Original British Victorian Named 17th Lancers Martingale Badge used in “The Charge of the Light Brigade” – Crimean War Original Items

Original Item: One of a Kind. The Charge of the Light Brigade, immortalized in the poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson in 1870, was the great charge made by the British Light Cavalry during the Crimean War against the Tsar’s Russian Army in 1854. The Earl of Cardigan, who misunderstood the orders he received, led his command, possibly the finest cavalry in Europe, to capture the Russian cannon in a hopeless blunder. The subject of several films, in the 1930s it was Errol Flynn, in the 1960s it was David Hemmings which was far truer to what actually happened.

Here we have an original piece of “Charge of the Light Brigade” memorabilia, complete with an original hand written note attesting to its use in the great charge on October 25th, 1854, by Trooper James Alexander Mustard of the 17th Lancers:

17th Lancers
Horse Brass
Worn at the Charge of the
Light Brigade 25 October 1854
by James Alexander Mustard
Turks Road, St. Margarets

We have found information regarding Mustard at the Twickenham Museum website, indicating that his “family moved later to Turks Road (now Winchester Road), St Margarets, where he died on 4 February 1916, the last surviving 17th Lancer from the Charge.” For more information please see the information on the Twickenham Museum Website: James Alexander Mustard, Survivor of the Charge of the Light Brigade. We have included a print out with the frame.

The item framed is the badge device worn on part of the horse’s tack, known as a “Martingale”, which helps to control the mount’s head from going too high. There are different styles, but all go down around the front of the horse, and the badge would be mounted in the center of the mount’s chest on the leather. The device is silver plated and shows the Victorian Royal Queen’s Crown above the skull and crossed bones above two crossed lances bearing pennants. This is surrounded by a banner stating SEVENTEENTH LANCERS.

The badge is mounted in a glazed frame above the handwritten note, and the frame is backed with pre world war news paper originating in New Brunswick, Canada. In the frame it measures 9 1/2″H x 7 1/2″W x 1 5/8″, and there is twisted wire hanger on the back.

We believe this to be 100% original and is an amazingly rare item, being used in the disastrous action taken against the Russian guns known as “The Charge of the Light Brigade. From a very old museum collection, ready to research and display!