Campaign Groups and Pairs


Wounded in the Great Charge


Of the Balaclava charge, Mr. Pearson often related a thrilling story. Col. Marley commanded the regiment, but he was absent at the time, and Col. White, who afterwards commanded them in India led them into action. Sir George Wombwell was his own troop officer. Everyone knew the awful chances against them returning from the mad ride, but no one wavered. It was every man for himself and the devil take the hindermost. Three Cossacks tried to cut young Pearson off. He gave rein to his charger, which required no urging, and would have cleared them, having beaten all three off with his lance, but a fourth appeared wheeling right across his path. It was a moment in which the scales of life and death were balanced. There was no time for thought. More by inspiration than anything else Pearson pressed his knees. He was a trumpeter and had taught his horse to do certain tricks. In response the faithful animal reared itself and seemed as though it were to come down on the Cossack with its forefeet. The Cossack swerved, upset at this new mode of attack, and in a flash Pearson got through, not before, however, one of the other three had jabbed him in the side with his lance. At the time he hardly felt the wound though it had penetrated the left lung, and he reached the British lines in safety. Col. White and another officer were standing near where he pulled up and he heard him say, “Here’s another back.” Then Colonel White called out, “Are you hurt, my man.” Pearson replied: “No, sir,” but fell off his horse from weakness. The air had got to the wound and he writhed in awful pain. Till that moment he was unconscious of injury.


Under the Care of Florence Nightingale


Pearson was taken to Scutari, where he had the good fortune to come under the personal care of Miss Florence Nightingale. She went to him one day when he was nicely recovering, and said, “Well, Pearson, you’ll be going away tomorrow, what clothes have you got?” He hadn’t many, and said so. “I thought as much,” she continued, and she fitted him out. On the transport Pearson nearly succumbed. He probably would have done so, but for one thing. He noticed a couple of soldiers trying on his togs. One man had appropriated his top boots. The couple looked foolish when he suddenly opened his eyes and yelled out that he was not yet dead. It was hard work living on that old packet, but he set his heart on wearing his boots again. He was, however, so bad he was set ashore at Malta. Here, he came under the care of Dr. Frank who “patched me up and made me fit for service again.”


The medals shown on private Pearson’s breast in the photograph reproduced are the Crimean, Turkish, and Indian Mutiny, with three clasps on the former for Alma, Sebastopol, and Balaclava. For a number of years Pearson regularly attended the Balaclava dinner in London, but he had not been to the Metropolis since the Diamond Jubilee, when the survivors of the charge were given a prominent place on the line of route. Here the gallant little band, alas, now so depleted, saluted her Majesty, and he used to recall with pride the remembrance of how the Queen, for whom he fought, halted her carriage and bowed to them in return.


Private William Pearson was discharged from the 17th Lancers at Secunderabad in April 1860, and returned to England to receive his final discharge, dated Horse Guards, 4 May 1861, his time expired, having served 12 years 87 days. He later became a turnkey at York Castle, where one of his many duties was to give the lash to unruly inmates. He signed the Loyal Address in 1887 and attended the Manchester Benefit in 1890. He received assistance from the Light Brigade Relief Fund, aged 62, and later received substantial help for the T. H. Roberts Fund, which also paid his funeral expenses. William Pearson died at Shambles, Yorkshire, on 14 June 1909, and was buried in York Cemetery.


A lengthy report on Pearson’s funeral, ‘Crimean Hero Buried with Military Honours’, was published in the Yorkshire Post on 17 June 1909. The chief mourners were Mrs. Toye (niece), whose husband George Toye had died in the previous year, as recorded in the cutting from the Yorkshire Post from 29 July 1908, which accompanies his Naval Long Service medal:


‘Funeral of an Army Veteran - At York Cemetery on Saturday afternoon the funeral took place of Sergeant George Toye, late of the Royal Marines, who died at his residence, 54, Monkgate, on Wednesday last at the age of 70. Deceased joined the Marines in 1858 and after twenty-one years service was discharged with a long service and good conduct medal and an exemplary character. He was afterwards engaged as a time-keeper at the N.E.R. Carriage Works, Holgate, and retired from this position on a pension three years ago. The late Mr. Toye leaves an uncle, Mr. William Pearson, late of the 17th Lancers, who took part in the Charge of the Light Brigade. Mr. Pearson is 84 years of age and resided with the deceased.’


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