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General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: M.T.H on Thursday 28 July 05 13:00 BST (UK)
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Hi,
I'm hoping that someone will be able to help me identify the regiments of these three men.On the bottom of the photo is written "Our Balaclava Heroes" and names them as l-r Sergt.Major Howes Sergt.Major Parkinson and Sergt.Major Hughes.
Any help would be great,
Many thanks,Mick ;)
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hiya mick,you always seem to be the first one to dive in when someone needs help,so heres a bit of repayment.
sgt john howes
4th light dragoons
born 1828 at wymondham,near norwich
enlisted 16-11-1846
slightly wounde in the charge of the light brigade,on 25-10-1854
promoted troop sgt major
discharged C 1860
died 25-12-1902
buried in lodge hill cemetary birmingham
medals.crimea,with clasps for the battles of alma,balaklava,sebastopol and inkerman,turkish medal
lived at 23 spring rd edgbaston,birmingham
he and cornet hunt tried to carry away one of the russian guns but failed,he was reputed to have been one of the last to come back to the lines
attended the 1st balaklava banquet on 25-10-1875
member of the balaklava commemoration society 1879
signed the loyal address 1887
attended the annual dinners in 1892+1895
mack
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mick,sorry about my bad info,i forgot this,army No 1274
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Mack
You're going to make Micky a happy man!!
Annie
PS Micky - he 's buried in Birmingham - any connection :P :P
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private edwin hughes
born 12-12-1830 atwrexham,denbighshire
was a shoemaker before he enlisted
joined the regt at hounslow on6th may 1852
rode in the charge,his horse was killed
discharged at colchester in 1873 with the rank of squadron sgt major
died on 18th may 1927,at his home at 64 egerton rd blackpool
buried with full military honours on 23rd may 1927 at blackpool
1879 mem balaclava comm society
attended the annual dinners,1895,1910,1912 and 1913
after leaving the army,he became a instructor with the worcs yeomanry
recieved help from the t,h roberts fund
1918 granted a pension from the royal patriotic fund after the funds ran out he was given a special grant from the war office so he could recieve a pension until he died
he was the last survivor of the light brigade.
micky you owe me at least a gold star for that,my fingers droppin off through typing, ;D mack
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ive done it again,army number 1506,i will get you parkinsons details micky,i need to rest me typin finger,mack
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micky,edwins medals were,crimea medal with clasps for alma,inkerman,balaclava and sebstopol and the turkish medal
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last one micky
pte john smith parkinson
born 1834
enl dec 1851 at notts
rode in the charge of the light brigade,horse killed,slightly wounded 3 times
1855 at the base hospital scutari,sick
prom corporal 1859
prom sgt 1861
left the regt 10-6-1864 at dublin
worked for south eastern railway co at london bridge
1866 joined b/ham police, 1869 prom to sg
ret 1892
died 12-1-1917
medals the same as the other 2,the third medal hes wearing was never ID,but it was inscribed to sgt parkinson 11th hussars
member of balaclava comm society 1879
signed loyal address 1887
helped arrange the dinner in b/ham 1895
attended the annual dinners,1897,1906,1908,1909,1910,1911 and 1913
he raised a corps dramatique while in dublin in 1861/62,he was the stage manager
recieved help from the t.h roberts fund
depicted in lady butlers picture. AFTER THE CHARGE.
army number 1521
11th hussars
edwin hughes was in the 13th light dragoons
thats the lot micky,mack
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micky,the photo was taken in 1895 and the only time that they were all togethor,was at the b/ham dinner in 1895,so the location will be wherever it was hosted,marvelous how well their uniforms still fit,there must be a reference to the event in the brummie papers for 1895,may even be pictures of some of the others,i have two nice pictures of howe and parkinson ,if you want them e.mailing,pm me your e.mail address,mack
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Mack,
Appologies for not replying sooner but the site has been playing up and I haven't been able to get in. :-\
Thankyou soo much for such fantastic information,I'm stunned!
