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

1614, Private Henry HOPE — 11th Hussars

Birth & early life

Born at Caernarfon, North Wales (acc. to the 1851 Census, c.1827, but c.1832 according to his military record).

[RM: In the 1841 Census he is shown [age?] as the son of William Hope, a Musician, of Pool Street, Llanbeblig.

In the 1851 Wales Census, he appears as "Henry Jones Hope", a Moulder, unmarried, aged 24, born at Llanbeblig, Caernarvonshire, a Lodger in the house of John Toleman, a Clockmaker, at 87 Pool Street.]

Enlistment

Enlisted at Liverpool on the 7th of December 1853.

Age: 22 years 3 months.

Height: 5' 8".

Trade: Moulder.

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

Service

[PB: According to some accounts:]

On the morning of the 25th of October 1854, Hope was in the Regimental Guard Tent as a prisoner awaiting Court-martial for some now unknown offence. In the general confusion at the time he escaped and followed the Scots Greys on a spare horse, his shirt sleeves rolled up, and minus a jacket. Pausing only to dismount and take a bear-skin and sword from a wounded man, he took part in the Charge of the Heavy Cavalry Brigade. Because of his conduct in this he was forgiven the offence by the order of Lord Cardigan.

"How we met at Balaclava", Henry Hope charges with both the Heavy Brigade and the Light Brigade, as reported in theWestmorland Gazette, 29 March 1856 [RM].

(Click on image to enlarge)

Private William Pennington of the 11th Hussars describes him as being "One of the bravest. An ignorant and powerful Welshman with great simplicity of character, with a powerful physique, but subject to epileptic fits, and yet who, with a kind word, would have accomplished miracles." He also says that Hope was cruelly pursued and persecuted by Sergeant Major George L. Smith and was flogged on at least two occasions, through the latter's influence.

There is no entry on his documents that he had been flogged as suggested, but an entry in the Court-martial Book for the Crimea shows him as being confined from the 8th — 10th of November 1855 and of being tried by a Regimental Court-martial on the 10th of November and sentenced to 50 lashes for "absence".

He was at Scutari 3rd of May — 4th of April 1855. Invalided to England from Balaclava aboard the "Thames" on the 25th of January 1856. At Chatham Invalid Depot from the 15th of February.

Copy of a letter, signed by Colonel Douglas, commanding the 11th Hussars at Canterbury, and sent to the Commandant of the Invalid Depot at Chatham:

"4th of December 1856.

Sir, I have the honour to acquaint you, in forwarding the discharge documents of the 17 Invalids of this Regiment under my command who will proceed to Chatham tomorrow, that Private Henry Hope refuses to sign the second page of his discharge papers, he giving the reason that he has not yet got his Crimean medal and that he has never received his ship's clearance. The latter statement is not correct, and the former refers to a medal which he has either lost or has been stolen from him, and I have taken steps to procure another thereof which will be sent to you when received.

I have the honour to be, etc. etc.,

W.A. Forster, DAG."

Hope did sign his discharge documents, and a note on the Sebastopol clasp list for the Regiment states, "H. & R. 11/11/56. To replace lost."

Discharge & pension

Discharged from the Chatham Invalid Depot on the 30th of December 1856:

"Considered unfit for further service in the Army and the Reduction of the Regiment. The medical report states No. 1614 Private Henry Hope has been subject to fits of a persistent character — produced by excitement and apparently unintentional, but being no doubt the effects of drink. Is considered unfit for military service, as he cannot be posted as a sentry, nor can he groom a horse."

Served 2 years 335 days, to count.

In Turkey and the Crimea: 1 year 8 months.

Conduct and character: "has been indifferent". Not in possession of any Good Conduct badges.

Granted a pension of 6d. per day for six months.

Medals

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

From Mr. Anthony Mullins, of Altrincham, Cheshire, comes the information (1980) that:

"He [Hope] came from Llandudno, North Wales, where his descendants still live, some of the family being known personally to a friend of mine. The whereabouts of his medal(s) is apparently not known and the family also always thought that he had charged with the Light Brigade."

Further detailed medal information archived.

Commemorations

Life after service

He was living in the Chester Pension District in 1857.

Death & burial

The death of a man of this name is shown in the GRO for the Caernarvon Registration District in the March Quarter 1861.

He cannot be found on the 1861 Census (taken at the end of March) so it could well be him.[RM]

Further information

[IN PROGRESS: Email from Andrew Bruins, London, Ontario, Canada, August 2020.]

A 3rd great-uncle of mine was (Private) Henry Hope of Caernarfon, and he was with the 11th Hussars at Crimea.

In an 1850s newspaper mention in Caernarfon, it referred to his: "...peculiar, but gallant exploit, upon the occasion of the memorable and desperate charge of the English Brigade of Light Cavalry, under Lord Cardigan, on the heights of Balaclava...".

I'm trying to track down what his "peculiar, but gallant exploit" happened to be, exactly, at Balaclava, but I could not find any other newspaper articles from the time about what he may have done.

Ultimately, he was discharged once the unit was reduced, partly because of epileptic fits and behaviour around drinking, according to his discharge papers.