Fenton, photography and an ancestor
Mention the word 'Fenton' today and, unless you're talking to a photography aficionado, you'll probably bring to mind a deer-chasing labrador and its owner's despairing entreaties. However, Roger Fenton is an important figure in the history of photography, renowned for his Crimean War pictures that effectively invented the field of photo-journalism. Among them is a picture of my great great grandfather, who was killed in that war aged 31.
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| Roger Fenton (1819-1869) and his 'Photographic Van' in the Crimea, 1855 |
John McLellan was born in 1824 in the Barony district of Glasgow into a family of weavers -- the cloth trade being the chief source of employment in the city in those days. He too might have been destined for a life in the cotton factories, but for a recruiting party from the 30th Regiment of Foot, which turned up in the summer of 1842. The 18-year-old John signed up, and a year later found himself in Ireland -- shortly before the Great Famine. British soldiers cannot have been exactly welcome at this time, given that they were there to defend the interests of the (largely Protestant) landlords. Nevertheless, while stationed in Killaloe, County Clare, on the banks of the Shannon, John met and married a local girl: a dressmaker called Eliza Dowling. It's possible that Eliza saw the British Army as a ticket out of her country's worsening situation. If so, she got her wish, as the regiment returned to England in 1846 and by 1850 the McLellans were in the North Barracks at Walmer in Kent.
At that time the Warden of the Cinque Ports, with quarters in nearby Walmer Castle, was none other than the Iron Duke himself, the ageing Duke of Wellington, who is known to have inspected the 30th Regiment on 18 October 1850 (History of the Thirtieth Regiment, Bannatyne, 1923, p. 388). So it's almost certain that, standing proudly on parade, Sergeant John McLellan met the steely gaze of the former Prime Minister and hero of Waterloo. On 8 May the following year, John and Eliza had a son -- my great grandfather Robert.
Following the outbreak of war with Russia in 1854, the 30th Regiment set off from Gibraltar on 1 May aboard SS Cambria. Among the camp followers, after winning a one-in-three ballot, were Eliza and the toddler Robert. The regiment disembarked at Scutari in Turkey on 11 May, where wives and children remained, before moving on to the Black Sea port of Varna on 16 June. Later in the war Eliza and Robert would almost certainly have encountered Florence Nightingale in the barracks at Scutari. The 30th's stay in Varna, which was punctuated by frequent parades, cricket matches, horse racing and outbreaks of cholera, came to an end on 31 August, when the regiment embarked on SS Vulcan, bound for the Crimea.
At that time the Warden of the Cinque Ports, with quarters in nearby Walmer Castle, was none other than the Iron Duke himself, the ageing Duke of Wellington, who is known to have inspected the 30th Regiment on 18 October 1850 (History of the Thirtieth Regiment, Bannatyne, 1923, p. 388). So it's almost certain that, standing proudly on parade, Sergeant John McLellan met the steely gaze of the former Prime Minister and hero of Waterloo. On 8 May the following year, John and Eliza had a son -- my great grandfather Robert.
Following the outbreak of war with Russia in 1854, the 30th Regiment set off from Gibraltar on 1 May aboard SS Cambria. Among the camp followers, after winning a one-in-three ballot, were Eliza and the toddler Robert. The regiment disembarked at Scutari in Turkey on 11 May, where wives and children remained, before moving on to the Black Sea port of Varna on 16 June. Later in the war Eliza and Robert would almost certainly have encountered Florence Nightingale in the barracks at Scutari. The 30th's stay in Varna, which was punctuated by frequent parades, cricket matches, horse racing and outbreaks of cholera, came to an end on 31 August, when the regiment embarked on SS Vulcan, bound for the Crimea.
