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

IN PROGRESS — NOT FOR PUBLICATION

1337, Private Robert MARTIN — 11th Hussars

Birth & early life

Born at Sefton, near Liverpool, c.1829.

1841 Census

East Street, Sefton, Lancs.

Robert Martin, 50, Gardener.

Agnes, 50.

Seven children shown: Sarah, 25; John, 25; William, 20; Jane, 20; Agnes, 15; Mary, 15; and Robert, 12.

Enlistment

Enlisted at Liverpool on the 6th of February 1847.

Age: 18 years 2 months.

Height: 5' 8".

Trade: Grocer.

Appearance: Fresh complexion. Hazel eyes. Brown hair.

Service

1851 Census

Ipswich St Matthew, Cavalry Barracks.

Robert Martin, 21, Private, born Sefton.

Severely wounded in action at Balaclava and sent to Scutari on the 30th of October 1854.

Invalided from Scutari to England on the 11th of February 1855.

Sent from the Invalid Depot to Liverpool on the 31st of March 1855, "on furlo, till discharge".

Discharge & pension

Finally discharged, aged 26 years 3 months, from Chatham Invalid Depot on the 24th of July 1855, as:

"Unfit for further service — Has suffered amputation of the right arm in consequence of a gun-shot wound received in the cavalry charge at Balaclava."

Served 8 years 25 days.

In Turkey and the Crimea: 7 months.

Conduct: "good". Was tried and imprisoned for "Absence", 10th of August — 15th of September 1849.

Awarded a pension of 1/- per day, but this was increased to 18d. per day from the 22nd of December 1896, for "gallant conduct".

Medals

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

Awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. It is not known just when or under what circumstances this was awarded, officially, but the following appeared in the "Balaclava Supplement" of the magazine Illustrated Bits in June 1897:

"Robert Martin was another of the stalwart band. He was 26 years old at the time of the Charge, being with the 11th Hussars. He lost his right arm when approaching a fort. After that he saved a comrade's life. For that he was awarded the distinguished conduct medal, the next to the coveted V.C."

An unknown ex-member of the 11th Hussars is quoted in the Daily Telegraph [Date not known, but must have been before the 1875 Dinner]:

"All around us were lying our dead and wounded comrades. I well remember Lawson and Martin. On the same night I buried their arms, which had been shot off."

Commemorations

Attended the first Balaclava Banquet in 1875.

Member of the Balaclava Commemoration Society in 1879.

Present at the Annual Dinners in 1895-97 and 1899.

Signed the Loyal Address to the Queen in 1887.

Present at the Jubilee Celebrations held at the Fleet Street offices of Mr. T.H. Roberts in June 1897 and signed the illuminated address given to Mr. Roberts on that occasion.

At the Lord Mayor's Show on the 9th of November 1890, Martin is shown as travelling in the 12th carriage in the procession.

In January 1897 the Sergeants' Mess of the 2nd. Bn. Coldstream Guards held their Annual Dinner in Chelsea Barracks. In his opening speech the chairman of the proceedings, Sergeant Major Wright, welcomed, among others:

"'... Mr. Ashton [1308, Robert Ashton], who was a private in the 11th Hussars, and a Mr. Martin [1337, Private Robert Martin] who was also a private in the same regiment. They rode side by side in the Charge. Mr Martin had his left [it was his right] arm shot off at that time.'

Many of the old soldiers present at the time rose to make suitable replies and eventually Mr Ashton arose to reply to the toast. He said,

'My friend, Mr Martin, and I joined the Army together [they did not], we belonged to the same troop, we lived in the same room, and we rode side by side together in the Charge, but he had his arm shot off. I had my horse shot under me in less than half a minute, and my busby was shot off my head. I don't want to brag about it, but I can tell you that I have taken part in the battles of the Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman and Sebastopol'. (Loud applause.)"

[Source: Report from the Household Brigade Magazine of the period [ADD FULL REF.].]

Robert Ashton and Robert Martin [right], photographed together presumably in January 1897 at the time of the Annual Dinner at Chelsea Barracks.

(Click on image to enlarge)

On the 5th of June 1970, his medals, discharge papers, documents relating to his becoming an Out-Pensioner of the Royal Hospital Chelsea and newspaper references to his death and funeral were presented to the Regimental Museum by Percy Gerald Martin, a bookseller from Devon, the younger son of John Arthur Martin (eldest son of Robert) on behalf of his brother, Arthur, and sisters, Marion and Kathleen. [RM: These were still in the collection in 2008.]

Life after service

For 33 years, he was a warder in the Royal Apartments at Hampton Court Palace. His address at this time was 85, Moor Park, Fulham, London.

1861 Census

London Street, Hampton, Middlesex.

Robert Martin, 31, Chelsea Pensioner & Attendant, born Sefton.

Ellen 32, born Dublin.

Four children shown: Robert 5, William 3, John 1, Agnes 1.

1871 Census

Pantile Estate, Hampton.

Robert Martin, 42, warder, Hampton Court Palace, born Waterloo, Lancs.

Ellen, 43.

Seven children shown: William, 14; Arthur, 11; Agnes, 11; Henry, 9; Alfred, 7; Mary, 7, Annie, 5.

1881 Census

Windmill Lane, New Hampton.

