TSM John Berryman VC

Troop Sergeant Major John Berryman took part in the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava on 25 Oct 1854. He was with the 17th Lancers in the forefront of the charge. His horse became disabled and he was wounded but he went to the aid of Captain Webb whose leg was shattered. Webb told him to leave him but with the help of Sergeant John Farrell also of the 17th Lancers, and Sergeant Malone of the 13th Light Dragoons they carried the officer off the field, whilst under fire. However, Captain Webb did not survive the amputation of his leg. The three NCOs were awarded the Victoria Cross, presented by the Queen on 26 June 1857.
John Berryman was born in Dudley on 18 July 1825. An outbreak of cholera killed three of his siblings but he survived and worked as a cabinet maker until he was 18 when he enlisted in the 17th Lancers. He was promoted to corporal in 1848 but was demoted and in 1851 reinstated. He gained the rank of sergeant whilst serving in Bulgaria in 1854 and then took part in the Crimean War. He was promoted to troop sergeant major after Balaclava and returned to England for the medal presentation. He then joined his regiment out in India. His wife died of cholera in 1865, by which time he was back in England. He was promoted to Quartermaster and went with the regiment to South Africa in 1879. There he took part in the charge of the 17th Lancers at Ulundi. In 1880 he was commissioned and transferred to the 5th Lancers as an honorary major. He retired from the army in 1883 and died on 27 June 1896 at Woldingham, Surrey. The photo shows him as Quartermaster of the 5th Lancers with medals for the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny and the Zulu War.

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