224, CO-OPERATION BETWEEN GUNS AND CAVALRY. 
resolute, knowledgeable and bold, that in one word, he behaved like a 
good soldier! (applause). 
1 With reference to my remarks as to the good service done by Brandling’s battery I think the 
following letter which I received from Lieut.-General Sir Charles Craufurd Fraser, K\C.B., will be 
of interest :—~ 
Cavalry Club, London, 
22nd March, 1898. 
Sir—Had the opportunity occurred of my entering into discussion after your lecture, I should 
have supported your account of the good work done by the Royal Horse Artillery at Balaclava, by 
quoting the following words from a letter that I received, at the time of the reduction of the Horse 
Artillery, from Colonel Frank Forster, who took part in the successful charge of the heavy cavalry 
as a captain in the 4th R.I. Dragoon Guards :—‘‘ If there are any officers alive who were in John 
Brandling’s troop of Horse Artillery at Balaclava, they would tell you how his opportune arrival 
with his guns after the heavy brigade charge, saved them from a fresh attack, from a very strong 
force of Russian cavalry. If your Horse Artillery is reduced, your cavalry becomes more feeble than 
CviClnns 
Further on March 18th, 1895, he writes :—-‘‘John Brandling’s troop was not attached to the 
heavy brigade and was sent down from the front (on the hill opposite Sebastopol) to assist the 
cavalry, when it was seen that an engagement with the Russians was imminent. _ 
The distance he had to come was about six miles—he did it as fast as he could go—and only 
arrived in time to open fire on a supporting force of Russian cavalry. 
He told me that the horses in his troop were so beat from the pace he had come, he could not 
have got them much further. 
They had been worked hard and badly fed ever since they had landed in the Crimea. 
I see they are going to increase the Royal Horse Artillery again, what a triumph to you and the 
others who opposed their reduction.” ; 
Yours faithfully, 
To CHARLES CRAUFURD FRASER, 
Masor E. S. May, Lieut.-General. 
Professor of Military Topography, 
Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.. 
Colonel F. A. Whinyates has since my lecture kindly sent me the following reminiscences of 
Captain John Brandling, supplied by one who served as a non-commissioned officer with him in 
**C” Troop during the Crimean war, which I publish as they may interest some of his old friends :— 
At the Alma the first retirement was at a rapid pace, and Brandling, who remained well behind 
next the Russians, swore lustily, “‘ D—-n it! where are you leading to, keep this shoulder up, the 
other shoulder up, etc., ete.’’ At the second retirement the troop had lost aman, and Colonel Lake 
his horse, and Baddeley, who had surrendered his to the Colonel, was running about. with a saddle 
in his arms, Brandling joking him, though things looked very warm. Just before wheeling about 
again to advance, Captain Strange came down, and asked Brandling where he was to take the 
waggons to. Brandling roared out at the top of his voice smiling all the while, ‘* wherever you 
like Captain Strange ;’’ repeating it three times; he then ordered the Trumpeter to sound “ About” 
and ‘ Gallop,”’ looking as happy as if he were going in at football. There was many a laugh over 
this afterwards, and together with the swearing at the previous retirement, and his remaining in 
the open under fire after putting all he could under cover at the river side, gave the men a great 
opinion of his coolness in battle ; but there was a strong feeling with all ranks that as the troop 
was actually in the field before the enemy, the command as the fortune of war, ought to have been 
allowed to devolve on the senior Lieutenant (the late Major-General E. J. Michell) who was a - 
highly efficient officer, instead of handing it over to one who was not a bond fide Horse Artillery- 
man. (Brandling had been transferred from the siege train). 
Brandling was a north countryman and after explaining things frequently used the expression 
“You know.’ On the morning of quitting the Alma he called the Nos. 1 to the front and told 
them to impress on the men not to get out of the way of the shot when in action, or to use the words 
‘look-out ” to each other when the shot were coming at them, adding in his own style, and with a 
touch of drollery in his eye, ‘if a shot is coming to take your head off, you know, it is not a d—-d 
bit of use trying to get out of its way, you know, now I saw that the other day andI don’t want to 
see it again.”’ This sort of thing went down with the men and helped to enliven them in their sub- 
sequent hardships. It had reference to the Bulganac, when the mounted detachments received 
their Baptéme de feu as cavalry, and found how trying it is to sit still in one long rank and be shot 
at by artillery ; there was a little easing off and opening of the files, and thus many shots passed 
through harmlessly. At the Alma the shots were far too numerous to admit of being seen. 
At page 138 ‘* Higtory of ‘C’ Troop ”’ mention is made of a shot coming close over his shoulder, 
his back was toward the Russians at the moment, and the guns were in the act of wheeling towards 
him in column of sub-divisions. A N.-C. officer called ‘‘ Look out Sir,’’ as the shot seemed to be 
