I am the great-granddaughter of Elijah Bennett, who was born in Brighton in approximately 1833.

I cannot find any trace of his date and place of birth, nor do I have any information on members of his immediate family at the time of his birth, enlistment and career in the Army.

We have his campaign medals and ribbons from the Crimean battles at Alma, Inkermann and Sebastopol.

The only information I have is that Elijah Bennett married Mary Ann Pringle in Brighton on April 20, 1861 and died on January 16, 1915 in Preston, Brighton. He was the son of James Bennett.

I believe he served in the Light Division, probably in both the 2nd Battalion, 11th Hussars, and the Second Brigade, 2nd Battalion, Rifle Brigade. His first medal is well-worn.

The front has a head on it and is inscribed Victoria Regina, Crimea 1854, H Wyon (the latter may refer to the type of medal issue). The back has two persons (one looks like a drummer).

The ribbon is on a pin-bar and is faded bluish-grey with light yellowish borders. The bars have Sebastopol, Inkermann and Alma written on them, with acorns on either side of each bar.

The second medal also has a pin-bar with a pink ribbon that has black sides and a silver bar at the bottom. The medal's front has four flags flying in the wind and crossed cannon with an anchor below.

It is inscribed on the bottom Crimea 1855. The back is inscribed in Latin or another foreign language and has leaves on it.

The edges are very well worn and the inscriptions are hard to make out. One reads 2 BN (with a bar under the N), followed by R II HE. The other inscription looks like 2B-R II LE.

Elijah Bennett was definitely an Army pensioner, as stated on his death certificate from Brighton.

At the time of his burial, on January 21, 1915, there was a 300-men Honours Guard from Lord Kitchener's Army present. So he must have been someone of rank.

We are proud of our English and Scottish heritage and my 20 grandchildren and I would deem it as a great blessing to be able to include my great-grandfather's wartime experiences and his personal service record in our journal of ancestral memories.

I sincerely believe we owe our ancestors a place of honour and gratitude for, without them and their diligence, we would not be here today.

Could anyone please assist us with our task? Even a small amount of information would be very appreciated.

-June M C Bennett-Bretzke, PO Box 194, Raymond, Alberta, Canada T0K 2S0, phone/fax 00 1 403 752-3560 email altrex@myexcel.ca