Michael Julien's Family History
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A further piece of information about my family background
arises on my mother's side of the family. Her grandfather Edward Richard
Woodham was at Balaclava (Balaklava in the Ukraine) and survived the Charge
of the Light Brigade on 25th October 1854 where, as a private in the 11th
Hussars Regiment, he was one of the glorious "Six Hundred" who charged the
Russian guns at Balaclava with the loss of some 450 men.
The "Charge" was immortalised by Tennyson in his poem: The Charge of the Light Brigade
Edward Richard Woodham went on to become Chairman of the Balaclava Committee who held a reunion dinner on Monday 25 October 1875 at Alexandra Palace in London to celebrate the 21st Anniversary of the Charge. The Illustrated London News of Saturday 30th October 1875 carried a full report of the proceedings and transcripts of the speeches which can be downloaded here: The Balaclava Banquet The file is in pdf format and is 3.9mb.
In the report,
there are also included recollections of the Charge by some of the people
who attended the reunion dinner. The recollections of the Charge by
Edward Richard Woodham are reproduced in the attached file: Recollections of the Charge by ERW .
My great grandfather Edward Richard Woodham
died on 12th December 1886 aged 55 and is now buried
in Highgate Cemetery,
London (Located in “Square 121” number 27283).
Further information
about Edward Richard Woodham
The Hussars' museum has
confirmed that Edward Richard Woodham had enlisted in the 11th
Hussars in June 1847 and that after the "Charge" he had spent a short period
in hospital. The Bristol Town Council archive office has confirmed that Edward
Richard Woodham was born on 20 February 1831 and his father (a cooper) was
born on 18 November 1798. Both were born in
Edward Richard Woodham
and Maria Jane Blizard were married on 5 October 1864. They had four
children including my grandmother Emma Maria Woodham whose only son, Frederick
Woodham Evans, served in the First World War and died in action on the 26th
May 1917. Frederick Woodham Evans was commissioned as a second lieutenant
into the 21st Middlesex Regiment and died whilst attached to the Royal Flying
Corps.. See short biography
and citation here.
The short biography and citation referred to above is in a book called "Roll of Honour of the Empire's Heroes" which includes some 140 short biographies and citations of officers killed in WW1 including three who won the V.C. The book was printed for private circulation at a cost five pounds and five shillings. The full list of the officers included can be found here: List of officers in Roll of Honour.
The short biographies and citations of the three officers who
were awarded V..C's are as follows and can be found here:
Captain James
Anson Otho Brooke V.C. of the Gordon Highlanders: Captain Brooke
Major William La Touche
Congreve V.C. D.S.O. of the Rifle Brigade: Major
Congreve
Captain
Gerald Robert O'Sullivan V.C. of the 27th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers:
Captain O'Sullivan
Birth certificates obtained
from the General Register Office at St. Catherine's House showed the following
children:
Name
Born
District
Edward Richard Woodham
20 January 1862
Pancras
William Charles Woodham
14 December 1863
Emma Maria Woodham
02 August 1865
Alfred Cossham Woodham
04 December 1866
Other links of interest are:
