The Charge of the 17th Lancers at the Battle of Balaklava, 25 October 1854

Bronze relief, one of four panels, by Sir William Goscombe John (1860-1952), RA, 1909 (c), probably the casting which was exhibited at the Royal Academy 1910 No 1753.

During the Battle of Balaklava on 25 October 1854, through a misinterpretation of the orders, the British Light Cavalry Brigade was sent to attack Russian artillery drawn up at the other end of a mile-long valley. Their route was overlooked from the heights on either side by more Russian guns and riflemen. Lord Tredegar, then Captain the Hon Godfrey Charles Morgan, was in command of a troop of 17th Regiment of Light Dragoons (Lancers) in this action.

The Brigade advanced in three ordered lines, with the 17th Lancers on the left of the front line. After a while they broke into a gallop, coming under heavy shell-fire from the guns on either side. As men and horses dropped, those still advancing closed up lines. When they were within about 80 yards (about 75 metres) of the Russian line, all the guns in the front battery fired a huge volley, leaving only a third of the front line of cavalry still intact.

Despite this, the Light Brigade galloped on, going in among the guns. By this time, it had become fragmented into smaller groups and, after some hand-to-hand fighting, the men were rallied and fought their way back, still under fire from above. Morgan wrote to his father two days after the battle; 'I am at present commanding officer of the 17th, which gallant little regiment now consists of 50 men and horses fit for duty, and three officers.' Of 678 men of all ranks in the regiments who galloped into 'the Valley of Death', only 195 returned.

A Cardiff man, the sculptor William Goscombe John was prolific and produced public monuments for cities around the world. This sculpture is an unsigned version of the four frieze panels decorating the pedestal of the equestrian statue of his fellow Welshman, Lord Tredegar, which stands in Cardiff Civic Centre. It was unveiled in 1909, on the 55th anniversary of the Battle of Balaklava.