Born at Collingham, Nottinghamshire c.1827.
[RM: His real name was "John Bacon". See below.]
Enlisted at Nottingham on the 6th of April 1845.
Age: 18.
Height: 5' 7".
Trade: Labourer.
Brothers John and William Bacon enlisted in the 17th Lancers under the false name of Baker, allegedly ... because William Bacon was fleeing from the police for a violent crime in Nottingham. John apparently took on the name Baker merely to retain the family connection. The two apparently met George Broom in the regiment and William subsequently married George's sister in Dublin, where their first child was born. All three men rode in the Charge of the Light Brigade and two of them (William and George) were killed in the Charge.
[See below for source and further information.]
Discharged, "by purchase", from Dublin on the 21st of January 1857. Payment of £21.
Served 10 years 299 days.
Conduct and character: "good". In possession of one Good Conduct badge.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman, Sebastopol, and the Turkish medal.
Attended the first Balaclava Banquet in 1875.
Member of the Balaclava Commemoration Society in 1879.
[RM: 1861 Census shows him living in St Mary's Nottingham, a Police Constable.
The 1871 Census shows him an agricultural labourer, born Collingham, living at Collingham, married to Dinah, with four children. His name given as "Bacon".
The entries are the same in the 1881 Census.
In the 1891 Census a man of this name is shown as an Inmate in Bede House Almshouses in Newark, Notts.]
[RM: In 2005, it was found that there is a headstone erected in the village churchyard at All Saints Church, Collingham, Nottinghamshire, to "William Bacon", his brother "John Bacon", and their brother-in-law "George Broome", all of the village. William and George were killed in action at Balaclava. This gives a lot of information concerning these men and their relationships, from which it would appear that Bacon was their real name, Baker an assumed one.
There is a photo of the gravestone in the file.
See entries for 486 George Broom/Broome, 749 William Baker/Bacon, and 828 John Baker/Bacon.]
"In memory of
William Bacon, a native of this parish
who fell in battle Oct. 25th 1854.
Aged 30 Years.And of George Broome, his brother in law,
who met a soldier's death at the same time and place.
Aged 35 Years.They were Privates in the 17th Lancers and fell in
the Death Ride at Balaklava. John Bacon their
Brother of the same Regiment escaped unhurt from
the same Desperate Charge:"Charge! was the Captain's cry;
"Theirs, was to make reply;
"Theirs, not to question why;
"Theirs but to do or die;
"Into the Valley of Death rode the Six Hundred."Honour the Brave and Bold;
"Long shall the Tale be told,
"Yea when our Babes are old,
"Holy [How?] they rode onward.""Thou hast guided me with strength unto the Battle."