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| Captain Mark Walker VC (seated), with Sergeant-Major John McLellan DCM (standing to Walker's left). Photograph by Roger Fenton, 1855. |
The first major action of the war was the Battle of the Alma on 20 September 1854, where Colour-Sergeant John McLellan was mentioned in dispatches by divisional commander Sir George De Lacy Evans. In time, one of John's grand-daughters would be named after this battle. The 30th's next move was to the Inkerman Heights overlooking Sebastopol, whose capture was a major objective of the war. The regiment took no significant part in the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October, with its famous Charge of the Light Brigade and Thin Red Line, but was heavily involved in the next major engagement, the Battle of Inkerman, a month later on 25 November. On this hard-fought day the 30th's Adjutant, Lieutenant Mark Walker (pictured above), won the newly-instituted Victoria Cross for "daring bravery at Inkerman when to encourage his men he leaped over a wall in the face of two battalions of Russian infantry, his regiment following and repulsing the foe". Although John McLellan's part, if any, in this incident is not recorded, what's certain is that soon afterwards he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) with an accompanying annuity of £20. Sadly, he did not live long enough to enjoy this not inconsiderable sum.
The winter of 1854/55 was a terrible one for the ill-supplied British Army encamped outside Sebastopol, causing Mark Walker to enter in his diary on 7 January that "The second division [including the 30th Regiment] is fast melting away". By the spring, however, the army's health had improved, John McLellan had been promoted to Sergeant Major, and the high command was turning its attention to the city's defences, including the notorious Redan. The first assault on this fortress, and the nearby Malakoff redoubt, took place on 17 June in concert with French troops, and was a failure that cost the British 1,500 men, the French 3,500 and the Russians 5,400. The British and French tried again on 8 September, this time preceded by a massive bombardment. While the French carried the Malakoff from well-prepared trenches only 25 yards from their objective, the British had to cover 240 yards of open ground from poorly designed and overcrowded trenches. Shortly after going over the top, the 30th's commanding officer Colonel Mauleverer was wounded, as (mortally) was next-in-command Colonel Patullo before reaching the Redan. It was around this time, according to the regimental history, that "the Sergeant-Major and an orderly bugler fell".
British troops did fight their way into the Redan, but lacking direction due to a dearth of surviving officers and short of reinforcements, were ultimately forced to withdraw. After the fighting, the regimental history notes that:
What of the widowed Eliza and fatherless four-year-old Robert? Their return journey from Scutari is preserved only in family legend rather than (so far) documentary evidence. The 30th Regiment left the Crimea aboard Brunel's SS Great Britain on 21 May 1856, arriving (via Malta) in Gibraltar on 3 June. We can assume Eliza and Robert were aboard because Eliza is known to have died in Gibraltar, although the exact date, cause of death and the location of her grave are unknown. The orphaned Robert, now about five years old, was reputedly brought home to Scotland by a nurse, to be raised by his grandparents James and Lillias McLellan. But one more misfortune awaited: the young boy suffered an accident on-board ship, possibly in rough seas in the Bay of Biscay, leaving him with a permanently damaged shoulder. Despite this inauspicious start to his life, Robert eventually became a pillar of late Victorian society as the headmaster of a school in Brechin.
The research for this story was sparked by mementos of John McLellan's life that have been passed down the generations: a portrait, clearly based on the Roger Fenton photograph (of which we have an original print); his medals (the DCM and the Crimea Medal); and the family legends of Eliza's death in Gibraltar and Robert's ship-board accident on the way home.
QI-style fact
Who was the last survivor of the Crimean War, and when did they die? The answer is 'Timothy' the Tortoise (inverted commas because 'Timothy' turned out to be female). 'Timothy' was discovered on a Portuguese privateer in 1854, aged about 15, by one Captain John Courtenay Everard RN, and became the mascot of HMS Queen during the siege of Sebastopol (1854-55). 'Timothy' retired to the Earl of Devon's castle at Powderham, where (s)he died in 2004, aged around 165.
