![]() ![]() The Pattern 1853 had been designed as a universal weapon to arm both the light and heavy cavalry – perhaps up to 40% of British cavalry in the Crimean were equipped with the new sword. ![]() ![]() The 18 swords both had 35.5in, flat-backed, single-edged blades and weighed roughly 2.5lb. Both had similar slightly curved blades and were designed for both cut and thrust. It is known for certain that at least some of the 11th (Prince Albert’s Own) Hussars were equipped with this. However, some troopers were probably armed with a newer sword: the Pattern 1853 Cavalry Trooper’s Sword. The Light Brigade was predominantly armed with the 1821 Pattern Light Cavalry Trooper’s Sword, which had replaced John Gaspard Le Marchant’s legendary 1796 Light Cavalry Sabre. Right: Pattern 1821 Light Cavalry Officer’s Sword, 1847-1854. Each trooper was armed with a variety of weapons which included pistols, lances and, of course, swords. The British troopers found themselves in a vicious mêlée facing both the Russian gunners and enemy cavalry. The charge climaxed as the brigade reached the battery of guns spread across the valley floor. In his famous poem Alfred, Lord Tennyson would accurately dub this the ‘Valley of Death’. Opposing the Light Brigade were some 19 battalions of Russian infantry, nearly 50 guns firing from enfilading positions on both sides of the valley and ahead of them and a body of Cossack cavalry. On the battlefield, their role was rapidly to exploit any advantages or enemy weaknesses such as undefended artillery batteries or broken enemy units. Mounted on smaller, fast horses their primary task was reconnaissance, scouting and skirmishing. Light cavalry was intended to be the highly mobile and flexible scouting arm of the Army. The Light Brigade consisted of the cream of the British Army’s light cavalry, including the 4th (The Queen’s Own) Regiment of Light Dragoons, 8th (The King’s Royal Irish) Regiment of Hussars, 11th (Prince Albert’s Own) Regiment of Hussars, 13th Regiment of Light Dragoons, and the 17th Regiment of Light Dragoons (Lancers). The battle had been raging since the early morning and had already seen a magnificent charge by the Heavy Brigade which broke General Ryzhov’s Russian cavalry. Late in the morning of the 25 October 1856, some 670 cavalrymen of the British Light Cavalry Brigade began their ill-fated charge down a valley just north of the small port of Balaclava. ![]()
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