Charles Wooden
| Charles Wooden | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
24 March 1829 Germany |
| Died | 24 April 1876 (aged 47) Dover, Kent |
| Buried | St James's Cemetery, Dover |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1846–1876 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit |
17th Lancers 6th Dragoons 5th Lancers 104th Regiment of Foot (Bengal Fusiliers) |
| Battles/wars |
Crimean War Indian Mutiny |
| Awards |
Victoria Cross Médaille militaire (France) |
Charles Wooden VC (24 March 1829 – 24 April 1876) was a German-born soldier in the British Army and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
He was awarded the Victoria Cross for acts of gallantry during the Crimean War. He was 25 years old, and a sergeant-major in the 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own), British Army. On 26 October 1854, in the Crimea, at Balaklava, Sergeant-Major Wooden went out with surgeon James Mouat to the assistance of an officer who was lying seriously wounded in an exposed position, after the retreat of the Light Cavalry. He helped to dress the officer's wounds under heavy fire from the enemy.
Lord Raglan wishes the cavalry to advance rapidly to the front, follow the enemy, and try to prevent the enemy carrying away the guns. Troop Horse Artillery may accompany. French cavalry is on your left. Immediate. (signed) R. Airey
This order, carried by the young Captain Louis Nolan and misinterpreted by Lord Lucan, began one of the most famous of all military engagements – The Charge of the Light Brigade – on 25 October 1854. Charles Wooden rode in this action.
Captain William Morris of the 17th Lancers, with about 20 men as yet comparatively unscathed in the sea of carnage all around, came upon a squadron of Russian Hussars. Ordering his men to keep together, he rode straight at the Russian leader, running him through with his sword with such force that he toppled him over the side of his horse, and, unable to disengage his hand from his sword, fell with him. The Russians closed on Morris and slashed at him with their sabres, cutting through his forage cap until he lost consciousness. He was taken prisoner but, in the confusion of the field, managed to slip away, capture a horse and make a dash for freedom, only to fall from his horse due to his wounds. Pursued by the Russians through the thick smoke of the battlefield, he caught another horse, but fell again when the horse was shot. This time the horse fell on him, trapping his leg. When he came to, in agony from a broken right arm, broken ribs and three deep head wounds, he managed to free his leg and stagger towards the British lines. By a strange coincidence he came across the body of his good friend Captain Nolan; and lay down beside it. (Morris and Nolan had earlier exchanged the letters customary between friends before battle, promising to inform the other's loved ones should anything happen to them.) Once again, Morris lapsed into unconsciousness.
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Wikipedia