I was hoping that someone could help identify the uniforms and never expected to get so much info,it's incredible and I'm extremely grateful to you for taking the time to type it all out for me.
I would love to see the other photos and will pm you with my email address.
The fact that Parkinson joined the Birmingham police is very significant and also that Hughes was the last surving member from the charge, incredible stuff.Could I ask the source of the info?
I owe you one Mack,
Yours aye,Mick ;)
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WELL,am i getting a star or what ;D,i have the entire roll for the light brigade,many are just name, rank,number and if they rode in the charge,mack
ps,are you compiling a list of b/ham PCs or is it just an interest in b/ham history,mack
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Mack! you would get a huge gold star if I had any say in it 8)
It was believed that one or all of these men were Birmingham Policemen at some time although nobody seemed certain,so the info that you have very kindly found for me confirms so much.
I have been quite involved in researching the history of Birmingham recently, in particular the Police, which is how I came to have this photo (it's a long story).
The photos that you emailed me are superb but I do have one question,is Sergt Maj Howes the chap on the last page,bottom left? as his name is missing but I guess it's him.
You're a star Mack you really are....
Best wishes,Mick ;)
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mickey,sgt maj howes is on the 1st page bottom left,mack
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mickey,one of the pics i sent is cpl john ashley kilvert,he was at the same dinner in brum,hes buried in wood green cemetary west brom,he lived in wednesbury and became the mayor,you can trace his family back 900 years,his medals are in wednesbury art gallery,mack
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Mack,
Fantastic information,many thanks.Is it known how many men attended the dinner in Birmingham in 1895?
I'm not in the Midlands so unfortunately I can't check the local papers but they must have covered this important event.Very interesting about Cpl Kilvert, I'm suprised his medals are in an art gallery as opposed to the regimental museum, at least they are in his home town.
If stars were mine to give Mack,you'd get 'em but I'd have to let Liverpool Annie have one to as she has also been a great help. :)
Mick ;)
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Mickey - this isn't your guys - but thought this might be of interest!!
The goings-on at the end of the fair were not affected by war and rumour of war, but the business of the first week could be. In 1830 the 'political transactions' in France precluded French dealers; in 1848 there were only four buyers from Germany and Russia due to the 'unsettled state of foreign nations'; and in 1854 'noRussians dared to appear' - because of the Crimean War. The army made extensive purchases at the fair in 1853-55, particularly Col Wingfield for the Royal Horse Artillery, together with Col Unett of 3rd Dragoons and Col Key of 16th Dragoons {1854), Col Moore of 6th Lancers, CoI Shewell of 8th Lancers and Mr Jox of Greys (1852). It seems most likely that horses from Horncastle were in the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava in October 1854, as Col Lawrenson bought a number for the 17th Lancers at the 1852 Great August Fair.
http://www.horncastleuk.com/history/and_horsefair.htm
Annie
PS Thanks for the star!! ;) ;)
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Well! Stripe me pink and call me Candy!!What an excellent result to a puzzle,and in such quick time.
Nothing short of fantastic.Bravo!!!
Goggy. :D
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Light on a Famous Charge
THEY were not as light on their feet as they had been 40 years earlier and time
had taken its toll on their numbers. But in October 1895 the surviving members of the Charge of the Light Brigade rode, not into the Valley of Death, but into Birmingham.
Ever since that famous and fateful day, back in 1854, the Brigade had met to celebrate and commemorate in equal measure. But this was the first time they had met outside London.
For the members who lived up north the ride to the capital was becoming as arduous as that famous ride in the Crimea. So the capital of the Midlands was an acceptable half-way house and for three of the officers Sergeant Majors Howes and Dawes and Sergeant Parkinson it was their home town.
Few exploits of the British army filled the heart with such pride, or the hospital with such casualties, as that blind charge into the face of the Russian guns at Balaclava.
