INTO THE VALLEY OF DEATH.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1091, 1 May 1913, Page 4

INTO THE VALLEY OF DEATH.

ONE OF THE SIX HUNDRED

DEATH OF LORD TREDEGAR. There passed away on March nth at the age of 82, a British peer, whose name is associated with one of the most glorious incidents in the history of the British Army. Lord Tredegar was one of the few survivors of the gallant “Six Hundred” who took part in the ever memorable charge of the Light Cavalry at Balaclava. Before coming of age he had joined the 17th Lancers, and was gazetted captain by the time he was 22.

It was as Captain Godfrey Charles Morgan that Lord Tredegar rode in that famous ride up to the very muzzle of the Russian guns. Here is his story of it: — “I do not imagine that anybody except those in the front line, the 17th Lancers and 13th Light Dragoons, saw what had happened. We went on. When we were about 200 or 300 yards the battery of the Russian horse opened fire. I do not recollect hearing a word from anybody as we gradually broke from a trot to a canter. The noise of the striking of men and horses by grape and roundshot was deafening, whilst the dust and gravel thrown up was almost blinding, and irritated my horse so that I conld scarcely hold him. But as we came nearer I could see plainly enough, especially when we were about 100 yards from the guns, “I appeared to be riding straight to the muzzle of one of the guns, and I distinctly saw the gunner apply the fuse. I shut my eyes then, for I thought that settled the question as far as I was con-! cerned. But the shot just missed me, and struck the man on my right full in the chest.

"In another minute I was on the guns, and the leading Russian horse, shot, I suppose, with a pistol by someone on my right, fell across my horse, dragging it over with him, and pinning me in between the gun pp 4 hjmself. A Russian gunner on foot at once covered me with his carbine. He was just withlu reach of my sword and f struck at l)im. The blow disconcerted his aim. At the same moment a mounted gunner struck my horse with his sabre, an 4 tl;e animal jolted with me right into the Russian lines. "I remembered ray efforts to get out, and I succeeded, in spite of their attempts to cut me down. When once clear of the guns, I saw two or three of my men making their way back, and, as the fire Irom both ilanks was still heavy, it became a matter of running the gapntlet again, f have not sufficient recollection of the minor incidents to describe them, as probably no two men who were ip that charge would describe it in the same way. Whep I was back, pretty nearly where we started from, I found that I was the senior officer of those uuwounded, and consequently in command, there being only two others, both junior to me, in the same position—Lieutenant Womb* well and Cornet Cleveland Rafter* wards killed at Jnkertpan). We remained formed up until the evening, when, as the enemy made no further attempt to attack us, we returned to our tents not very far off.'’

modestly did X<ord Treder gar tell of his exploits. In fact, be rarely talked about his Crimea# experiences. Of the five regi-. ffients represented in tire charge—13th Wght Dragoons, 17th Dancers, ijth Hussars, 4th Tight Dragoons and Bth Hussars—how few officers pr men ca# now remain to recall that dramatic scene on that fatal October 25th, 1834. We speak, after Tennyson, of the “Six Hundred, “ but 670 British horsemen were engaged, and only 19S

returned from the charge ! And of these the great majority have since then passed “into the valley of death.”-

KICKED ON THE KNEE. “I was kicked on the knee by one of my horses,” writes Mr Duncan H. Stevens, South Street, Fielding, N.Z., “and am confident that but for Chamberlain’s Pain Balm I would have been unfitted for work, I could not stand for hours but applied Chamberlain’s Pain Balm freely and after applying it once the next day was quite recovered.” For sale everywhere.—Advt.