by Siggurdsson
Sgt. Major Edwin Hughes (1830-1927)
Picture taken c. 1873 (probably on his retirement)
(Unless otherwiseINDICATED
, all illustrations are courtesy of Wikipedia)
Picture taken c. 1873 (probably on his retirement)
(Unless otherwiseINDICATED
, all illustrations are courtesy of Wikipedia)
This Week in Military History
May 18, 1927 – Troop Sgt. Major Edwin "Balaclava Ned" Hughes
Edwin Hughes was the last surviving member of the Charge of the Light Brigade when he died – he had achieved that status as of 1923. Hughes had been a shoemaker before he joined the 13th Light Dragoons in November of 1852. He sailed with his regiment to the Crimea in 1854.
On October 25, 1854 Hughes rode in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the battle of Balaclava, where his horse was killed under him, trapping his leg. Of the Charge, he later said, "I was on duty that day from four o'clock in the morning until after the charge in the afternoon. We rode out at the command straight for the Russian lines. Before we reached them, my horse was shot, and in falling on its side I got partially pinned underneath injuring my leg. I was assisted away."
