| | HERO OF THE MONTH BY LORD ASHCROFT BY LORD ASHCROFT HERO OF THE MONTH LEFT 'The Defence of Kars', a lithograph showing Fenwick Williams and Lt Christopher Teesdale by William Simpson. (BROWN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY/HISTORIC MILITARY PRESS) BELOW 'Repulse of the Russians', an 1857 British engraving. (TOPFOTO) army, guarding against a Russian invasion Major-General Sir Christopher from Tiflis (now Tbilisi). The Russians had moved 35,000 troops into the area in early 1854, hoping to open up a second Charles Teesdale VC KCMG CB front against a weak and disorganised Turkish Army. On 3 and 6 August, the Russians twice routed the Turks on the battlefield. Smarting from two heavy defeats, the Turks fell back on the town of Kars, southwest of Tiflis. Realising the seriousness of the situation, the British decided in September 1854 to send a British Commissioner, accompanied hristopher Charles Teesdale will Christopher was just two years old when by a small staff, to join the Turkish force. forever be recorded in the history he returned to England with his family. For The man tasked with this key role was C books for two specific reasons: the rest of his childhood, he was raised in Colonel Sir Fenwick Williams of the Royal he received the only VC for the siege of England and Guernsey, where his mother’s Artillery, who was accompanied by an Kars – the last major action of the Crimean family lived. In 1848, Teesdale was accepted aide-de-camp, Lt Christopher Teesdale, War – and was the first South African-born as a gentleman cadet into the Royal Artillery and Dr Humphry Sandwith, who had been recipient of the VC. and commissioned into the regiment as a appointed Inspector General of Hospitals Given the ferocity of the siege at Kars on second lieutenant on Waterloo Day, 18 June in Asia Minor. The intention was that 29 September 1855, and the courage that 1851, shortly after his 18th birthday. Williams would liaise between the Ottoman Teesdale – then aged 22 – displayed while Porte in Constantinople and Lord Raglan’s at the centre of the fighting, it was quite CRIMEAN WAR headquarters in the Crimea. remarkable he was not killed in action. In On 22 April 1853, he was promoted to The three-strong party, headed by Williams, fact, he survived the conflict, enjoyed an lieutenant and served with the British arrived in Kars in late 1854. Although illustrious service career and lived to see his Forces in the Crimean War. British and a barren, harsh location, the town was 60th birthday. French forces had made their way to the strategically important. If the Russians could Teesdale was born in Grahamstown, in Crimea with the objective of destroying capture it, they could march on into the the Cape Colony of South Africa, on 1 June the Russian Black Sea Fleet and the port of Ottoman Empire and significantly boost their 1833. He was the third son of Lieutenant- Sebastopol. Their other aim was to prevent chances of winning the Crimean War. General Henry Teesdale, of the Royal Horse a Russian naval advance on Constantinople While Williams and Sandwith spent the Artillery, who was posted to South Africa, (modern-day Istanbul), while the land route winter travelling through Asia Minor, with his wife Rose (née Dobrée), prior to through the Caucasus mountains and Asia Teesdale was left as the sole British their son’s birth. Minor was protected by the large Turkish representative in Kars. B HERO of the MONTH By Lord Ashcroft 110 www.britainatwar.comwww.britainatwar.com www.britainatwar.com 111 | | HERO OF THE MONTH BY LORD ASHCROFT BY LORD ASHCROFT HERO OF THE MONTH rallied the latter, and by his intrepid example The number of Russians killed was later induced them to return to their post; and Victoria Cross Heroes Volume II put at 5,000. The Turkish losses were also further, after having led the final charge increased to 362 dead and 631 wounded. The which completed the victory of the day, for Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC is a townspeople of Kars suffered an additional having, at the greatest personal risk, saved businessman, philanthropist, author 101 dead and 202 wounded. from the fury of the Turks, a considerable and pollster. His sixth book on In a letter home, written the day after the number of the disabled among the enemy, gallantry Victoria Cross Heroes battle, Teesdale said: “I dare say when this who were lying wounded outside the works Volume II was published in hardback reaches you that you will have heard of the – an action witnessed, and acknowledged in 2016 and is now available in desperate action we had here yesterday; I gratefully before the Russian Staff, by paperback. For more information, wish you to know as soon as possible that, General