Born in the parish of St. Nicholas, Dublin.
Enlisted at Dublin on the 9th of May 1847.
Age: 21.
Height: 5' 8".
Trade: Saddler.
Embarked for the Crimea aboard the H.T. "Medora" on the 27th of April 1854. Discharged from Dundalk "as a bad character," on the 4th of November 1856. Served 9 years 179 days.
Conduct: "Bad." Not in possession of any Good Conduct badges.
Four times tried by Court-martial.
Tried by a District Court-martial on the 5th of September 1855 for "being drunk on duty under arms." Given 50 lashes and awarded stoppage of 1d. per day for 30 days.
Tried by a Regimental Court-martial for "absence and drunkenness" on the 1st of October 1855. Given 50 lashes.
Tried by a Regimental Court-martial on the 6th of December 1855 for "absence." Given 50 lashes.
"Confined,", 6th-10th of April. Tried by a District Court-martial at Ismid on the 10th of April 1856 for "absence and habitual drunkenness" and sentenced to 84 days imprisonment, 50 lashes, and to lose 1d. per day for two years.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman and Sebastopol.
He made two statements giving his account of the Charge, in connection with the law-suits by Lord Cardigan against Lieut. Col. Calthorpe in 1864. One, dated the 3rd of June 1863, gave his address as No. 39 Cook Street, Dublin.
Following investigations made on Lord Cardigan's behalf Captain John Chadwick of the 17th Lancers, then Adjutant of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, produced a statement by Charles Whyte, then living in Dublin, in which the latter stated that he had been approached by a solicitor's clerk, acting for Calthorpe, "who wanted to upset Lord Cardigan and asked me if I would give any information to help them, and if so, it might be a few pounds in my pocket".
Whyte had refused, but two weeks later the solicitor's clerk called upon him again, saying "there were lots of them going over to London for the trial and as they had already beaten Lord Cardigan I might as well go with them and have a good spree",
(See full copy of this statement and the replies by Lord Cardigan, in the "Memoirs" file.)
( A check of a street Directory for 1863 shows 39 Cook Street as being listed as tenements, the occupants not being listed by name.)
An article appeared in "The Regiment" on the 17th of December 1898 which could possibly of him, although the name is spelt differently:
One of the heroes who took part in the Charge of the Light Brigade was Charles Whyke.
He had been a supernumerary in the Borough of Leicester Police. He had entered the Army when young, joining the 4th L.D. [sic] (there was no one of that name serving in the regiment at the time) with which regiment he proceeded to the Crimea. Our hero behaved with distinguished gallantry during that glorious but murderous charge at Balaclava.
At one time Whyke says he was surrounded by a score of armed Russians who ferociously hacked and jabbed at him with their sabres and lances. He received four severe wounds as, in cutting his way through them, on his head, a lance wound in his breast, one in his leg and a bullet wound in another part of his body.
Whyke was also a spectator of the extraordinary leap by Lord Cardigan over a Russian battery. As soon as the charge had been accomplished, the Russians were observed carrying off an English sergeant as a prisoner.
A number of our men at once volunteered to form a party to effect a rescue. Whyke was one of the party, and the object was obtained. In this hazardous service Whyke was again surrounded by Russians and had to defend himself as well as he could. Having despatched one or two opponents he thrust his sword through the body of an antagonist, but was unable to draw it back.
One of the Russians close by observed this and made up to Whyke, when Lord Bingham, the gallant son of the Earl of Lucan, parried off the lance with a cut of his sword, and another cut brought the Russian to the ground, thus saving the life of Whyke.
After lying some time in a dangerous state at Scutari, where he experienced the kind attentions of Miss Florence Nightingale, he returned to England partially restored, but his injuries were so severe he was never fit for active service again."
[Lord Bingham was an A.D.C. on the Staff of Lord Lucan.]
(He is not shown as being wounded in the London Gazette Casualty Lists.
He received £20 in 1890 and £45 in 1891 from the Light Brigade Relief Fund. He was aged 62 years and gave his address as 21, Cook Street, Dublin.
Information about the Light Brigade Relief Fund kindly provided by Chris Poole.