Charles Wooden VC (24 March 1829 – 24 April 1876) was a German-born soldier in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

and a recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

forces.

Crimean War

He was awarded the Victoria Cross for acts of gallantry during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

. He was 25 years old, and a

sergeant-major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in the ...

in the

17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own) The 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1759 and notable for its participation in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. The regiment was amalgamated with the 21st Lancer ...

, British Army. On 26 October 1854, in the

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

, at

Balaklava Balaklava ( uk, Балаклáва, russian: Балаклáва, crh, Balıqlava, ) is a settlement on the Crimean Peninsula and part of the city of Sevastopol. It is an administrative center of Balaklava Raion that used to be part of the Crim ...

, Sergeant-Major Wooden went out with surgeon

James Mouat Surgeon General Sir James Mouat (14 April 1815 – 4 January 1899) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth for ...

to the assistance of an officer who was lying seriously wounded in an exposed position, after the retreat of the Light Cavalry. He helped to dress the officer's wounds under heavy fire from the enemy. This order, carried by the young Captain

Louis Nolan Louis Edward Nolan (4 January 1818 – 25 October 1854) was a British Army officer and cavalry tactician best known for his role and death in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. Born to a minor diplomatic official and h ...

and misinterpreted by

Lord Lucan Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan (born 18 December 1934 – disappeared 8 November 1974, declared dead 3 February 2016), commonly known as Lord Lucan, was a British peer who disappeared after being suspected of murder. He was an Anglo ...

, began one of the most famous of all military engagements – The

Charge of the Light Brigade The Charge of the Light Brigade was a failed military action involving the British light cavalry led by Lord Cardigan against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854 in the Crimean War. Lord Raglan had intended to se ...

– on 25 October 1854. Charles Wooden rode in this action. Captain

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...

of the 17th Lancers, with about 20 men as yet comparatively unscathed in the sea of carnage all around, came upon a squadron of Russian

Hussar A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely ...

s. Ordering his men to keep together, he rode straight at the Russian leader, running him through with his sword with such force that he toppled him over the side of his horse, and, unable to disengage his hand from his sword, fell with him. The Russians closed on Morris and slashed at him with their sabres, cutting through his forage cap until he lost consciousness. He was taken prisoner but, in the confusion of the field, managed to slip away, capture a horse and make a dash for freedom, only to fall from his horse due to his wounds. Pursued by the Russians through the thick smoke of the battlefield, he caught another horse, but fell again when the horse was shot. This time the horse fell on him, trapping his leg. When he came to, in agony from a broken right arm, broken ribs and three deep head wounds, he managed to free his leg and stagger towards the British lines. By a strange coincidence he came across the body of his good friend Captain Nolan; and lay down beside it. (Morris and Nolan had earlier exchanged the letters customary between friends before battle, promising to inform the other's loved ones should anything happen to them.) Once again, Morris lapsed into unconsciousness. An attempt was made by Turkish troops to recover the two men; but, as Russian fire rained down upon them, they abandoned it. A message was then sent to the 17th Lancers; and Sergeant-Major Charles Wooden of the 17th Lancers (who had ridden in the charge, and had had his horse shot from under him) and Surgeon Mouat of the 6th Dragoons, set out under heavy fire to rescue the stricken Morris. After roughly dressing his wounds, they succeeded in returning to their lines. For this action both were to be awarded Britain's highest military honour, the Victoria Cross. Morris survived his wounds, and died four years later in India. Sergeant-Major Wooden was something of a character in the 17th Lancers. One night, returning to camp the worse for wear after a drinking session, he was challenged by the sentry on guard duty, but could not remember the password. "'tish me", Wooden whispered in a slurred voice. "Who?" asked the sentry. "'tish me, 'tish me!" came the answer. Down came the sentry's lance as he demanded to know just which 'me' it was. By now in a temper, Wooden bellowed: "'tish me, the Devil". The sentry, now exercising his better judgement on recognising his Sergeant-Major retorted: "Pass, 'tish me the Devil!" From that moment the nickname stuck and for the remainder of his service with the 'Death or Glory Boys', Wooden remained "Tish me the Devil". Wooden, a German by birth, was not a popular man in the regiment possibly because of his odd demeanour and strong German accent. Even the award of his VC was controversial. At first he was not entered for the award although Dr Mouat was. Wooden wrote to Dr Mouat saying that if Mouat was to receive a VC then so should he as he had been at Mouat's side during the rescue of Lt Col Morris. Dr Mouat agreed, and wrote to the Horse Guards supporting Wooden's claim. The reply to his letter reads: "His Royal Highness feels very unwilling to bring any further claim for the Victoria Cross for an act performed at so distant a period but as the decoration has been conferred on Dr James Mouat for the part he took in the rescue of Lt. Col. Morris and Sergeant-Major Wooden appears to have acted in a manner very honourable to him on the occasion and, by his gallantry, been equally instrumental in saving the life of this officer, His Royal Highness is induced to submit the case." Wooden's VC was gazetted on 26 October 1858. His VC citation reads: Wooden's other medal entitlements are the