Mouravieff.” visit www.victoriacrossheroes2.com by God’s mercy, I came out of it unhurt.” In the weeks following the battle, it became Lord Ashcroft’s VC and GC collection is on public display at the Imperial War apparent to both sides there was little Museum London. For more information, visit www.iwm.org.uk/heroes and VICTORIA CROSS likelihood of an Allied relief force being details of his VC collection may be found at www.lordashcroftmedals.com Teesdale own contribution to the defence of sent to Kars. However, having suffered such For more information on Lord Ashcroft’s work, visit www.lordashcroft.com the town had been immense. as the citation heavy losses in one battle, Mouravieff was in Follow him on Twitter: @LordAshcroft to his VC eventually recognised. It stated no hurry to do so again and instead refocused his efforts on maintaining the siege, and “The battle lasted, without a moment’s intermission, for nearly seven hours, starving the defenders into submission. being relieved, the decision to surrender distinguished services against the enemy Teesdale described the desperate situation was taken. Teesdale later wrote: “I was in Kars. when the enemy was driven off in the greatest disorder, with the loss of vividly in another letter home: “The horrors sent from the council with the flag of Teesdale was also made an Officer of the of the concluding part of the siege are almost truce to the Russian camp.” French Légion d’honneur and ultimately 2,500 dead, and nearly double that number of wounded” too terrible to recall – men too proud to beg, The formal surrender took place at an received the VC, the sole example awarded locked their doors and lay down to die in old Genoese church about three miles in recognition of valour at Kars in an In April 1855, Williams and Sandwith wrote a despatch that summed up the that his award was: “For gallant conduct, their houses. The misery within the town from Kars. The officers and regular honour announced on 25 September 1857. returned to Kars, where they were joined extent of the resistance: “I have the honour in having, while acting as Aide-de-Camp increased by the day, and the vigilance of the troops of the garrison, around 8,000 in He was presented with his VC by Queen by three more Englishmen, including two to inform your Lordship that General to Major-General Sir William Fenwick Russians doubled. A stock of wood, eked out all, were all made prisoners of war and Victoria on 21 November 1857 at Windsor army officers. Williams and Teesdale, who Mouravieff, with the bulk of his army, Williams, Bt, KCB, at Kars, volunteered to to the last, had vanished and the cold at night the irregulars, numbering some 6,000, Castle, becoming the first South African- had been given the temporary ranks of at day-dawn this morning, attacked our take command of the force engaged in the became so bitter that numbers of men were were freed. The British officers, including born recipient of the award. He also received brigadier-general and major respectively, entrenched position on the heights above defence of the most advanced part of the found every morning to be frozen to death Teesdale, were all taken into custody at the Turkish campaign medal for the Defence and the rest of the British party attempted Kars, and on the opposite side of the river. works – the key of the position – against in their tents. Horses and mules had long the Russian town of Tiflis. of Kars – a unique occurrence of the VC to strengthen the town’s defences against “The battle lasted, without a moment’s the attack of the Russian Army when, by ceased to be of any service except for food. When hostilities in the Crimea ended being paired with a (non-mainstream) the inevitable Russian siege which began intermission, for nearly seven hours, when throwing himself into the midst of the Towards the middle of November snow and the treaty of peace was signed on the foreign campaign medal. in June. the enemy was driven off in the greatest enemy, who had penetrated into the above began to fall, and so intense did the cold 30 March 1856, the four British officers The brave officer was promoted to captain, disorder, with the loss of 2,500 dead, and redoubt, he encouraged the garrison to make now become that to sleep under canvas were released. Teesdale arrived back in and thereafter brevet major in January INTO COMBAT nearly double that number of wounded, an attack, so vigorous, as to drive out the became nearly impossible.” England on 11 June of that year, reverting 1858, before being appointed equerry to At the end of that month, the Russians who were, for the most part, carried off by Russians therefrom, and prevent its capture; to his substantive rank of lieutenant, the Prince of Wales that November.