Robert Martin, 51, Prison Warder, born Liverpool.

Ellen, 52.

Mary 17.

1891 Census

14, Alamo Road, Fulham [PB: sic? No such road. Check.].

Robert Martin, 61, Army Pensioner, born Lancashire.

Ellen, 67.

An interview with Robert Martin: "Chat with a Light Brigade Hero", Cheshire Observer, 26 September 1896. A transcript is available here.

(Click on image to enlarge)

In 1896 he gave an extended interview to the Cheshire Observer (published Saturday 26th September 1896). Described in the headline as a "Chat with a Light Brigade Hero", it covering his military career and experiences in the Crimea, including the Charge, and subsequent employment at Hampton Court.

He was still living in London at this time, but was visiting his son, Mr H. [presumably Henry] Martin, grocer and baker of Foregate Street, Chester.

In July 1887 he moved to New Ferry, Cheshire, and this was where he was living at the time of his death in the Royal Infirmary at Liverpool on the 26th of July 1900.

Death & burial

Death registered

Robert Martin, aged 56, September Quarter 1900, Birkenhead.

He was buried with full military honours in Grave No. 399 (C. of E. Section), Bebbington Cemetery, Birkenhead, on the 30th of July 1900. His wife, Ellen, who died on the 2nd of December 1908, aged 81 years, at No. 54 Grendale Road, Port Sunlight, was later buried with him.

See report of his death and funeral, taken from the Birkenhead News, for Saturday 4th of August 1900, in the 11th Hussar file. [TRANSCRIBE]

The Bebbington Cemetery records show that he was buried in a family grave containing six bodies, he and his wife being the second and third interments between 1899 and 1937. The white marble cross originally erected has by now (1985) broken off and the only inscription on the double tier base reads:

"In affectionate remembrance of Henry Alfred Cryer, who died February 11th 1899, aged 39 years. Erected by his business partner as a mark of esteem."

From the names mentioned at Robert Martin's funeral this was a son-in-law, as was the fourth interment in June of 1915, James de la Rue, aged 57 years.

According to the Cemetery records a Mary Cryer purchased the grave plot. From the knowledge of the cemetery staff the marble cross surmounting the base has been missing for a number of years, the grave receiving no attention.

(There is a photograph of the base of the family gravestone in the 11th Hussar file.)

[See photos of funeral procession, and other ephemera, in RM collection.]

Robert Martin's death, reported in the Cheshire Observer, 28th July 1900.

(Click on image to enlarge)

Further information

1901 Census

26 Beaconsfield Street, Chester.

Ellen Martin, 78, born Liverpool, living with her son Alfred, 37, and his wife Marian & their daughter, Gertrude.

Death registered

Ellen Martin, aged 81, December Quarter 1908, Wirral.

From Nurse Sarah Anne: with Florence Nightingale at Scutari, edited by Robert G. Richardson:

"Another of the 11th Hussars, Robert Martin, had lost his right arm. His account of the charge is vivid:

'We were sitting on our horses when Captain Nolan came galloping up with the order for the Light Brigade to advance and retake the guns that had been captured from the Turks by the Russians. We obeyed, the fire from the flank batteries on our right and left became most murderous, while the guns in front were belching forth deadly missiles and making complete streets through our ranks. Just then my right arm was shattered to pieces. I gathered it together as best as I could and laid it across my knee.

Glanister [1564 James Glanister, 11th Hussars] had unfortunately broken his sword off at the hilt by striking a Russian on the top of his helmet. The order to retire was then given by Lord George Paget, and on my turning I perceived a Cossack close to us. He immediately levelled his pistol and fired at Glanister and myself. The ball whizzed past my face and struck Glanister, shattering his underjaw and causing him to fall forward on his cloak, which was rolled up in front of him.

The Cossack bolted at once and I had the presence of mind to grasp the reins of my horse and putting them in my mouth — at the same time seizing those of Glanisters's horse and turning it into the ranks, by this means his life was no doubt saved.

It was now every man for himself. I galloped back with the remnant of my regiment and passed through the Polish Lancers who had formed across our line of retreat. I was beginning to feel faint from loss of blood, and urged my horse to its utmost speed to get out of the range of fire; But a spent ball struck my ammunition pouch, and the next thing I remember was being held up by an officer and his administering some rum to me which had the effect of bringing me round. I was then helped off my horse, put on a stretcher and carried to the rear.

My arm was afterwards amputated and I was sent to Scutari Hospital, and carried in there more dead than alive, my arm having got into a very bad state. Miss Nightingale came and gave me something which seemed to revive me, and she afterwards wrote to my friends for me. I recovered and was sent home to Chatham where I had an attack of Crimean fever [PB: presumably the disease now generally called Brucellosis, which Nightingale herself suffered from], and on recovering from this I was then appointed a warder at Hampton Court Palace, and married'."

This act was possibly the reason for his being awarded the D.C.M.

Nurse Sarah Anne wrote many years later:

"I find that he and his wife still survive, having brought up a large family, all grown up and filling good and responsible positions. He has now retired on account of failing health."

References & acknowledgements

Census information for 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901, a number of death registrations, and notice of death in the the Cheshire Observer, kindly provided by Chris Poole.