Orders, Decorations and Medals

The contemporary group of dress miniatures worn by Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Gordon, Bt., 17th Lancers, who charged with the Light Brigade at Balaklava

Crimea 1854, 2 clasps, Balaklava, Sebastopol; Order of the Medjidie, silver with gold and enamel centre; Legion of Honour, silver and enamel with gold centres; Turkish Crimea, Sardinian issue; Indian Mutiny 1857, 1 clasp, Central India, the first four mounted as worn on a quadruple buckle bar, the last also with a ribbon buckle, the whole contained in a silver cheroot case, the outer lid engraved with Sir William's family crest and motto, very fine (6)

Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Gordon, Bt., was born on 20 October 1830, educated at Cheltenham College and entered the 17th Lancers as a Cornet in 1850. He became Lieutenant in the following year and rode with the Regiment in the charge of the Light Brigade, receiving five sabre wounds on his head. It was said of him in hospital that he was the only patient 'with his head off.' Gordon recovered sufficiently to see service in the Mutiny and retired by sale of his commission in July 1864. He died at Earlston, his family seat on 12 May 1906.