Of the 673 horsemen that had ridden down the valley one third had been killed or injured and three-quarters of the horses lost. But in the popular imagination the
casualties were far higher. This was a war when myth was stronger than statistics, the war of Florence Nightingale and Alfred Lord Tennyson, a war in which heroism took precedence over the niceties of winning and losing.
After all, no one remembers who won the Crimean War, but everyone remembers the Lady of the Lamp and Tennysons great poem.
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
Once Tennysons poem had been printed, it was pointless for the British army to conceal the fact that the whole thing had been a monumental screw - up
by the generals. Better simply to celebrate the gallantry of the moment.
And so they had continued to celebrate it almost half a century later. By the time the charge had reached Birmingham there were but 54 (plus one or two apologies) left out of the 560 that had survived the Russian guns.
Quartermaster Smith gave a spirited rendition of the poem to round off the evening, but that was the last of many songs, poems and musical interludes that
had taken the celebration late into the night.
The banquet,presided over by the Mayor of Birmingham, was served at the Royal
Hotel, a mammoth nine courses punctuated by reminiscences and fanfares. Certainly the meal took considerably longer to get through than the 25 minutes that the charge itself had lasted. In the middle of the evening General Calthorpe
vividly described the events at Balaclava and the trumpeters of the Balsall Heath
Artillery sounded the four fanfares heard that day in the valley, before the assembled company re-charged their glasses for yet another toast.
There was a reading of The Lady With The Lamp followed by a toast proposed by a veteran of Florence Nightingales nursing at Scutari. The celebrated lady herself sent her apologies in a touching letter.
Fight the good fight she wrote.You are the brave soldiers of God, who loves you
Finally the last toast was followed by the Last Post and all departed into the Birmingham night. They would meet again in 12 months time. Those, at least, who could keep out of that other Valley of Death for another year.
This is a newspaper report of the 1895 Regimental Dinner
Annie
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Manmack & Mikey M
Hi, I've just noticed that you mention John Ashley Kilvert, and that you may have photo's of him? John Ashley Kilvert is my first cousin four times removed and I'm trying to get as much information about him as possible. You mention that his family can be traced back 900 years and I've heard this before but at present I am unable to find out where this information is kept - any ideas?
I've seen his sword in the Wednesbury Museum and they tell me his medals are there also although they couldn't find them! Lost in amongst all the other medals they have which is a crying shame. I'd be very interested if you can email the photo's that you have of him as I only have a painting of him.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Matt Kilvert.
TELFORD, Shropshire.
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matt,send me your e,address,and i will send you all i have on him,mack
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Manmack, you have pm. Thanks loads!
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So Matt!
Were you pleased?? what else are you going to look for now?
Annie
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Hi Annie,
Not received anything yet but it's not even been half hour yet since I send my email address.
However, I am extremely pleased that I'm hopefully going to get an actual photo of one my ancesters. I'm looking for any Kilvert information really. My next lead is a Francis Hood Kilvert apparently she married in 1896 and was the daughter of a John Kilvert although I personally don't think it was John Ashley Kilvert, but that's what I'm looking into now and bizarrely enough found this posting - luckily!!!
Matt.
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Well Mack is a good man - you'll get your stuff and I'm sure you'll be pleased - he's probably digging it out as we speak! - though he could be working too - .... why does that always have to interfere??
Do you know where the Kilverts were from? if you post what you know names dates etc. maybe somebody will be able to help you!!
Annie
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matt,your rellies picture and info has been e,mailed,sorry about the delay,i had an accident,i fell over a step when i was passing the pub,so i decided to have one or six pints to ease the pain hic ;)mack
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No gold stars for you tonight then!!
::) ::) ::) :P
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Thanks Mack, the photo is brilliant and the attached information is a great read. Cant thank you enough. Bad news about the fall but the remedy is good, pity that remedy doesn't work for me at the moment - I fell from a horse 3 months ago and fractured my hip!! :(