MILITARY SERVICE RECORDS

This range of documents is on par with British Army Service Records. William Rawes was the only Rawes found (Wm Wilson Line).
WILLIAM WILSON RAWES

L/MIL/11/78F.133. Surgeon Major W.W. Rawes, Medical Department, 10th April 1866. 

Date of arrival in India 9th August 1840          Y   M   D
Service from date of arrival to 20th March 1866  25   7  12
Periods of absence from duty:
        To Europe or elsewhere beyond India on
        private affairs                           3   3  23
Leaves of absence in India on private affairs
        deducting privalege leave                     1
Leaves of absence on medical certificate,
        deducting preparatory leave                   1  22
Total                                             4   5  15
Period of leave allowed to recken as service      3
Retirement total                                 24   1  27
30th June 1866
Service in the field: China in 1842
Notes:-

Surgeon-Major William Rawes served in the Madras Native Infantry and Light Cavalry.

William Rawes is mentioned in the 'Cree Journals' while serving in China. The Cree Journals are the voyages of Edward H. Cree, Surgeon R.N. 1837-1856. Edward Cree was in Amoy in 1845. On Monday January 13th, he writes:-

On shore at Ko-lung-soo. Meet many friends, (Assistant Surgeon) Rawes and Captain Congdon of 2nd M.N.I.*, Lord Cochrane, and with him call on Mrs Sullivan. Met the Admiral and Captain Bruce there. Mrs. S. and all the family been ill with fever, so looks very ill now. Everybody on the island is sick, although the weather is clear and pleasant, so tho' hot in the sun and chilly in the shade. Cultivation has been stopped on the island since the British have had possession, and the fields lying waste. The island looks pretty, but deserted and melancholy. The pretty western village is like a place of the dead, not even a dog or a child, both so plentiful in Chinese villages generally.

The detachment of the 4th M.N.I. left yesterday in the 'Saffhire'. They have been dreadfully sickly: landed here a few months since, 240 men; yesterday only 104 left. Rawes and Congdon, like walking ghosts, have auge nearly every day. I lunched with them, and had some fine looking and well-tasted oysters. Oh how bad I was after! An attack of billoous cholera, and served the others in the same way. Lieutenant Collingwood dined with us and related how he had been robbed, by three Chinese, of all his kit. He is in the Royal Artillery. He chased the robbers with his fowling piece to their boat, and shot one of them, whom his companions immediately threw overboard, and made off with their booty. ....

The Cree Journals by Edward H. Cree, edited by Michael Levien, publ. Webb & Bower 1981.

* Madras Native Infantry

Transcribed from the original by Julian Rawes, 2002