Crimea Medal The Crimea Medal was a campaign medal approved on 15 December 1854, for issue to officers and men of British units (land and naval) which fought in the Crimean War of 1854–56 against Russia. The medal was awarded with the British version of th ...

(with bars Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman and Sebastopol), Turkish Medal,

French War Medal French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

and the

Indian Mutiny Medal __NOTOC__ The Indian Mutiny Medal was a campaign medal approved in August 1858, for officers and men of British and Indian units who served in operations in suppression of the Indian Mutiny. The medal was initially sanctioned for award to troops ...

Later service

He exchanged into the 6th Dragoons to become

Quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...

there (presumably with promotion to the rank of officer) in 1860, exchanged into the

5th Lancers The 5th Royal Irish Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War. It amalgamated with the 16th The Queen's Lancers to become the 16th/5th Lancers in 1922. History Early wa ...

in 1865, retired on

half-pay Half-pay (h.p.) was a term used in the British Army and Royal Navy of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries to refer to the pay or allowance an officer received when in retirement or not in actual service. Past usage United Kingdom In the Eng ...

in 1871, and was appointed Quartermaster of the

104th Regiment of Foot (Bengal Fusiliers) The 104th Regiment of Foot (Bengal Fusiliers) was a regiment of the British Army, raised by the Honourable East India Company in 1765. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 101st Regiment of Foot (Royal Bengal Fusiliers) to form th ...

in 1872. On 14 April 1876 Wooden shot himself following a drinking session, having complained of severe head pains the previous week. Brighton, Terry, ''Hell Riders: the Truth about the Charge of the Light Brigade''. London: Penguin, 2005 . An inquest recorded death by suicide due to temporary insanity. He was 47 years old and had served 30 years with the army. He is buried in St James's Cemetery,

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

The Medal

His VC is on display in

The Royal Lancers and Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Museum The Royal Lancers & Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Museum traces the history of three old and famous cavalry regiments, the Queen's Royal Lancers, the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry and the South Nottinghamshire Hussars. It is located at Thoresby Hall in N ...

Thoresby Park Thoresby may refer to: * John Thoresby (disambiguation) *Ralph Thoresby *South Thoresby * Thoresby, Nottinghamshire *Thoresby Colliery *Thoresby Hall Thoresby Hall is a grade I listed 19th-century country house in Budby, Nottinghamshire, some 2 ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

References

External links

Location of grave and VC medal
''(Kent)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Wooden, Charles 1829 births 1876 deaths Crimean War recipients of the Victoria Cross 17th Lancers soldiers 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons officers 5th Royal Irish Lancers officers British Army personnel of the Crimean War British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 Suicides by firearm in England Royal Munster Fusiliers officers Emigrants from the German Confederation to the United Kingdom British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross British military personnel who committed suicide 1870s suicides Burials in Kent