THE CRIMEAN WAR PERIOD FRENCH MEDAILLE MILITAIRE GROUP OF THREE TO COLOUR SERGEANT JAMES BACON, 33RD (DUKE OF WELLINGTON’S) REGIMENT (THE POST 1880 1ST BATTALION THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON’S WEST RIDING REGIMENT), WHOSE GALLANTRY AT THE ALMA RIVER WAS NOTED

THE CRIMEAN WAR PERIOD FRENCH MEDAILLE MILITAIRE GROUP OF THREE TO COLOUR SERGEANT JAMES BACON, 33RD (DUKE OF WELLINGTON’S) REGIMENT (THE POST 1880 1ST BATTALION THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON’S WEST RIDING REGIMENT), WHOSE GALLANTRY AT THE ALMA RIVER WAS NOTED BY THE COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE BRIGADE IN WHICH HE WAS SERVING, AND WHO WAS SUBSEQUENTLY WOUNDED DURING THE FIRST ATTACK ON THE REDAN. Three: Crimea Medal 1854-56, 3 clasps, Alma, Inkermann, Sebastopol (unnamed, an unnamed replacement for a lost original medal) Turkish Crimea Medal, Sardinian flag to the fore and “La Crimea” legend (unnamed, as issued) French Medaille Militaire, Napoleon III (unnamed, as issued). Turkish Crimea Medal holed to take original silver ring suspender, Medaille Militaire lacking most of its enamel, otherwise generally Good Very Fine, with original ribbons, and accompanied by original award certificate for the French Medaille Militaire, dated 16th August 1856 (this in French, but accompanied by a contemporary manuscript translation).

NOTE: the Crimea Medal in this group is an unnamed example, not a name erased medal.

Group accompanied by copied extracts from the 1841 census, 1841 British Army Worldwide Index, along with photocopied extract from Crimea Medal roll, confirming medal and clasps, and copied extract from citation roll for British recipients of the French Medaille Militaire for the Crimea.

James Bacon is recorded in the 1841 census and the 1841 British Army Worldwide Index as being a soldier stationed at Chatham Barracks, Kent (census gives age in 1841 as 15). The citation for his French Medaille Militaire reads as follows – “1055 Colour Sergeant James Bacon was noticed by Sir William Codrington at the Battle of Alma. Was wounded on the attack on the Redan 18 June. Served through the whole campaign. Was never absent.”

Group also accompanied by a photograph of the recipient in civilian clothes, taken circa 1885, and a copy of the October 1939 edition of “The Iron Duke”, regimental magazine of the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment (volume 15, no. 44), containing an illustrated 3 page article about Colour Sergeant James Bacon’s Medaille Militaire, illustrated with a photograph of his Medaille Militaire award certificate. The article notes that James Bacon’s brother, Sergeant George Bacon, also saw service with the 33rd Foot and that the two brothers were descended from four generations of soldiers.

Colour Sergeant Bacon’s Medaille Militaire was one of just seven awards of that medal to the 33rd Foot for the Crimea.

Major General (later Lieutenant General) Sir William John Codrington commanded the 1st Brigade (7th, 23rd and 33rd Regiments) of the Light Division at the battle of Alma. This was his first experience of commanding troops in action, and as the battle unfolded, Codrington proved to be a more than able field commander, capable of successfully adapting his tactics whilst under fire, to the changing circumstances of the battlefield. When the the troops under his command got too far ahead of the other regiments of the Light Division, and fell into confusion after crossing the Alma River, Codrington, rather than order his men to halt and re-group, which would have resulted in their being easy targets for the Russian guns on the slope ahead, ordered his brigade to continue the advance. As the advance continued, the 33rd Foot, the first battalion in the brigade to form an attacking line, led the assault on the Russian redoubt on the heights above the Alma river, and were the first regiment into the Russian positions. As a result, the 33rd suffered a considerable number of casualties in the attack, the largest number of any regiment involved in the storming of the Russian redoubts, one officer and 59 men being killed, and 7 officers and 199 men being wounded. The regiment’s colours appear to have provided a particular target for the Russians, as they defended their position, the regimental history of the 33rd Foot recording that one officer was killed and 3 wounded whilst carrying either the Queen’s or the Regimental colour, and that 16 sergeants who were with the colours at the Alma were also either killed or wounded.

Bacon’s rank in his Medaille Militaire citation is given as Colour Sergeant, and so he perhaps came to General Codrington’s notice during the battle of the Alma as the officers and sergeants of the 33rd struggled to carry their colours forward towards the Russian redoubt on the heights above the Alma river.