THE CRIMEA MEDAL AWARDED TO PRIVATE J. LOWE, 6TH INNISKILLING DRAGOON GUARDS, WHO SAW SERVICE WITH THE 6TH INNISKILLING DRAGOONS AT BALAKLAVA. Crimea Medal 1854-56, 3 clasps, Balaklava, Inkerman, Sebastopol

THE CRIMEA MEDAL AWARDED TO PRIVATE J. LOWE, 6TH INNISKILLING DRAGOON GUARDS, WHO SAW SERVICE WITH THE 6TH INNISKILLING DRAGOONS AT BALAKLAVA. Crimea Medal 1854-56, 3 clasps, Balaklava, Inkerman, Sebastopol (officially named, engraved by Hunt & Roskell in the style of the “split S engraver”, engraved in serifed capitals: JAMES LOWE 6TH. DRAGOONS). Good Very Fine to Almost Extremely Fine and with an attractive old dark tone.

Medal accompanied by 4 pages of copied service papers, copied extract from Roy Dutton’s “Forgotten Heroes, The Charge of the Heavy Brigade” and copied medal roll extracts (2, Crimea Medal and Turkish Crimea Medal), the Crimea Medal Roll confirming Lowe saw service with the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons at Inkerman and Balaklava (the Sebastopol clasp would have been awarded automatically, since the award criteria for the Balaklava and Inkerman clasps cover the period for entitlement to the Sebastopol clasp). Crimea Medal roll for the Balaklava clasp confirms that Private Lowe was on duty on the day of the charge of the Heavy Brigade at Balaklava, 25/10/1854

Crimea Medal rolls, Crimea Medal and Turkish Crimea Medal, both confirm that only one J. Lowe saw service with the 6th Inniskilling Dragoon Guards in the Crimea, 1041 Private James Lowe.

James Lowe was born in Jamaica in the West Indies and enlisted into the 6th Inniskilling Dragoon Guards at Westminster on 19/8/1848. At the time of enlistment he was 13 years and 11 months old and stated that he had no trade (served under age to 18/9/1852). Lowe never rose above the rank of private and was discharged on 17/2/1857 as a result of being found to be “totally unfit for service owing to chest disease attended with repeated attacks of homaptysis and haemoragic diathesis” (probably tuberculosis or similar disease involving rupture and haemoragic bleeding from the lungs). Lowe’s disability was noted on his discharge papers as “probably aggravated by military service, having gone through the whole of the eastern campaign”. At the time of discharge Lowe’s character was recorded as “good” and he gave his intended place of residence as North Shields, Northumberland. As a result of having served under age at the start of his military career, on discharge Lowe was only able to claim a pension based on 4 years and 152 days of pensionable service.

James Lowe is recorded in “Forgotten Heroes” as “probably” having ridden in the charge of the Heavy Brigade. It is generally accepted that officers and men of the 6th Dragoon Guards who are recorded in the Balaklava roll as having been on duty on 25/10/1854 in the absence of evidence to the contrary, took part in the charge of the Heavy Brigade at Balaklava.

For details of the various official Hunt & Roskell naming styles on Crimea Medals, see “By Order of Her Majesty’ The Crimea Medal”. by Tony Martin, William Pickering and Arthur Slattery (Orders & Medals Research Society Publications).