1 October 2013
Volume 31 No.3 October 2013
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[Sadly the publication of this issue, and indeed the whole Memorial Appeal, were overtaken by events in the Crimea and Ukraine and everything was put on hold. Maybe one day...] CRIMEA APPEAL EDITION
CONTENTS:
2 Letter from the editor - "The past few months have been the busiest for me since becoming editor. The charity’s workload has increased exponentially (and with it responsibility) and we have launched the greatest undertaking since achieving charity status—the new Crimea Appeal for the construction of a new memorial in Crimea and creation of a place of contemplation on Cathcart’s Hill..." - MATTHEW PIZZO
4 Charity accounting update - KEITH GOODING
8 Digest of the October committee meeting - LOUISE BERRIDGE
11 British Memorial outside Sevastopol - "Inevitably, there were deaths from enemy action and from disease throughout the Crimean War. Even before the first battle there had been deaths from cholera and a range of fevers and stomach complaints. That first battle, at the Alma river where the Russians had prepared a strongpoint which they were confident would hold for at least three weeks, but lost in three hours, led to widespread casualties on both sides, and there were 2002 British deaths..." - MAJOR COLIN ROBINS OBE FRHISTS
18 Crimea Appeal - "I knew absolutely nothing of the story Colin Robins has told here. When I went to the Crimea in 2011 it was only to research my novel Into the Valley of Death and pay my respects at the memorials to the fallen of the Crimean War..." - LOUISE BERRIDGE
23 Crimea Appeal launch event - "It was a privilege and honour to represent the charity on the 13th of September at the Crimean War Memorial ceremony in London. We assembled between the statues of Florence Nightingale and Sir Sidney Herbert and stood facing the memorial. After an address by Colonel Jeremy Burnell, Royal Marines, and Defence Attache to the British Government in Kyiv, three wreaths were laid on the monument beneath the imposing figures of the three bearded and bear-skinned Guardsmen. Jeremy’s son Charlie laid a wreath on behalf of the British Embassy, I followed on behalf of our Society, and Louise Berridge, the driving force behind the project, laid a wreath on behalf of the Historic Writers Association..." - GLENN FISHER
26 Notes from Sevastopol - "On 6 July 2013, the International Military and Historical Festival staged The Balaklava Ballade with the active personal participation of Alexei Sheremetiev, the founder of the Historical Museum in Mikhailovskaya Battery. The event took place on Fedyukhin Heights in the vicinity of Sevastopol and was dedicated to the 160th anniversary of the beginning of the Eastern (Crimean) War. The Defence Minister of Ukraine Paul Lebedev and Guest of Honour Prince Michael of Kent were among the attendees..." - CAPTAIN YURI KULIKOV
30 Istanbul and Kars tour - "The Siege of Kars is a particularly neglected aspect of military history.
Although only a handful of British took part, it can still be claimed as a facet of British military
ascendancy, due to the exemplary way in which these participants performed. The head of these was William Fenwick Williams. Initially holding the rank of lieutenant-colonel, he was promoted to a ferik, (a division general) by the Sultan in 1854. This was the rank he held throughout the siege. After, he rose to the level of musir (a general or marshal of the army). Major Teesdale, who held the function of aide-de-camp for Williams was also very influential throughout the duration of the siege, as was Colonel Henry Atwell Lake of the Royal Engineers. The civilian doctor, Humphry Sandwith, the secretary Mr Churchill, who was before Kars an attache of the British mission in Persia, and the interpreters James Zohrab and Rennison also took on many extra responsibilities. Another major participant who must not be forgotten, was Captain Thompson. He was to unfortunately die not long after the siege on returning to England. The aim of our trip to Istanbul and Kars was to study this oft neglected part of the Crimean War in more detail..." - MARTIN JOHN BURGESS
40 Last muster - "The Royal Hospital in Chelsea, London, home of the so-called ‘Chelsea Pensioners’, familiar sights around the capital in their scarlet coats and black kepis, was founded by King Charles II in 1689. The buildings were designed by Sir Christopher Wren and there is a large garden where, every year, the ‘Chelsea Flower Show’ is held. Many veterans of the Crimean War ended their lives there in relative comfort..." - MAJOR COLIN ROBINS OBE FRHISTS
42 The Russian sortie march - "During the night of March 22-23, 1855 the Russians launched a major sortie against the French and British positions on the Karabelnaia Front, in part to safeguard their works - named the Kamchatka redoubt, on the Mamelon Vert..." - TONY MARGRAVE
43 Obituary: Helen Smith - "It is with great sadness that I have to record the death of one of our
longest-serving and most enthusiastic members. Helen joined the society in May 1984 and her allocated membership number was 9..." - DAVID CLIFF
44 Obituary: The Marquess of Anglesey - George Charles Henry Victor Paget, 7th Marquess of Anglesey 8 October 1922 – 13 July 2013. - MAJOR COLIN ROBINS OBE FRHISTS
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