LIVES OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE
The E.J. Boys Archive

1156, Private John FLEMING, 11th Hussars

Birth & early life

Born in Bishop's Hill, Yorkshire c.1823.

[PB: Bishophill, in the centre of York?]

Enlistment

Enlisted at Sheffield on the 16th of May 1843.

Age: 22 years 6 months.

Height: 5' 9".

Trade: Clerk.

Appearance: Fresh complexion. Grey eyes. Dk. brown hair.

Service

From Private to Corporal: 10th of August 1851.

Tried by a Regimental Court-martial at Dublin on the 23rd of February 1853 for "Destroying an official communication". Reduced to Private and sentenced to 84 days' imprisonment, with hard labour.

Said to have been slightly wounded in action at Balaclava, but he does not appear as such on any known casualty lists.

In 1875, 1520 William Cullen claimed to have saved Fleming's life by "having had the pleasure of 'skewering' one of three Cossacks who were attacking him." At the same time he expressed the wish to meet up with him again at the first Balaclava Dinner, but no trace can be found of him having been present.

828 Robert Ashton also mentions him at the same time:

"Being dismounted, I saw Sergeant [sic] Fleming was near to me and when I caught hold of his horse's bridle he said, 'Leave go, or we shall both be killed.' The bridle slipped out of my hand, and as the horse passed me I managed to get hold of it's tail, to which I held on to for a while, but after a few yards the pace he was going was too much for me and I was obliged to let go."

From Private to Corporal: 27th of November 1854.

Confined 23rd — 25th of April 1855, tried by a Regimental Court-martial for "being drunk at stables," and reduced to Private.

From Private to Corporal: 1st of May 1857.

Corporal to Sergeant: 5th of January 1858.

1861 Census

59, Crown Street, Westminster.

John Fleming, 38, Sergeant 11th Hussars, Recruiting Service, born York, Yorkshire.

Eliza Fleming, 37, born Dursley, Gloucestershire.

Sent to the Cavalry Depot when the regiment went to India on 25th of July 1866.

Discharge & pension

Discharged from Canterbury on the 10th of September 1867, at "Own request, after 24 years service".

Service to count, 24 years 11 days.

In Turkey and the Crimea: 2 years.

Conduct and character: "good". In possession of one Good Conduct badge when promoted. Twice tried by Court-martial.

Aged 46 years 8 months on discharge.

He was granted a pension of 1/11d. per day on discharge.

Intended place of residence, No. 24 Aylesford Street, Pimlico, London. Living in the Bath Pension District in 1875.

Medals

Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman, Sebastopol and the Turkish medal.

Documents confirm the award of the Crimean medal with four clasps.

He is not known to have ever been a member of the Balaclava Commemoration Society or to have ever attended any of the veterans' functions.

Further detailed medal information archived.

Life after service

1871 Census

68, Regent Street, London.

In the 1871 Census John Fleming, aged 44, born Bishop's Hill, Yorks, was shown as a "Pensioner", married to Eliza, aged 44, born Wilts. [RM]

[PB: His wife Eliza's birthplace is variously recorded in censuses as Brehill, Wiltshire, and Durseley, Riley or Genley, Gloucestershire. I have not attempted to clarify.]

1871 Census

60, Regent Street, London.

John Fleming, 44, Pensioner, born Bishops Hill, Yorks.

Eliza Fleming, 44, born Bremhill, Wilts. [CP]

1881 Census

Bremhill. Wilts.

John Fleming, 58, Army Pensioner, born Bishops Hill, Yorks.

Eliza Fleming, 56, born Riley, Glos.

1891 Census

51, Carmaish Road, Aldershot.

John Fleming, 66, Living on his own means, born Bishops Hill, Yorks.

Eliza Fleming, 64, born Genley, Glos.

Death & burial

John Fleming is believed to have died at Aldershot, circa 1892, aged 70 years.

Deaths registered

John Fleming, aged 58 years [sic], June Quarter 1892, Farnham.

Eliza Fleming, aged 67 years, September Quarter 1895, Farnham.

Yorkshire Evening Press, 28 May 1892:

"Death of a Yorkshire Balaklava Hero", Yorkshire Evening Press, 28 May 1892. [CP]

(Click on image to enlarge)

From the Army and Navy Gazette for the 28th of May 1892:

"Sergeant John Fleming, a survivor of the Light Brigade, died at Aldershot on the 20th of May 1892, aged 70 years. He was discharged in 1867 with a pension of 1/11d. per day. He was fortunate enough to have nothing more than a slight lance-wound on the thigh. He was never in hospital during his long service of twenty-five years with the Regiment. After seven years illness he was buried in Aldershot Cemetery on the 25th of May. He leaves a 66 year old widow, penniless."

In the archive there is a copy of his obituary report taken from the Hants and Surrey Times, 21st of May 1892, and also a report of his funeral, from the same paper, 28th of May 1892.

Extract from the United Services Gazette for the 28th of May 1892:

"Sergeant John Flaming [sic?], another hero of the famous charge of the Light Brigade, died at his residence in Lyons Road, Aldershot, on the 20th inst., at the age of 70.

He joined the 11th Hussars at York and served with that regiment for nearly twenty-five years until 1867, when he was discharged with a pension of 2/- per day. He rode in the memorable Charge, and was fortunate to come out with nothing more than a slight lance-wound on the thigh, although the troopers on the right and left of him were shot out of their saddles.

Flaming was in possession of the Crimean and Turkish medals with clasps for Balaclava and Sebastopol, the Indian Mutiny medal and the long service and good conduct medal [sic]."

No headstone was erected. There are photographs of his grave area in Aldershot Military Cemetery in the 11th Hussar file. (Photograph: EJB, 1980s?)

[References: neg_58_7_Grave_area_of_John_FLEMING_11H, neg_58_8_Grave_area_of_John_FLEMING_11H]

(Click on image to enlarge)

References & acknowledgements

Death registrations, additional Census information for 1861, 1871, 1881, and 1891, and a newspaper cutting kindly provided by Chris Poole.