"Dunn was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions at the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854 when he was 21 years of age and serving in the British Army's 11th Hussars. Dunn rescued a sergeant by cutting down two or three Russian lancers who had attacked from the rear. Later in the battle he killed another Russian who had been attacking a private.[1]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Roberts_Dunn
He was presented with the honor by Queen Victoria on this day in 1856.
> Out of 110 cavalrymen making up Richard Dunn’s 11th Hussars, only 25 survived. Overall, the entire attacking force was decimated, 156 killed and missing, 134 wounded, 14 taken prisoner. But throughout the assault Dunn showed himself the warrior possessed that characterized him. > Time and again he led his troop against the Russian guns. Finally the regiment was forced to withdraw when it came under withering fire from Fedouikine Hill on the right. While retiring from the scene, Dunn saw that Sergeant Robert Bentley from his troop was wrestling with his horse, which had been severely wounded, and the Russians had singled him out as a straggler. Three of them concentrated their efforts to knock him out of his saddle and were preparing to finish him off. Seeing his predicament, Dunn wheeled around and galloped through a maze of dead and dying as well as riderless horses charging about in all directions to rescue him.
> Prancing, side-wheeling, rearing his thoroughbred, he parried, thrusted and slashed at the assailants, felling them all in a matter of minutes. But Bentley was still in dire straights, desperately hanging on to his horse by one of the stirrups so Dunn dismounted, lifted Bentley back into his own saddle, then belted the horse on the rump to send it galloping towards the British lines. On foot Dunn suddenly caught sight of Private Harvey Levett from his troop who had lost his mount and was in danger of being cut down by a Russian hussar. Dunn rushed to his aid and skewered the enemy to death with his giant-sized sabre. When he returned to his unit and saw how badly it had been decimated in what had been a full-scale slaughter he broke down and cried.
https://legionmagazine.com/en/2004/01/canada-and-the-victoria-cross/
My 5 Questions:
- Describe the situation that led to you being awarded the VC?
- Did you think about consequences or was it purely instinct that made you do what you did?
- If you could do it again, would you do anything different?
- Have you kept in touch with other people involved?
- Is there anybody else from your experiences, who were overlooked at the time for their bravery, that you would like to name now?
Public Contact Information: If Applicable
Try doing that in game!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Henry_Cain#Victoria_Cross
What a guy... this might not be a thread that stays around for too long but seeing as people critised this game for being unrealistic, I thought I would show that real life had even more unbelievable stuff.
