Sword & Crosses??

March 26, 1936

Harrison Carroll
Evening Herald Express

Interesting that when Errol Flynn leads The Charge of the Light Brigade in the Warner Brothers film he will be carrying a sword that is an actual relic of the charge. It was supplied by a Los Angeles man, George A. Bowman, whose brother got it from a survivor of the battle.

Did you know that the first Victoria crosses were struck from the metal of Russian cannons captured on this fateful day, and were given to all the survivors of the charge?

Was this the sword? Or was this a prop? Was such a battle “relic” really used in the movie?

The Victoria Cross Myth

“The Victoria Cross is the highest honour that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth Armed Forces for gallantry in active service. This decoration consists of a Maltese cross formed from the cannon captured from the Russians. This bronze metal is cut from cannons captured from the Russians at Sebastopol during the Crimean War.”

Merely a Myth?

— Tim

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