An original Crimea War letter from Lieutenant Clement Heneage, 8th Hussars, who survived the Charge of the Light Brigade and went on to be awarded the Victoria Cross during the Indian Mutiny

The letter in ink, four sides on a single folded sheet of blue paper, dated ‘Balaclava, Aug. 13th’, and reading:

My dearest Mimsy
I was very much surprised to hear of Clutterbuck's approaching marriage, which was about the least probable event in his life, according to what we knew of him - no one in the regiment has heard from him lately, so he is most likely shy about announcing the event. I don’t think he will stay in the corps one day after the ceremony has been performed - The detachments of the Lt. Brigade which have been out at Baidar for the last 3 weeks, all came in this morning, as they are not much use in that direction, the Russians being almost totally invisible - in fact all the soldiers they have in the Crimea, are close to Sebastopol & the Belbek. This morning a general action was confidently expected, & the whole Cavalry Division was out in the plain before 3 o'clock, but nothing came off, so I suppose the Russians will try some other day. The English cavalry are now an immense force - this morning we were between three & four thousand strong, a most imposing mass of men & horses - & if we had had a go at the Russians, I think they would have been sorry for it. Michael is very well & flourishing, he was here two days ago, & we meet constantly in some part of the camps. There seems to be a great row about the merits of G. Paget, & his good service pension - he certainly does not deserve it near so much as heaps of other Colonels do, particularly as he is such a noted bad soldier - If he writes any answer to those letters in the Times, which he most likely has done by this time, it will be great sport - as that facetious paper will probably favour him with an article written in their best & most severe style - Love to all at Compton. Believe me dearest Mimsy
Yr. most affecte.
Clement’

With related envelope addressed to his ‘Mrs. Heneage, Compton Basset, Calne, Wiltshire’, this with notation ‘England via Marseilles’ and three official stamps to reverse, including British Army Post Office ‘AU 18 1855’, good overall condition £240-£280

Dix Noonan Webb, September 2014.

Clement Walker Heneage was born at Compton Basset, Wiltshire, in March 1831, the son of George Walker Heneage, the M.P. for Devizes. Appointed a Cornet in the 8th Hussars in August 1851, he was advanced to Lieutenant in September 1854, and rode in the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava, in addition to being present at Alma, Inkermann and the operations before Sebastopol (Medal and 4 clasps; Turkish Medal).

Having then returned to England, the 8th Hussars were embarked for India in October 1857, and it was June of the following year that Heneage, now a Captain, won the V.C. for his part in an action at Gwalior, three other members of the regiment sharing the same distinction on the same occasion:
‘Selected for the Victoria Cross by their companions. In the gallant charge made by a squadron of the regiment at Gwalior on 17 June 1858, when, supported by a division of the Bombay Horse Artillery, and H.M’s 95th Regiment, they routed the enemy, who were advancing against Brigadier Smith’s position, charged through the rebel camp into two batteries, capturing and brining into their camp two of the enemy’s guns, under a heavy and converging fire from the fort of the town’ (London Gazette 26 January 1859).

Also given the Brevet of Major, and awarded the Indian Mutiny Medal with ‘Central India’ clasp, Heneage attained the substantive rank of Major in November 1860, and retired in 1868. A High Sheriff for Wiltshire, he died at Compton House, Compton Basset, in December 1901.