Crimea War Battle of Balaclava

[Beryl M]

The Battle of Balaclava –Crimea War –​

Canada and the Victoria Cross started with Dunn​

Into the valley of death ​

Rode the six hundred ​

Cannon to the right of then​

Cannon to the left of them ​

Volley’d and thundered ​

Alfred Lord Tennyson ​

The Battle of Balaclava. - An atrocious disregard for human life. - The stupidest most ill conceived tactical blunder in the annals of military deployment. Nonetheless, this costly debacle, moved Queen Victoria to praise ‘the brilliance of the charge and the gallantly displayed by all have never been surpassed by British soldiers under similar circumstances’ and degreed there be a medal struck for their gallantry .in the field or at sea would be eligible to all ranks.

On the chilly gray morning of October 25th 1854 a swashbuckling cavalry officer Lieutenant Alexander Roberts Dunn of the 11th Hussars so distinguished himself during the Charge of the Light Brigade he became the first of 96 to receive that medal , the British Empire’s highest award for valour – the Victoria Cross

When the design for the V C was originally submitted an inscription of the obverse read ‘For the Brave’, Not good enough Her Majesty surmised and she changed to read ‘For Valour’.

Born September 15th 1833 (York) renamed Toronto moved to England and attended Harrow. Tall 6ft 3ins high in the saddle, blonde headed and handsome with a drooping moustache, Dunn not only cut a glamorous figure he proved to be an outstanding cavalry officer as well.

A strong disciplinarian he was nevertheless popular and respected by the men serving under him. By the time his unit sailed for Crimea where Britain and France had gone to war to stem the Russian advance on Turkey Dunn held the full rank of lieutenant and was in charge of F Troop.. On that October the 25th, the morning loomed unsettling and foreboding an omen of what lay in store. A massacre Six hundred and thirty British cavalry were thrown into the Valley of Death - flanked by slopes on either side heavily defended by Russian troops, artillery and a 12 gun battery placed wheel to wheel at the end of the depression.

It wasn’t war it was sheer madness – the attackers were hacked to pieces. Out of Dunn’s 110 cavalry men only 25 survived. Overall the entire attacking force was decimated. . But throughout the assault Dunn showed himself to be the warrior possessed that characterized him.

Time and time again he led his troops against the Russian guns till finally he was forced to withdraw.

The Russians had singled Sergeant Bentley as a straggler. Prancing and side wheeling his horse Dunn parried and thrust his assailants - dismounted and managed to get Bentley into his saddle, then belted the horse and sent him galloping to the British lines.

Altogether 11 Victoria Crosses were awarded during the Crimea War Dunn was the only officer in charge of the Light brigade to receive the medal. The citation for his VC read ‘For having in the Light Cavalry Charge on the 25th October 1854 saved the life of Sergeant Bentley. 11th Hussars by cutting down two or three Russian Hussars who were attacking from the rear and afterwards cutting down a Russian Hussar who was attacking Private Levett 11th Hussars’

By 1864 Dunn became a full colonel the first Canadian to command a regiment and the youngest colonel in the British Army.

Dunn’s regiment was sent to Malta India Abyssinia (Ethiopia) where he met his death which still remains a mystery – It was thought he could have committed suicide - He sent valet to a nearby stream for some water – when he returned he found his colonel dead of gunshot wounds. Nor was murder ruled out the VC hero was a well known womanizer -.and it was known he had reversed his will in favour of his manservant

Dunn’s body was never returned to England or Canada which sheds wider speculation as to his demise. In 1894 Dunn’s medals along with his VC were sold in auction at Sotheby’s - Canadians in London took exception to this transaction - Charles Tupper Canada’s High Commissioner ordered John Patterson Canadian Minister of Militia to buy the medals back.

They arrived in time to be displayed in Quebec’s exhibition that year

In 1945 A regular British Army soldier Reg Rimmer was leading Mounted Police along the border with Ethiopia came across a small abandoned cemetery - except for a small grassy slop sheltered by a large rock appeared to have been given some attention. As it turned out a headstone read:

IN MEMORY OF​

A R DUNN V C COLONEL​

WHO DIEB AT SENAF​

ON THE 26TH JANT 1868 ​

View attachment 7726​

 

[Beryl M]

The Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross itself had a notable if somewhat erratic but certainly memorable history all of its own. Having received Royal sanction what evolved was a Cross design close to one and a half inches square attached to a ribbon by a wide V to a bar on which there is a sprig of laurel, the symbol of victory. The sign of self sacrifice the cross originally hung from a ribbon 1 1/2 inches wide, red for the army blue for the navy. When the Ropyal Air Force came into being in 1918 the colour of the ribbon was changed to red for all three services by Royal Warrant signed by Winston Churchill then Secretary of State for War.

As medals go compared to other more colourful decoration like the Distinguished Service Order and the Military Cross the design in the words of the Times of London ‘Mean looking - Drab and Lifeless’.

At the outset the medal was designated The Military Order of Victoria, but was changed to the Victoria Cross. Lord Panmore Secretary of War commissioned jewellers Hancocks and Company to make up a prototype thought the firm’s expertise lay in silver that it should be struck to base metal. But her Majesty was unhappy with it…

‘The Cross looks very well in form but the metal is ugly. It is not bronze and will look very heavy on a red coat with Crimean Ribbon. Bronze properly speaking is a gun metal, this has a rich colour and is very hard, copper would wear ill and would soon look like an old penny. Lord Panmore should have one prepared in real bronze the raised parts would be burnished up bright and show design and inscription’

What better or more appropriate choice of metal than to use the bronze from Russian guns captured Sebastopol, the last battle of the Crimean War. Two 18 pounders were made available . But it was soon discovered they were not Russian but originally Chinese and the metal was such poor quality that the VC had to be sandblasted instead of cast with a dye. In addition, on the back of the medal where the date and name of the recipient was engraved, the details had to be handcrafted. Not entirely inappropriate, after all each medal was awarded for individual acts of valour

 

[Darby]

The first recipient of the Victoria Cross was, Mate C D Lucas Royal Navy while serving aboard HMS Hecla on 21st June 1854.

 

[Minski]

ChargeoftheLightBrigade.com - My great great grandfather Josiah Toulson was a private in the 8th Hussars Cavalry, Regiment 1716

Born at Nottingham. Enlisted at Nottingham on the 3 of March 1854. Age. 21. Height. 5’ 6.” Trade. Frame-worker. Sent to the Cavalry Depot on the 19 of April 1854. Joined the regiment in the Crimea on the 14 of July 1855. Embarked for India from Cork aboard the S.S. “Great Britain” on the 8 of October 1857. Discharged, “time expired,” from Brighton on the 4 of November 1866. Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasp for Sebastopol and the Turkish medal. Indian Mutiny medal with clasp for Central India. Served at Kotah and Gwalior. A medal with the clasps for Alma, Balaclava and Sebastopol, was sold at a Glendining's auction in 1912. Josiah died aged aged 41 in Queens Hospital, Bath Row...... R.I.P.