Medal group awarded to Trumpet-Major Henry Joy, 17th Light Dragoons (Lancers), 1855

Born in Ripon, Yorkshire, Henry Joy was the son of James Joy, a private in the 1st Life Guards, who had served in the Peninsular (1808-1814) and at Waterloo (1815). Henry entered the Royal Military Asylum at Chelsea in 1825 at the age of six and in 1833 he enlisted in the 17th Light Dragoons (Lancers) as a musician in the regimental band, becoming a trumpeter in 1838. Promoted trumpet-major in 1847, he was in charge of the band at the funeral of the Duke of Wellington in 1852.

Appointed Orderly Trumpeter to the Earl of Lucan in the Crimea, he rode in the Charge of the Heavy Brigade where he had two horses shot under him and was slightly wounded. He died in 1893. In addition to the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM), Joy was awarded the Crimea War Medal 1854-56, Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, Army, 1857 and Turkish Crimean War Medal. Sadly, the exact circumstances of the award of his DCM are not recorded.

The Crimean War (1854-1856) highlighted the need for an award for other ranks and non-commissioned officers, which could be made exclusively for acts of gallantry in action. As a result the Distinguished Conduct Medal was instituted in December 1854.

Donated by the Royal United Service Institution