AN INTERESTING CRIMEA (SEBASTOPOL) & TURKISH CRIMEA (French Issue) PAIR.

To: JAs HYDE. 56th (West Essex) Regiment.Later 106th Regt.

A proudly worn medal with contact marking and some edge taps, but completely clear naming. With service papers. James Hyde appears in the regimental defaulters book no less than 27 times and was court marshalled once !! A good subject for further research.

56th Foot Regt (West Essex)
(BIOGRAPHY & HISTORY)

James Hyde was born in the small village of Bacup, near Rochdale in Lancashire and prior to enlistment was a collier. He joined the army aged 18 on 8th June 1856 with an attestation with 56th Regiment at Manchester. He served in the Crimea for 293 days & later in East India for 16 years. He is 'in theory' entitled to an Indian medal but this is not shown on his papers or on the rolls. It is thought that his conduct while in India was so bad ( presumably constantly drunk ) that his commanding officer ordered the forfeiture of his medal. He was discharged from the service (4045 of 106th Rgt) at Parkhurst on 12th June 1875.
Whilst the regiment had been ordered home from Bermuda in 1853, it did not sail until late 1854; in the interim, the Crimean War had broken out, and the regiment was put under orders to recruit in Ireland over the winter to full strength, and then sail for Turkey. In December, the first detachment of the regiment sailed for Constantinople.

The second section of the regiment arrived in Dublin from Bermuda in January 1855, where it remained as a depot. Detachments from the depot provided support to the police during unrest at the 1855 by-election in Cavan. The remaining elements of the regiment returned from Bermuda as late as May.

The main force of the regiment was ordered to the Crimea in July. It was originally planned for the regiment to be landed in Kerch to relieve the 71st Foot, but when it arrived it was ordered to land at Sevastopol to reinforce the Allied forces besieging the city. It landed on 25 August, moved into the front lines the next day, and were attached to the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division. The regiment supported the failed attack on the Redan on the 8th of September; it was not heavily involved, and only one man was wounded.

Sevastopol fell on the 11th, and the regiment was awarded the battle honour "Sevastopol" for its involvement in the attack. Five men of the regiment were awarded the French Military War Medal for "fearless and steady conduct".

The regiment left the Crimea on 12 July 1856, part of the final rearguard to depart. It had served overseas for almost a year, with five men killed in action and thirty deaths due to disease.

OFFICIALLY IMPRESSED.

£475