Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick George SHEWELL — 8th Hussars

Birth & early life

Born in London on the 21st of July 1809, he was christened at St Mary's Church, Lambeth, on the 30th of November 1809, the son of Edward and Mary Shewell.

His father had married Mary Warner at St Bride's, Fleet Street, London, on the 27th of January 1787.

Service

When he entered the Army he was living in Great Malvern, Worcestershire.

Cornet in the 8th Hussars. 28th of August 1827.

Lieutenant, 8th Hussars: 8th of September 1831.

Captain, 8th Hussars: 28th of April 1837.

Major, 8th Hussars: 23rd of August 1844.

Lieutenant-Colonel, and assumed the command of the Regiment: 19th of February 1847.

1851 Census

Preston Cavalry Barracks, Steyning

Fredk Shewell, unmarried, 42, Officer, Lt Col Commanding Regt, born London

Colonel, 8th Hussars: 28th of November 1854.

Brigadier-General: 23rd of October 1855.

Campaign service

Brigadier Shewell served in the Eastern campaign of 1854-55. He was in command of the 8th Hussars at the battles of the Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman, and the Siege and fall of Sebastopol. (Medal and Clasps and the Legion of Honour, 4th Class.)

Led his squadron at [Balaklava], and was the first to engage the Cossacks attempting to cut off the retreat of the Brigade.

George Clowes wrote of this:

"They give us great credit for wheeling about and attacking the Russian lancers; it enabled the other regiments who were previously broken, to get through more easily."

His was one of the only two officers' horses that came through unscathed [PB: Was the other Heneage's?].

He was said to be a very strict and religious man, and was known to his men as "The Old Woman".

When forming up prior to the charge he noticed some the men were smoking and ordered that their names were to be taken.

One of these804, Sergeant William Williams, 8th Hussars, seen by the Colonel about to light his pipe, had his arms taken from him by one of the Farriers and placed under "open arrest". Williams nevertheless rode with the regiment, and was killed.

Shewell had suffered considerably from gout and sickness while in the Crimea and was "sick on board ship" from the 6th of December 1854 until the departure of Lord Cardigan in January of 1855 led him to take over the command of the Light Cavalry Brigade.

A letter from an un-named Troop Sergeant Major of the 8th Hussars, referring to Colonel Shewell, was published in the "Naval and Military Gazette", 20th of January 1855:

"We prize our gallant Colonel the more now, because for several days previous he had been laid up in his tent, and even on the morning of the engagement he was too unwell to attend parade, but no sooner had he heard the cannon's roar that he sent his servant to enquire what was the cause, and on being told immediately ordered his horse to be saddled, but was obliged to be helped to mount it, and no sooner was he mounted than he clapped spurs to his noble beast, and came up at a gallop to take charge of us; and well did he perform his part."

[PB /December 2012: Check & follow up the followimg extracts, taken from: http://www.swinhopeburnfamilies.com/grpf1170.html.

Shewell's death prematurely announced in The Times

The Times Newspaper, London, England, Friday, November 17th, 1854, Page 5

"To the Editors of the Times — Sir, I see in the Times of this day a statement transcribed from a Dublin paper that Colonel Shewell of the 8th Hussars was killed in the cavalry affair at Balaklava; Pray contradict this report as promptly as possible as it is unture. Colonel Shewell escaped unhurt.

Your Obedient Servant,

T. W. Brotherton,

Lieutenant-General,

United Service Club, November 16th."

The Times Newspaper, London, England, Friday, November 17th, 1854, Page 5

"Naval & Military Intelligence

We are glad to learn that the announcement of the death of Colonel Shewell of the 8th Hussars is incorrect.

A letter has been received from Colonel Shewell dated the 27th of October in which he informs a relative of his almost miraculous escape without a wound either to himself or horse, after cutting through a regiment of Lancers in the disastrous affair of the 25th of October at Balaklava."

Excerpt from the book "Charge of the Light Brigade" (October 25 1854) by R. Canton [Caton?] Woodville [Publication date & place?]

"At that moment Colonel Shewell turned his head and saw that he, too, was not only menaced in front: in his rear a large force of Russian cavalry had suddenly come up, and was preparing to cut off his retreat and the retreat of any other survivors of the Light Brigade who might still be alive beyond the guns.

