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

IN PROGRESS — NOT FOR PUBLICATION

1117, Private Henry MURROW — 11th Hussars

Birth & early life

Born at Wells, near Bath, Somerset, c.1816.

Enlistment

Enlisted into the 9th Lancers at London on the 10th of March 1837. Regimental No. 534.

Age: 20 years 11 months.

Height: 5' 9".

Trade: None shown.

Appearance: Fresh complexion. Brown eyes. Brown hair.

Service

Transferred to the 11th Hussars on the 1st of December 1841.

From Private to Corporal: 24th of June 1852.

Reduced to Private by a Regimental Court-martial on the 23rd of April 1853.

Sick at Scutari from the 14th of December 1854 and invalided to England on the 13th of May 1855.

From Private to Corporal: 12th of June 1857.

Corporal to Sergeant: 10th of September 1857.

Promoted to Troop Sergeant Major in "G" Troop on the 17th of June 1860.

1861 Census

Hulme Cavalry Barracks, Chorlton, Lancs.

Henry Murrow, 43, married, Sergt Major, born Wells.

Removed to Sergeant (no reason given) on the 10th of February 1864.

Discharge & pension

Discharged at Durham on the 16th of March 1864, as Free, "to pension, at own request", after 24 years' service.

Served 27 years 5 days. In Bulgaria and the Crimea, 1 year.

Conduct: "good". In possession of four Good Conduct badges when promoted and would now have had five. Once tried by Court-martial.

Aged 47 years 11 months on discharge.

Granted a pension of 1/4d. per day.

To live at 30, Morley Street, Birmingham.

Medals

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

Further medal information archived.

Commemorations

Life after service

1871 Census

5, Jennens Row, Birmingham.

Henry Murrow 50, Pensioner, born Wells.

Sarah, 48, Daventry.

1871 Census

21, Ravenhurst Road, Aston, Warwickshire

The 1881 Census shows him as aged 60, a Brush Maker, born at Wells, Somerset, living with his wife, Sarah, 50, born at Northampton.

1891 Census

Monument Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham.

Henry Murrow, 70, Curator, born Wells.

Sarah A, 56, born Northampton.

A niece is also shown.

1901 Census

69, Bull Street, Birmingham.

Sarah Murrow, 68, widow, Housekeeper Domestic, born Northampton.

1911 Census

The Almshouses, Ladywood Road, Edgbaston.

Sarah Ann Murrow, 78, widow, Almswoman, born Northampton.

Death Registered.

Sarah A Murrow, Aston, 82, June Quarter, 1915.

Death & burial

Further information

A letter in Country Life, 5th of March 1943, states that: "Murrow rode in the Charge behind Lord Cardigan and leading a spare horse named "Ronald" in case his Lordship's horse was shot."

However, it has always been thought that Lord Cardigan rode "Ronald" during the Charge. According to the medal roll, Murrell did not have the clasp for Balaclava. He was not a Sergeant at the time of the battle and as far as is known was never a member of the Balaclava Commemoration Society in either 1877 or 1879 and is never known to have ever attended any of the veterans' functions.

A photograph accompanying the letter shows a Crimean medal with four clasps and a Turkish medal. The Crimean medal is said to be named to him, but the actual wording or type of naming is not known.

Further detailed medal information archived.

(There is a copy of the letter and picture in the 11th Hussar file.)

In 1990 the question of whether Murrow had been a Charger came up in a question from a David Evans to Major AGH Moore in the February 1990 edition ofMedal News. Moore's answer concerning "presumptive Chargers" has a more general application, of course:

Did Henry Murrow Charge?

(Click on image to enlarge)

See also Major Moore's comments about the problems of determining whether a man had indeed Charged in the correspondence in the Journal of the Orders and Mdals Research Society (1978 & 1984) concerning 1493 Thomas Kimble, 13th Light Dragoons.]

References & acknowledgements

Registration of death, and Census information for 1861, 1871, 1891, 1901, 1911, kindly provided by Chris Poole.