Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

Original letters and a commission warrant in respect of Lieutenant (afterwards Colonel Sir) H. F. B. Maxse, Coldstream Guards, late 13th Light Dragoons and 21st Regiment, who served as an A.D.C. to Lord Cardigan in the Crimea and participated in the Charge of the Light Brigade, comprising a letter addressed to his father at ‘Martinshune, Bracknell, Berks.’, written aboard ‘H.M.S. Agamemnon, Varna,’ and dated ‘August 30th 1854’, ‘Here we are embarking troops as hard as possible ... ’, with two stamps and red wax seal, folded for use as an envelope; a letter addressed to his mother, ‘The Lady Caroline Maxse’, also written aboard the Agamemnon at Varna, and dated ‘Sept. 4th.’, with red wax seal, folded for use as an envelope; together with an original letter from Lord Raglan to Lady Caroline, dated at ‘Great Stanhope St.’ on ‘March 24 1854’, in which he confirms he has approached her son’s C.O. and Lord Hardinge in respect of him being appointed an A.D.C., together with a hand written copy of a Horse Guards communication to Lord Cardigan, confirming Maxse’s appointment as his A.D.C., dated 28 March 1854; an original letter from Lord Cardigan to Lady Caroline, dated ‘April 1st 1856’, in which he appears to discuss the curtailment of her son’s appointment as A.D.C.; and Maxse’s original commission warrant for the rank of Lieutenant, 13th Regiment of Light Dragoons, dated 26 June 1852, in the name of ‘Henry Fitzhardinge Berkeley Maxse, Gent.’, one or two minor tears, generally in good condition (Lot) £600-800

Henry Fitzhardinge Berkeley Maxse was born in April 1832, the son of James Maxse of Effingham Hall, Surrey and Caroline, daughter of the 5th Earl of Berkeley. Appointed an Ensign in the Grenadier Guards in June 1849, he exchanged into the 13th Light Dragoons in early 1852 and, a month or two later to the 21st Regiment.

Having then been appointed an A.D.C. to Lord Cardigan in March 1854, he embarked for the Crimea and was present at the battles of Alma and Balaclava, in which latter engagement he participated in the Charge of the Light Brigade and was badly wounded by a shell splinter in his right foot - almost fainting from the pain and only able to use his left stirrup, he was nearly ridden down by Private James Wightman of the 17th Lancers. Wightman wrote in his memoirs that he had seen Maxse badly wounded, clinging to his horse’s mane, cross his front, and heard him exclaim, “For God’s sake, Lancer, don’t ride over me.” Maxse himself later said that he had cut at two Russians as he passed through the guns and that one of them had pointed a pistol at him, although he was much too preoccupied to notice whether he fired it.

In a letter home to his mother - not the above described letter - dated aboard the R.Y.S. Dryad at Balaklava on 28 October 1854, he wrote:

‘I am writing this laying down so I do not trust myself with ink I hope the pencil will last - De Burgh has just told me that a post goes out directly ... I just drop you a line to say I am quite all right and that my wound is nothing at all. The papers will tell you of our affair of the 25th inst. Our loss is fearful. I will scrawl you a short account. The Russians attacked (about 25,000 strong) Balaklava on the morning of the 25th - they took all the Turkish batteries and 7 of our guns lent to the Turks immediately. The Turks deserted their guns almost at the first shot. They were pursued by clouds of Russian Cavalry between 2 & 3,000 strong who came right up to our tents. The Heavy Brigade about 800 strong charged gallantly and routed them. An order was sent to Lord Lucan for Lord C. to attack with Light Brigade, he sent me to Lord Lucan to say that the spot we were ordered to attack was 3/4 of a mile off that there were batteries on each side and a heavy battery in front also that the hills were lined with riflemen. Lord Lucan said he could not help it & we must attack. Lord C. dropped his sword and led the way 20 yards in front of the Brigade. The plan below and the statement of our loss will show the tremendous fire we were under. It thinned us like a sickle through the grass Lord C. led gallantly right through the battery a gun going off between his horse’s legs I was struck on the foot by a spent round shot or a bit of shell and though I managed to get on 40 or 50 yards past the batteries I was obliged then to cling to my horses mane and was nearly fainting. I managed to re-cross that terrible cross fire still playing in the valley and a French surgeon kindly dressed my foot for me. We cut down the gunners at their guns and broke the cavalry beyond and then every body had to fight his way out. It was a most brilliant but useless waste of life. Our Loss 270 Men killed and wounded and 24 Officers. My brother A.D.C. poor Lockwood is killed or taken prisoner, I am too tired to write more dearest Mum.’

Having been appointed a Lieutenant and Captain in the Coldstream Guards in the Crimea, where he also served before Sebastopol, Maxse returned home and was presented with his Medal & 3 clasps by Queen Victoria at Horse Guards Parade on 18 May 1855; he was also awarded the Turkish Order of Medjidie, 5th Class..

In 1863, Maxse was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the Island of Heligoland and, in 1868, Governor and Commander-in-Chief. He retired from the Army by the sale of his commission in December 1873 and was nominated a C.M.G. in 1874 and a K.C.M.G. in 1881. He died at St. John’s, Newfoundland in September 1883.