A stern, pious man, by no means popular with his troops,. Colonel Shewell had the harsh courage of Cromwell's Bible soldiers. Assuming command, he wheeled the little force into line and gave the order to charge. He himself, discarding his sword -- he was a poor swordsman -- gripped his reins in both hands, put down his head and rushed like a thunderbolt at the Russian commanding officer.

The Russian stood his ground, but his horse flinched. Shewell burst through the gap and was carried through the ranks to the other side.

Riding for their lives, his seventy-odd troopers dashed after him. The Russians were thrown into confusion and withdrew, and the way was clear.

But what was to be done next?

Colonel Shewell paused. No supports were coming up, Lord Cardigan was not to be seen; there was nothing for it but retreat, and, just ahead of Lord George Paget and Colonel Douglas with the 4th Light Dragoons and the 11th Hussars, the other survivors of the Light Brigade began slowly and painfully to trail back up the valley."

____________________

Memorial at St. Mary's Church, Shalford, Surrey, England

'And many fell that day, and there was much valour.'

"There was another such a day in England's history we think about when looking at the tablet to Colonel Frederick George Shewell. who died here in 1856. He fought at Alma and Inkerman and led his regiment in the charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava, and by his courage and coolness saved the remnant of the broken brigade from total annihilation."

In the Transept is a memorial to a survivor of the Charge of the Light Brigade. Col. Frederick George Shewell of the 8th Hussars who led his men into battle with his open Bible propped against his saddle. His grave in the churchyard adjoins the south wall of the transept.

[PB: Where does this come from? Is it just a copy of Roy Dutton?]

___________________________

Obituary in the Cork Examiner Newspaper, 08 October 1856, Cork, Ireland

Shewell, Frederick George; 47, Gosden near Guildford, Surrey, England

[PB:

A short letter from a Charles Wood in the Morning Post on the 12th of June 1856 praised Shewell for saving the remnant of the brigade" at Balaklava:

"Sir,-Lord Palmerston justly observes, 'The main requisites for a soldier are a quick eye, rapid decision, with resolution to act, fearless of responsibility,' and never were all these great qualities more fully evinced than by Colonel Shewell, of the 8th Hussars, at Balaklava, when cantering in support of the charge.

He wheeled his little band of heroes and charged three lines of lancers forming across his rear, thereby saving the remnant of the brigade".

Colonel Shewell's actions at Balaklava praised

(Click on image to enlarge)

Clearly stung, a reply was promptly sent byColonel George Paget to the Editor of the "Morning Post":

Sir, A letter appeared in the columns of your Journal yesterday voicing well merited praise on Colonel Shewell of the 8th Hussars, but the writer is inaccurate in saying that his regiment saved the remnants of the Light Brigade at Balaclava.

The attack made by the 8th Hussars on the Russian Lancers on that day in no way affected the retreat of that part of the Brigade consisting of the 4th Light Dragoons and the 11th Hussars, which were under my charge on that occasion.

As this letter is the first I have ever seen in the public journals having reference to the battle of Balaclava with the writer's name attached I feel that it is becoming of me to point out this error in justice to what these two regiments went through in their retreat and in compliance with the request of Colonels Douglas and Low who led them on that day.

I am, etc. etc.,

George Paget.

13 Albermarle Street.

June the 13th 1856.

See also the record ofMajor De Salis, 8th Hussars, who was robustly warned not to contribute to the debate.]

Medals

Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman, and Sebastopol, the Turkish Medal and the Legion of Honour, 4th Class.

Commemorations

Death & burial

He died on the 1st of October 1856, aged 47, while on "sick leave" at Gosden House, the home of C.H. Pilgrim, Esq. [PB: presumably his sister Mary's husband] at Shalford, near Guildford, Surrey.

Death registered

Frederick George Shewell, December Quarter 1856, Hambleton.

He was buried in the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin at Shalford on the 7th of October, the funeral service being conducted by the Revd R.B. Matthews.

He was said to have been buried alongside the south wall of the church, but a search of the area reveals no trace of a tomb-stone, if indeed, one was ever erected.

Much of the area has been landscaped in recent years however — and it could easily have been destroyed.

Gravestone

1983: His gravestone has now (1983) been found in Shalford Parish Churchyard (immediately outside of the South wall of the South transept) and close to the position it was originally said to be.

In 1955 the stone was surrounded by a high (iron?) railing, but this now (1983) no longer exists.

