Born in Stowmarket, Suffolk c.1818. Possibly the son of John Broom, a "Beer Retailer", of Bury Street.
Enlisted at Ipswich on the 2nd of October 1836.
Age: 18.
Height: 5' 9".
Trade: Labourer.
From Private to Corporal: 17th of February 1844.
Acting Hospital Sergeant with a Detachment of the Regiment at Maidstone, July 1845.
From Corporal To Sergeant (Acting Hospital Sergeant): 28th of July 1846.
Reduced to Private by a Regimental Court-martial on the 26th of December 1847.
From Private to Corporal: 30th of October 1848.
Reduced to Private by a Regimental Court-martial: 20th of August 1851.
Killed in action in the Charge at at Balaclava, 25th October 1854.
Next of kin: Son, John Broom.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Balaclava and Sebastopol.
[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 another 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."
PB: "Holy"? In an article in the War Correspondent (October 2007) Douglas Austen argues that the word "Holy" at the end of the second verse (which is not in any of Tennyson's many drafts) is in fact "How" (which is). This he thinks may be a confusion caused by the low resolution of the published photograph. I'm not so sure. It definitely looks like "Holy" to me, which also fits with the sentiment of the last line. It would be good to look at other photographs, and of course the actual headstone.