Medals from the Collection of Warwick Cary, Part 1
Provenance: Christie’s June 1974 when sold by order of a direct descendant. C.B. London Gazette 10 July 1855. French Legion of Honour, Chevalier London Gazette 1 May 1857.
John Douglas, who was born at Gartcraig, Lanarkshire, Scotland on 25 April 1811, the son of Archibald Douglas of Glen Finart, joined the 61st Foot as an Ensign in June 1829, immediately transferring to the 79th Foot. Advancing to Captain in May 1839 he was invited, six months later, into the 11th Hussars. The following September, Douglas achieved a certain notoriety when acting as second to his commanding officer, John Thomas Brudenell, the 7th Earl of Cardigan, in his notorious duel with Captain Tuckett on Wimbledon Common. Cardigan’s use of a pistol considered un-sporting in its sophistication saw him tried before the House of Lords in 1841. Notwithstanding his boast upon arrest that ‘I have hit my man’, he was acquitted on a legal technicality. Douglas was tried as an accessory to attempted murder by a regimental court-martial in March of the same year but was also acquitted.
In June 1854, with Cardigan having advanced to the Command of the Light Brigade, Douglas was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel and in command of the 11th Hussars. He commanded the regiment during the campaign in the Crimea, including the affair at Bulganak on 19 September 1854, the following day at the Battle of the Alma and also in the charge at Balaklava on 25 October when he led five officers, a medical officer, Regimental Sergeant Major Bull and 135 men into the valley of death. On that memorable occasion, with his men already in the saddle and preparing to advance, Douglas turned to address his regiment and shouted a few last words of advice: “Eleventh, attention. Now in all probability we shall meet the enemy today. When you do, don’t cut but give them the point, and they will never face you again.”
Breaking into a trot, they advanced down the valley as Russian guns firing from the left and straight ahead, scythed down men and horses. Troop Sergeant Major Loy Smith of the 11th recollected: ‘As we moved off the Russians opened fire from all their batteries, the round shot passed through us, and the shells burst over and amongst us, causing great havoc. The first man of my Troop that was struck was Private Young, a cannon ball taking off his right arm, I being close in his right rear, fancied I felt the wind from it as it passed me, I afterwards found I was bespattered by his flesh... Many riderless horses were now galloping along with us, forcing their way up into the ranks, and keeping their places as though their masters had been on their backs.’
With a portion of his men engaging the Russian guns as they passed through, Douglas and the remainder of his surviving men were here joined by the 4th Light Dragoons under Paget, and continuing forward some distance saw Russian cavalry grouping ahead of them. Sergeant-Major Smith recalling ‘Colonel Douglas, seeing that there was no time to lose, and expecting every moment that we should be charged by this body of Cavalry in our front, called out “Give them another charge men, Hurrah”...waving our swords over our heads, on we galloped.’
At this point Douglas, assuming that he would be supported with both cavalry and infantry, had charged on with his men to the end of the valley - no other regiment got so far. Here a stand-off ensued, with Douglas and his diminished force realising they were faced with an ever growing body of Russians. Or as Colonel Paget put it ‘He was facing the entire force of the Russian Cavalry! Indeed the Russian Army!’
While the two sides stood face to face, fresh units of Russian Lancers moved in behind the British, cutting them off. Douglas in his own words described what happened next: ‘I saw in our rear two squadrons of Lancers drawn up. I instantly proclaimed, “They’re the 17th. Let us rally on them”. At that very moment Lieutenant Roger Palmer rode up and said “I beg your pardon, Colonel, that is not the 17th, that is the enemy”. “Well”, I exclaimed, “we must only retire and go through them” So with the 4th Light Dragoons we charged the Russian Lancers and got past them with few casualties.’
Lummis and Wynn estimate that during the charge, the 11th Hussars lost 25 men killed, 3 officers and 27 men wounded and 8 men taken prisoner, although Douglas himself returned to the British lines without serious wound. Shortly afterwards he commanded the 11th Hussars in their minor role at Inkermann and also during the lengthy Sebastopol siege. In addition to his 4 clasp Crimea and Turkish Crimea medals he was created a Companion of the Honourable Order of the Bath, a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour and a 4th Class of the Turkish Order of Medjidie.
Douglas proceeded home to England on 14 November 1855 on account of ill-health and was afterwards detailed to remain in England by direction of the Horse Guards in order to give evidence at the Court of Enquiry into the conduct of the Crimean War, held at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea.
He had married, on 10 March 1842, Rosa Maria, daughter of the Right Honourable Arthur Paget. His wife, after he had refused to divorce her, left for Canada with Alexander Roberts Dunn, the hero of the regiment, who had been awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during the charge at Balaklava.
Advanced to Major-General in March 1868, Douglas commanded the Cavalry Brigade at Aldershot from January 1871 but died at his Aldershot quarters on 10 May 1871, aged 60 years. His tomb is a red sand-stone vault at the rear of Kilmun Church on shores of Holy Loch, the traditional burying-place of the house of Argyll. A memorial was also erected to him in the Garrison Church of St. George, Aldershot.
Sold with copied research including photographic images of the recipient.
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