Young Knights of the Empire | Page 4

FAMOUS VICTORIES THROUGH LOYALTY TO LEADERS.
Trafalgar.
The month of October is full of glorious national memories for Scouts.
On October 21st, 1805, was fought the battle of Trafalgar, when the British Fleet, under
Admiral Lord Nelson, attacked and defeated the combined forces of French and Spanish
men-of-war.
It looked almost hopeless for a small fleet to attack so large a one; but Nelson made that
grand signal which called on every man _that day to do his duty,_ and every man, like a
true Scout, did his duty, even though in many a case it cost him his life.
Nelson himself showed the example, for he drove his ship in between two of the enemy's
ships and fought them, one against two. He never attempted to take cover, but exposed
himself to danger as much as anyone, and was killed at the moment of victory. The
sailors of to-day still wear a black silk neckerchief round their necks as a sign of
mourning for the great admiral.
* * * * *
BALACLAVA.
Then on October 25th, 1854, in the Crimea, in South Russia, took place two grand
charges by the British cavalry-against the Russian cavalry.

One of these, the charge of the Light Brigade, every boy knows about, but somehow the
charge of the Heavy Brigade is not so much talked about, although it was equally fine in
its way.
I have been lucky, because I have served in two cavalry regiments, and both of them were
in these charges one, the 13th Hussars, was in the Light Brigade, and the other, the 5th
Dragoon Guards, was in the Heavy Brigade.
I don't mean that I was in the charges, too-no; I wasn't born then! But I am very proud to
belong to two regiments that were there.
Hussar regiments are called light cavalry, because they used to have small, light-weight
men who could ride far and fast to scout the enemy. Dragoons were heavy troopers on
big, strong horses, who by their weight and long swords could deliver an overwhelming
charge upon an enemy.
A Brigade consists of three regiments. Two Brigades make up a Division. So the Cavalry
Division in the Crimea was made up of a Light Brigade and a Heavy Brigade.
On October 25th the Light Cavalry Brigade got the order to charge the Russian artillery,
which was supported by the infantry and cavalry.
It was a hopeless task. The order had really been given by mistake. But that did not
matter to men who were accustomed to obey. They charged, and, though it cost them a
great number of gallant lives, they carried out their duty with such bravery and dash as to
command the highest praise even from their enemies, and they won for British soldiers
the name of being ready to sacrifice their lives to carry out their orders, even though the
job looked hopeless. That is why Scouts to-day have as their motto the single word,
"BALACLAVA"
to remind them that if they get an order which it is a bore or even a danger to perform,
their duty is to do as their brave fathers did at Balaclava, and carry it out cheerily and
well.
Now I will tell you about the charge of the Heavy Brigade,
* * * * *
"THE THIN RED LINE."
You have often heard the British Army talked of as "the thin red line." Well, it got that
title at Balaclava. Four hundred men of the 93rd Highlanders and a battalion of Turks
were posted to guard the road leading to the harbour of Balaclava, when the Russians,
some twenty thousand strong, proceeded to attack them. The Turks didn't like the look of
things, so they turned tail and bolted but the brave Sir Cohn Campbell, who was in
command of the Highlanders, said to them:

"My lads, remember there is no retreat from here. You must die where you stand."
And the gallant fellows meant to do it if they had to die--but they were not the sort to say
die before they were dead They formed a line--a "thin red line," as it was afterwards
described--on a small rising ground, and received the first charge of the Russian cavalry
with so well-aimed and deadly a fire, at close range, that it put the others off charging for
a while.
The British Commander-in-Chief, seeing their danger, sent a message to the Heavy
Brigade of cavalry, who were camped in the neighbourhood, to go to their assistance.
The "Heavies" were already parading just outside their camp, when suddenly there
appeared over the rising ground, within half a mile of them, the head of a big force of
Russian cavalry quietly advancing towards them. Rather a startling apparition when the
squadrons were all moving out of