He had lost his lance hat, and his long hair was flying out in the wind as he roared, ‘Coom ’ere! coom ’ere! Fall in, lads, fall in!’ĭespite his disappointment in his post war treatment and his consequent early retirement from the 17 th lancers, Morley voluntarily fought in the American Civil War for the Union side. ‘ We heard the familiar voice of Corporal Morley, of our regiment, a great, rough, bellowing man from Nottingham. In order to substantiate his claim, he accrued accounts of fellow soldiers, such as this one from J.W Wightman: Morley became quickly aggrieved that his heroics in this battle went unrewarded and he is famed for writing continual letters, from 1857 to 1896, to the Queen and military officials asking for his actions to be honoured by a Victoria’s Cross. Every officer of my squadron was killed or wounded.’ Illustration from Morley’s 1896 book captures the danger and futility and the charge. The 17th Lancers went into the engagement 145 and came out 45 mounted. In this account he describes the loss of life stating that, ‘I am only certain of the figures for my own regiment. Thomas Morley recorded his own experiences in a book he wrote in 1896, The Cause of the Charge of the Light Brigade.
This event quickly became famous, catching the public emotion, as the men were ordered to charge towards a line of Russian guns with an extremely high fatality rate. Born around 1831 in Nottingham, he joined the 17 th Lancers as a young adult and fought in the Crimean War, surviving the charge of the Light Brigade during the battle of Balaclava in 1854. War shaped much of Morley’s life as he spent many years as a soldier. This man, Thomas Morley, has been described by historian Tom Quinn, who stated that ‘ Morley was not just addicted to war, he was also addicted to the idea that he was a great man.‘ An illustration of Thomas Morley from his 1896 book. One of these characters, the head of the last family to reside in the cottage, lived an eventful life that has been recorded by many historians.
War famed for the charge of the light brigade full#
Others, however, have been full of such characters that they have left their mark on history. Of some families we know little – names and dates, and not much more. Over the 19 th century many families lived in Burns Cottage, running the house as a pub.
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