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William Morris was the most experienced soldier in the Light Brigade that charged down the Valley of Death in October 1854. Having seen service in India during the Sikh Wars with medals for gallantry at Sobraon and Aliwal, Morris was attached to General Airey’s staff in the Crimea. The high casualty rate left him, a mere Captain, in command of the 17th Lancers at Balaklava. Had the British Army not been so hidebound and its senior officers not noble amateurs like Lords Lucan and Cardigan, the Crimean War would not have been the fiasco it became, and men like Morris would have had a chance to show their brilliance.
Using previously unpublished material, MJ Trow recreates the life of an extraordinary officer, a dedicated professional in a world of amateurs. Morris’ childhood in the rolling hills of Exmoor, his unhappy time at Cambridge, his exploits with the 16th Lancers in India are vividly brought to life before he embarks for the Crimea, resulting in his near death and the award of a CB and Lieutenant Colonelcy. His untimely death from dysentery in Poona during the Indian Mutiny was deeply mourned, not only by his family and the men who served with him, but the people of Devon who were so proud of their hero.
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