Edwin Hughes (soldier)
| Edwin Hughes | |
|---|---|
Edwin Hughes in about 1873
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| Nickname(s) | Balaclava Ned |
| Born |
12 December 1830 Wrexham, Wales |
| Died | 18 May 1927 (aged 96) Blackpool, England |
| Buried at | Layton Cemetery, Blackpool |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1852–1873 |
| Rank | Troop Sergeant Major |
| Unit | 13th Light Dragoons |
| Battles/wars | |
Edwin Hughes (12 December 1830 – 18 May 1927), known as Balaclava Ned, was a British Army soldier and the last survivor of the famous Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War of 1854–56.
Hughes was born in Wrexham, Wales on 12 December 1830, one of nine children to William (a tin-plate worker) and Mary (née Jones) Hughes. He was baptised at St. Giles Church in Wrexham on 5 January 1831. Hughes became a shoemaker until he joined the 13th Light Dragoons, part of the Light Brigade, at Liverpool on 1 November 1852. He joined his regiment at Hounslow as 1506 Private Hughes, and in 1854 he sailed with them from Portsmouth to the Crimea.
On 25 October 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.
Returning to British lines after the charge, Hughes was put in charge of the Russian prisoners. He was also present at the Battle of Inkerman on 5 November 1854 and throughout the siege and eventual capture of Sevastopol. At the end of the war he was awarded the Crimea Medal with clasps for Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman and Sevastopol, and the Turkish Crimea Medal.
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