Next week is the 150th anniversary of the charge of the light brigade, futile, suicidal but also magnificent.


http://www.midastours.co.uk/Balaclava_charge_of_the_Light_Brigade.jpg



Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
'Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!' he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

'Forward, the Light Brigade!'
Was there a man dismay'd ?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Some one had blunder'd:
Their's not to make reply,
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke
Shatter'd and sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!

Quite topical really considering the news story about US soldiers refusing to obey dangerous order, how times change, for better or worse?

For worse! US soldiers are cowards! Those British (were they british) troops were far more honourable. And had many values the people of todays west simply do not have. Death Before Dishonour!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice poem/song BTW, as is the one in your sig.

-Salahuddin-

I did read Cicil Smith's "To reason why" (yes Dogberry, I did actually read that book) :D

It was rather amazing on its portrayal of Lord Cardigan. As a biography I would say it was amazing. As history it was terribly lacking. The battle of Balaclava was a defeat for the British. But unlike what Smith said to be true, the Crimean war was a victory for the British and their French and Turkish allies.

The war did, on the whole bring about vital reforms on all sides. Most dramatically it spelled out the death of Serfdom in Russia. THe Russian Czar, Nicolas I, the very worst despot of his time died of fatigue and hearbreak seeing his forces destroyed. This ushered in the enlightened regeim of Alexander II and the liberation of the serfs in 1864 (the same year as Lincoln's emancipation proclaimation). Alexander, compared to Lincoln in many ways shared Lincoln's fate and was murdered by Anarchist extremists, dissatisfied with the slow pace of his reforms.

For the Turkish, it meant that the "sick man of europe" had new life left. The Ottomen empire continued to survive until 1918.

For the French it meant a sort of revenge for the humiliation of Napoleon's Grand Army at the hands of Alexander I and reaffirmed Frances status as a great power.

But for the British it was truely the end of an era. The British had allowed aristocrats to purchase commissions, as Lord Cardigan had. This led to many incompetent men leading men into awful situations such as the Charge of the Light Brigade. The British Army abandoned the practice of allowing gentlemen to purchase commission and relied on a professional officers corps. THe war also saw revisions in hospital services: which was found to be necessary as many British fell from disease. Also, as the class consience British refused "Indian" troops, British men who served in India who they considered inferior, this practice was soon questioned. It was thought that British officers who commanded "oriental" troops were of lower class statue and not fit to command "white" troops. For this reason, these "Indians" could not serve in Crimea. As the British ranks wore thin, the necessity of dispensing with this policy became evident.

Ah ! The Crimea war!
those were the times . :D

Crim - The British army had been out of practise wsince Waterloo and therefore was ripe for change. William Howard Russell, one of the first war correspondants was instrumental in exposing much of what went on, it was probably his journalism which forced the changes. He later went on to be practically lynched in the US for his graphic description of the Union rout at Bull Run.

Nice poem/song BTW, as is the one in your sig

Thanks, it's a tradtional one.

Who would have thought, Britain france and Turkey allies, and we still are. ;)

Great poem, and indeed stirring bravery on the part of those men but it was also a terrible waste of life. This poem was from an era when war was seen as something romantic, but the romantic image of war as being gentlemanly conflicts between nations died in the stinking trenches of the Great War.

Great poem, and indeed stirring bravery on the part of those men but it was also a terrible waste of life. This poem was from an era when war was seen as something romantic, but the romantic image of war as being gentlemanly conflicts between nations died in the stinking trenches of the Great War.

It died for that generation Myrrdin but it appears each generation is required to find that out for themselves :(

For worse! US soldiers are cowards! -Salahuddin-

Yeah. Pity they can't be all brave and stuff like your islamofascist pals by blowing up school children, and the like.

Cliche...can you read? Or do you just not explore other threads, I haev repeatedly said that I DO NOT support terrorists or suicide bombers...I'll give you examples and have given examples of brave Islamic warriors...Mujahideen of Afghanistan...Salahuddin and his troops...Muhammad (SAW)'s army...etc etc etc


-Salahuddin-

Cliche...can you read? Or do you just not explore other threads, I haev repeatedly said that I DO NOT support terrorists or suicide bombers...I'll give you examples and have given examples of brave Islamic warriors...Mujahideen of Afghanistan...Salahuddin and his troops...Muhammad (SAW)'s army...etc etc etc


-Salahuddin-
But you've called my wife and her friends sexual perverts for masturbating and called for their death.

Yes, we can read. You support terrorism. :)

Bomb Salahuddin

But for the British it was truely the end of an era. The British had allowed aristocrats to purchase commissions, as Lord Cardigan had. This led to many incompetent men leading men into awful situations such as the Charge of the Light Brigade.

However it also should be remembered that this practise also allowed the Duke of Wellington, probably be the best military genius of his time (certainly the only one never to be defeated ;) ) to rise to command earlier enough in his life to give the french a rather big kicking in the napoleonics.

Hugs

lilnymph

However it also should be remembered that this practise also allowed the Duke of Wellington, probably be the best military genius of his time (certainly the only one never to be defeated ;) ) to rise to command earlier enough in his life to give the french a rather big kicking in the napoleonics.

Hugs

lilnymph
The practice was probibly not a bad idea during the Napoleonic era when country gentlemen were expected to fight for king and country. The old English gentry was a class of gentlemen warriors from the times of the Middle Ages when the kings knights were expected to test their honor on the battlefield. By the time of the Crimean war, the methods of battle had changed. Modern artilary and weaponry had made direct Cavelry assults outdated.

The practice was probibly not a bad idea during the Napoleonic era when country gentlemen were expected to fight for king and country. The old English gentry was a class of gentlemen warriors from the times of the Middle Ages when the kings knights were expected to test their honor on the battlefield. By the time of the Crimean war, the methods of battle had changed. Modern artilary and weaponry had made direct Cavelry assults outdated.

I don't think you understand the napoleonic era well if you think that. The Napoleonics had more in common with the crimean war than it did with the middle ages. And in general the practise of buying commisions was a bad one then, I am just pointing out that it had atleast 1 good outcome.

Hugs

lilnymph