ANZIO Digital The Charge of the Light Brigade

by Baron Halpenny, LincsMag Editor-in-Chief.
Date: 1 November 2009

The Charge of the Light Brigade

The charge of the Light Brigade took place at the battle of Balaclava on 25th October 1854, in the Crimean War with Russia. It was the result of a mistaken order, and in twenty-five minutes more than two-thirds of these British soldiers had been killed or wounded.

The great Lincolnshire poet, Lord Alfred Tennyson in this famous poem has, given deathless fame to the brave soldiers who went forward, fearless in obedience to command although they quite well realized they were going to almost certain death. This poem was first published on the 9th December 1854, the same year as the battle.

It’s interesting to note that Tennyson’s “Charge of the Heavy Brigade at Balaclava” was never popular, and is unknown except to literary scholars.

Oh well, you can’t win them all.


The Charge of the Light Brigade

HALF a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!” he said;
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Someone had blundered:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die;
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them,
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well;
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell,
Rode the six hundred.

Flashed all their sabres bare,
Flashed as they turned in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wondered:
Plunged in the battery-smoke,
Right through the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reeled from the sabre-stroke,
Shattered and sundered.
Then they rode back, but not—
Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them,
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came through the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
0 the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honour the charge they made,
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!

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