More on Captain Mark Walker
Mark Walker VC kept a diary of his Crimean War experiences, which is now in the National Army Museum. In it he describes how he lost his right arm during the siege of Sebastopol -- something that didn't prevent him writing an entry the very next day (note the change in handwriting). Here's the museum's Dr Alastair Massie:
The winter of 1854/55 was a terrible one for the ill-supplied British Army encamped outside Sebastopol, causing Mark Walker to enter in his diary on 7 January that "The second division [including the 30th Regiment] is fast melting away". By the spring, however, the army's health had improved, John McLellan had been promoted to Sergeant Major, and the high command was turning its attention to the city's defences, including the notorious Redan. The first assault on this fortress, and the nearby Malakoff redoubt, took place on 17 June in concert with French troops, and was a failure that cost the British 1,500 men, the French 3,500 and the Russians 5,400. The British and French tried again on 8 September, this time preceded by a massive bombardment. While the French carried the Malakoff from well-prepared trenches only 25 yards from their objective, the British had to cover 240 yards of open ground from poorly designed and overcrowded trenches. Shortly after going over the top, the 30th's commanding officer Colonel Mauleverer was wounded, as (mortally) was next-in-command Colonel Patullo before reaching the Redan. It was around this time, according to the regimental history, that "the Sergeant-Major and an orderly bugler fell".
British troops did fight their way into the Redan, but lacking direction due to a dearth of surviving officers and short of reinforcements, were ultimately forced to withdraw. After the fighting, the regimental history notes that:
"A party went out to look for Sergeant Major McLellan, who was very popular. His body and that of Drummer Corron, which was lying beside the sergeant-major's, were the only ones brought in that night".Out of 425 men of the 30th Regiment who left the trenches for the Redan on 8 September 1855, 165 (11 officers and 154 other ranks) were killed or wounded -- a casualty rate of nearly 40 percent. The assaults on the Redan and the Malakoff were the last major actions of the Crimean War: Sebastopol fell the following day, and peace was finally settled by the Treaty of Paris in March 1856. There are two memorials bearing Sergeant-Major John McLellan's name (or spelling variations thereof): one outside Sebastopol (facing the Worzonoff Ravine, near the Redan) and another in the Garrison Chapel at Arbour Hill, Dublin.
What of the widowed Eliza and fatherless four-year-old Robert? Their return journey from Scutari is preserved only in family legend rather than (so far) documentary evidence. The 30th Regiment left the Crimea aboard Brunel's SS Great Britain on 21 May 1856, arriving (via Malta) in Gibraltar on 3 June. We can assume Eliza and Robert were aboard because Eliza is known to have died in Gibraltar, although the exact date, cause of death and the location of her grave are unknown. The orphaned Robert, now about five years old, was reputedly brought home to Scotland by a nurse, to be raised by his grandparents James and Lillias McLellan. But one more misfortune awaited: the young boy suffered an accident on-board ship, possibly in rough seas in the Bay of Biscay, leaving him with a permanently damaged shoulder. Despite this inauspicious start to his life, Robert eventually became a pillar of late Victorian society as the headmaster of a school in Brechin.
The research for this story was sparked by mementos of John McLellan's life that have been passed down the generations: a portrait, clearly based on the Roger Fenton photograph (of which we have an original print); his medals (the DCM and the Crimea Medal); and the family legends of Eliza's death in Gibraltar and Robert's ship-board accident on the way home.
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| Portrait of John McLellan DCM (1824-1855), by an unknown artist (from the Roger Fenton photograph). |
QI-style fact
Who was the last survivor of the Crimean War, and when did they die? The answer is 'Timothy' the Tortoise (inverted commas because 'Timothy' turned out to be female). 'Timothy' was discovered on a Portuguese privateer in 1854, aged about 15, by one Captain John Courtenay Everard RN, and became the mascot of HMS Queen during the siege of Sebastopol (1854-55). 'Timothy' retired to the Earl of Devon's castle at Powderham, where (s)he died in 2004, aged around 165.
 |
| The last survivor of the Crimean War: 'Timothy' the Tortoise (c1839-2004) |
More on Captain Mark Walker
Mark Walker VC kept a diary of his Crimean War experiences, which is now in the National Army Museum. In it he describes how he lost his right arm during the siege of Sebastopol -- something that didn't prevent him writing an entry the very next day (note the change in handwriting). Here's the museum's Dr Alastair Massie:
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