It consists of two stone slabs (the top one sloping from a raised centre) and has at one end raised carved foliage.

It is now considerably weathered and only partial reading of any inscription can be made:

This is on the side of the slabs and only the words "Shewell" and "aged 47 years." can be made out.

Commemorative tablet

On the inside (South transept) wall of the church is set a white stone scroll tablet, some 12-15 feet above the floor level and the inscription on this reads:

"Near this spot rests the remains of Colonel Frederick George Shewell, C.B. Officer of the French Legion of Honour.

- Lt. Colonel of the 8th Royal Irish Hussars and later Brigadier General of Cavalry in the Crimea.

He served with distinction through the whole of the Russian War of 1854-55.

Was present at the battles of the Alma, and Inkerman and gallantly led his regiment in the fatal Light Cavalry Charge at Balaclava, where by his courage and coolness, the remnants of the broken Brigade were rescued from total destruction.

His character as an officer and a gentleman and as a Christian, won for him the respect and regard of his brother officers, while it secured for him the lasting affection of all his friends and relatives.

In a firm reliance on God's mercy through Christ and in sure and certain hope of a blessed resurrection he departed in peace at Gosden in this parish, 1st October 1856, aged 47."

[PB: Roy Dutton claims the memorial is inscribed "to Colonel Frederick of the 8th Hussars who led his men into battle with his open Bible propped against his saddle"! (Forgotten Heroes: The Charge of the Light Brigade, 2007, p.122). This seems most unlikely. Check.]

Extract from the "Trowbridge Advertiser", 18th of October 1856:

"The leader article, entitled "Our Dead Heroes" and signed "T.R.", began by eulogising those who had lost their lives in the Crimea and those who had come back home only to die of sickness or the effects of their efforts there. "But we are digressing from our subject, and must return to it.

We were saying that we wished to make remarks on the decease of two particular gallant and tried officers whose deaths have occurred just recently almost simultaneously.

The first we alluded to was Colonel Frederic [sic] George Shewell, late of H.M. 8th Hussars (the other was George Ellis of the 4th Light Dragoons, who had died at Trowbridge) of whom in a private capacity we can say little, because we know little.

But we are saying much when we state that he led his regiment into the headlong charge at Balaclava, and brought part of the Light Brigade out of action.

We are saying much when we assert that he was first and foremost amongst the immortal six hundred men whose swords gleamed like a halo in that deathless deed of valour.

The order for that charge may have been mis-conceived, the general ship which dictated it, faulty, the attained — a sacrifice — but there is no denying that it was obeyed with a chivalrous daring, with a sublime heroism to which no other history but ours can furnish a parallel.

Never rode knights of old more gallantly to tilt or die than did our most devoted six hundred to that most eager embrace of death.

But of the two hundred who remained Colonel Frederic George Shewell was one.

He has thus fought out his earthly career and it is up to us to revere the memory of his name.

The day may come (though distant be it) when our nation shall have relatively declined, when our colonies have outstripped their parent country; when England shall have become basic ground to the new nations of the earth, when she will furnish examples for emulation for future schools and races, as we now look up to decayed Greece and Rome — when from her then weakness she will be an object of admiration and not of envy, and that in the full-ness of time the children of the new nations will demand of our descendants the names of our "Six Hundred."

In the reply that greets him let the name of Frederic George Shewell be gratefully recorded."

Frederick Shewell would seem to have been married, as the Account shows that he "died at the house of his mother-in-law, a Mrs Pilgrim", but nothing else is known.

The above reference to his "mother-in-law" would seem to be incorrect in that there is no known record of his having married.

In his will, made in November 1851, he left money and shares to a sister, Augusta, the wife of the Reverend Charles Joseph Parker, and all of his "real and personal estate" to his sister, Mary, the wife of Charles Henry Pilgrim Esq., for "her sole and personal use."

Charles Henry Pilgrim was also the sole executor of the will, proved in December 1856.

The Pilgrim family had gone from Gosden House by the time of the 1861 Census, this then showing a family by the name of Bumstead.

There were no fewer than eleven servants employed there in various categories.

When the will was made in 1851 the Revd C. J. Parsons, M.A. Oxon. was the curate of St. Mary's, Southampton.

1983: Gosden House still stands and is now a G.L.C. special school.

References & acknowledgements

Death registration and Census information for 1851 kindly provided by Chris Poole.