Turkish Crimean War Medal, 1855, British issue, awarded to Sergeant Frederick Peake, 13th (Light) Dragoons

Frederick Peake was born in Dublin where he enlisted into the 13th (Light) Dragoons aged 18 in November 1846. After service in the United Kingdom he embarked with the Army of the East in 1854 and was promoted sergeant during the voyage. His arm was broken by a canister shot during the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava (1854). Evacuated first to Scutari, he was invalided home on 20 December 1854 and remained throughout 1855 at the Invalid Depot at Chatham.

Peake was discharged from the Army as a result of his wound in January 1856 with a pension of 1/3d per day. Because he could read and write, Peake secured a post as a military stores clerk with an increased pension. He nonetheless encountered financial difficulties and before his death in 1906 had sought relief from the Light Brigade Survivors' Fund and the Royal Patriotic Fund.