Full medal write up
"The first man I noticed was a mounted driver. He cut me across the eyes with his whip, which almost blinded me, but as my horse flew past him, I made a cut at him and caught him in the mouth, so that his teeth all rattled together as he fell from his horse. I can fancy I hear the horrible sound now. As he fell I cut at him again; and then I made for another driver, and cut him across the back of his neck, and gave him a second cut as he fell"
CRIMEA 1854-56, 3 CLASPS, BALAKLAVA, INKERMANN, SEBASTOPOL ‘J. GRIGG. 4TH LT DRAGNS’, OFFICIALLY IMPRESSED NAMING, ARMY L.S. & G.C., V.R. ‘954 SERGT JOSPH GRIGG, 5TH LANCERS’, TURKISH CRIMEA 1855, BRITISH ISSUE. UNNAMED AS ISSUED.
Joseph Grigg, a Groom was born in Exeter on 24 August 1825 and enlisted into the 4th Light Dragoons at Exeter on 21 October 1843. Given regimental number 1180 he went on to serve in the Crimean War with his regiment and was present at the battle of Balaclava, 25 October 1854 where he took part in the Charge of the Light Brigade. Of the 12 officers, 118 men and 118 horses of the 4th Light Dragoons who took part in the charge, 4 officers, 54 men and 80 horses were killed, wounded or missing. Private Samuel Parkes of the 4th was awarded the Victoria Cross for his part in the charge and is mentioned in Grigg’s narrative.
Grigg went on to serve at the battle of Inkerman and the siege of Sebastopol and continued to serve with the regiment until June 1861 when he transferred to the 5th Lancers and was given a new number; 954. Serving in India with the lancers, he was promoted Corporal on 27 July 1863 and sergeant on 24 January 1866. He was discharged from the army at his own request with a pension for 24 years’ service, on 31 May 1869.
For his service, Grigg had been awarded the Crimean War medal with three clasps, the Turkish Crimea medal and the Army Long Service Good Conduct Medal. Despite Grigg telling how he was at Alma, both the medal rolls and his service papers state he received a medal with the clasps Balaclava, Inkerman and Sebastopol only. It may be he was at Alma but for whatever reason the clasp was not authorised to him.
Post army service, he was a Prison Warder, St Augustine's Prison, Canterbury, from 1871, a Prison Warder at Canterbury Jail of 1 Notley Street, Northgate, Canterbury and in 1881 was noted as Warder of Prison and Chelsea Pensioner, late Sergeant 5th Lancers of 23 Alma Street, Canterbury.
Grigg died aged 80 on 19 February 1904 at Herne Workhouse, described as an ‘Army Pensioner of St Dunstan.'. He was buried at St Dunstan's church, London Road, Canterbury.
As well has writing accounts of his experiences during the charge of the Light Brigade, quotes from which appear in multiple books on the charge and in full in the 1897 publication, `Told From the Ranks,'. Grigg is listed as having Appeared on 1879 Commemoration Society List, attended the Balaklava Dinner in Birmingham in 1895, attended T.H. Roberts Jubilee celebrations in Fleet Street and Signed an Illuminated Address to T.H. Roberts dated 25 October 1897. In all subsequent publications on the charge, is listed as a confirmed ‘charger’.
Sources:
Honour the Light Brigade
The War Correspondent, Journal of the Crimean War Research Society Vol. 28, No. 3, Oct 2010: Joseph Grigg: From Prison Warden to the Workhouse by Chris Poole
Told from the Ranks:Recollections of Service by Privates and Non-Commissioned Officers of the British Army 1843-1901 by E. Milton Small, pub. 1901
Further details on Grigg, his service and family, can also be found on this excellent website:
https://shadowsoftime.co.nz/4ths/dragoong/grigg1.html
Condition; 1st with contact and edge bruising, about NVF, 2nd and 3rd VF. See below for more detailed condition report. Sold with copy service papers and digital copies of his account from ‘Told From The Ranks’. Medals were sold at Sotheby’s 21 June 1906 and Glendinings 11 December 1985.
Sotheby sale of 1906 (digital copy of catalogue with research), shows 3 medals in the group, the Crimea with 3 clasps. As common with all medal groups in the catalogue, only the naming of one medal appears in the lot description, which appears to be the later medal; in this case the Long Service Medal.
Matching pawnbroker numbers appear on the upper edge of both the Crimea and Long Service Medals and also the rear strap of the balaclava clasp. The Sebastopol and Inkermann clasp have non official rivets and have been added later, which is not unusual as clasps were frequently issued loose. However since they have more wear to them and no pawnbroker stamps, this suggests they were added sometime prior to the 1906 sale. The Turkish Crimea, also has not stamp and has been added to the pair; these medal being unnamed anyway.
It is very likely that Grigg either pawned his medal before he died in the workhouse in 1904 or someone did after he died and they were then acquired by the Sotheby collector who likely added the clasps and Turkish Crimea. Backing up this is a period photograph of Grigg in old age which shows him wearing his medals with only one clasp on his Crimea medal, which matches the pawnbrokers stamps but also shows a different suspension on the Turkish Crimea.