The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-08-03
WELSH ECHOES.

The following are gleanings from tho
Drych and other Welsh sources. They
are of especial interest to the Welsh peo-
pie Of Scranton and vicinity. The follow
Ing letter, which Is very interesting to
Welshmen, inasmuch as there are quite O
number Of Crimean veterans in Lacka-
wanna county, will explain itself: "In-
quiries have been made II there were any
Welshmen in the Balaklava charge. There
Is no Welsh cavalry regiment; there is but
one from Scotland, the famous Scotch
Greys or Second Light Dragons, while
Ireland has four regiments Of cavalry.
In the "GOV' who were in the charge, there
must have been several Welshmen, but
know of but two-Lord Tredegar, Of Trede-
gar Park. Newport, Monmouth, and his
brother, Godfrey Morgan, son Of Charles
Morgan, who was afterward made Lord
Tredegar, very ancient Welsh family.
There used to be an annual dinner at the
Crystal Palace, London, gotten up by SUBJ
scription for the heroes OF Balaklava.
There used to be well-to-do inn-keeper at
Sheffield who interested himself-being one
Of the heroes himself-in the annual meet
ing-he is dead now-and think the din
ner has fallen through.
"As to the number Of Welshmen In the
Crimean war. 1t Is q broad question.
There are but four regiments Of Infantry
called Welsh-the Twenty-third Royal
Welsh Fusiliers, the Twenty-fourth Welsh
Borderers, the old Forty-first and the
Sixty-fourth. The Twenty-third has upon
Its colors twenty-four honors or battles,
among these are Alma, Inkerman and
Sevastopol. They earned In the Crimea
four Victoria crosses. The names Of those
who received them were: Corporal Rob-
ert Shields, of Merthyr Tydvil: Sergeant
Luke OConnor, of Roscommon, in Ire
land. who Joined the regiment as private,
but left 1t as It's ueutenant-colonel, and Is
now major-general, retired; Surgeon w.
H. T. Sylvester and f. w. d. Bell, its
colonel at the time. The Twenty-fourth
was not in the Crimean war. 1t has nine
teen honors on its colors, and has four
teen Victoria crosses to its credit. The
Forty-first and Sixty-ninth were at the
Crimean war. They have sixteen honors
on their colors, among them being Alma,
Inkerman and Sevastopol. The motto Of
this combined regiment Is "Gwell angen
ma chywilydd" - Death better than
shame" A monument has been erected in
Carmarthen town in memory of those who
were killed at the Crimean war. 1t is a
mammoth affair. 1t has a list Of them all
engraved upon it. There are four Russian
lS-pounder guns taken at Sevastopol
placed around the monument. One of the
guns shows remarkable effect Of a shot
fired by the allied army; it very nearly en-
tered the muzzle and tore out one side of
the gun. The Twenty-third used to be-
long to Carmarthen, but about twenty
years ago the army was reorganized and 1t
Is now stationed at Wrexham. The Twenty
fourth Is at Brecon, and what is known
as the combined Welsh regiment is sta
toned at Cardiff. The best books on the
Crimean war are Kinglake's history and
the letters Of Russell the Times war cor
respondent" The Russell mentioned here
was the Times correspondent Of the Amer
lean war Of rebellion. He Is the greatest
war correspondent Of the age. He was re-
Gently knighted by Queen Victoria Of Eng
land.