Daniel Medhurst

Daniel Medhurst is a private soldier in the 50th Foot, a regiment whose county affiliation is the west of Kent, which suits him admirably as he is from Edenbridge in the extreme west of Kent.

Family
Father: John Medhurst.

Mother: Mary Medhurst.

Sister: Edith Tanner.

Brothers: Thomas Medhurst (b.1780). Younger brother: Samuel 'Sammy' Medhurst (b. 1786)

Background
Born in a relatively small town a stone's throw from the Kent/Sussex county border, Medhurst always knew there was something a bit different in his appearance compared to most people. The town's industry centred on tanning and iron-working and almost from the moment he could walk, Medhurst was destined for one trade or the other – he had family working in both. Not by nature curious, this suited him until the day a recruiting party of the West Kent regiment came to town, beating up for recruits. Medhurst was taken by the uniforms and the sergeant's patter, and the sudden opportunity to see something of the world apart from the small town and surrounding villages. Not dissuaded by his father's doom and gloom predictions, he took the shilling and set out on a life of adventure that has led to Spain, making Medhurst the only one of his family to have left the shores of England.

Training was not easy for him, but with dogged perseverance, he eventually managed to learn all the required drill and manoeuvres, even though he still finds himself copying his fellow rankers rather than necessarily working out the orders for himself, at least on occasion, although he is getting better at it.

He has neither the imagination nor desire to be anything other than what he is, and what he is is a soldier who is a stolid, dependable type, who will obey orders without flinching and do his best to do his duty as seen by his officers and NCOs. His fellow soldiers like him for his cheerful nature and loyalty, and his officers appreciate his dependability and hard-working nature. His NCOs know that he might not understand something at first but he will work at it regardless.