24 Hours at Balaclava: 25 October 1854: Voices from the Battlefield

By Robert Kershaw

In 1854 Britain and France were at war to save ‘poor little Turkey’, the crumbling Ottoman Empire, from the menace of Russian expansionism. On 25 October they were nine days into what would become an eleven-month siege, with little to show for it. Suddenly, from behind them came the unmistakeable sound of cannon. The Russians had arrived. Vastly outnumbered, the British gained an unlikely upper hand with the charge of the Heavy Brigade and the efforts of the Thin Red Line. But then, within two hours of achieving near victory, the British squandered it in dramatic style with the charge of the Light Brigade. Using eyewitness accounts, letters and diaries, acclaimed military historian Robert Kershaw presents a new, intimate look at the Battle of Balaclava, from the perspective of the men who ‘saw little and knew even less’. Come down from the Heights and see the real story of one of the most ill-fated military expeditions in British history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The History Press
• Release date: Apr 2, 2019
• ISBN: 9780750991599

Robert Kershaw

A graduate of Reading University, Robert Kershaw joined the Parachute Regiment in 1973. He served numerous regimental appointments until selected to command the 10th Battalion the Parachute Regiment (10 PARA). He attended the German Staff College spending a further two years with the Bundeswehr as an infantry, airborne and arctic warfare instructor. He speaks fluent German and has extensive experience with NATO, multinational operations and all aspects of operations and training. His active service includes several tours in Northern Ireland, the First Gulf War and Bosnia. He has exercised in many parts of the world and served in the Middle East and Africa. His final army appointment was with the Intelligence Division at HQ NATO in Brussels Belgium. On leaving the British Army in 2006 he became a full-time author of military history as well as a consultant military analyst. He has recorded for BBC radio and interviewed on numerous TV documentaries including Dutch TV and National Geographic, and published frequent magazine and newspaper articles including The Times, The Sunday Times, Sunday Telegraph and Daily Telegraph. Two of his books have been serialized in the Daily Mail and Daily Express. He lives in Salisbury, England.