollard died on 21 December 1859 of chronic bronchitis and was buried in St James' churchyard, Church Kirk, with his wife Sally who had died the previous year.

His journal was bequeathed to Church Urban District Council by his grandson (also Thomas Pollard) formerly headmaster of Church Kirk school, who died in 1941.

A front-page article in the Accrington Observer on 14 October 1941 tells of the journal and gives extracts, and it's this journal that Anne is keen to trace: "The journal and medal were to be displayed at the Gatty Park Museum, Church. Neither Gatty Park Museum nor Church UDC now exists due to local government reorganisation in 1974. Accrington Local Studies Department have been extremely helpful but, sadly, can throw no light on the whereabouts of the journal and medal."

Pollard's army discharge papers describe him as a labourer

Anne hopes the journal will provide more insight into the life of a possible relative, as she has many unanswered questions.

His grave is in St James' churchyard, Church and Anne says: "It is very fancy for a man who, according to the 19th century censuses, was a labourer after his soldiering days were over.

"You can see from this why I am particularly interested to read his version of events as well as details of his life before he was a soldier when he was a coal miner, labourer and sailor," says Anne. "I have been searching for these items for the past eight years but with no luck."

If you know the whereabouts of Thomas Pollard's journal, email the BBC Lancashire website , and we'll pass your details on to Anne.

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UPDATE 16 November 2009:

Carol Charville emailed in to say she is the present owner of Thomas Pollard's Military General Service medal. Her father bought the medal at an auction sometime in the middle of the 1970s and she became the owner after her father's death in 1993. He lived very near Church and was successful in quite a bids for old military medals.