DEATH OF LIEUT. LEA BIRCH AT SEBASTAPOL
On the 8th of October, died of cholera, in the trenches at Sebastapol, in his 19th year, Lieut. Lea Birch, of the 55th Regiment (Westmorland); much beloved by all his brother officers. He was the grandson of the late Scholes Birch, Esq., of Stony Dale, near Cartmel. At the age of 16 he was appointed an Ensign in the 55th, from the Royal Military College, at Sandhurst, without purchase, and in one year he obtained his Lieutenancy without purchase. Soon after he joined the depot at Templemore, and was appointed Acting-Adjutant by Colonel Daubeney, C.B. He was engaged at the Battle of Alma; the 55th being in the 2nd Division, commanded by Lieut.-General Sir De Lacy Evans, and which suffered a loss of 115 killed and wounded including eight officers. (Kendal Mercury, 04 Nov 1854, page 8)
In the Life of Sir George Pomeroy-Colley by Sir William Francis Butler, there was this about Lea Birch:
There was another pleasure which the young officer was enjoying at this time in a measure the fulness of which he was only able to realise when it was lost to him--real friendship. At Sandhurst he had formed a very close intimacy with a boy of his own age named Lea Birch; they were chums, classmates, friends; they wrote long letters to each other, had most tastes in common, and were both extremely fond of scenery and sketching. The depot of the 55th, the regiment to which Birch belonged, was stationed in Ireland in 1854; and the two friends came together again on the Shannon in the early half of that year. How exactly their minds were attuned to each other the following little picture of the ruins of Clonmacnoise will show. Birch is writing in February from Shannon Bridge to his friend, then on leave in Dublin: "There are miles of bog on every side of us and no trees. Five miles up the river is Clonmacnoise, with its seven churches, two round towers, castle, &c., the most curious and interesting mass of ruin I ever saw. Cure and I walked out to it one day, and saw it certainly in its most imposing aspect. There was blowing a hurricane, a snowstorm had just passed. It was one of those wild cloudy and sunshiny days which of all others suits its exposed situation, most certainly I think one of the grandest scenes imaginable." And then comes a sentence to which subsequent has given interest: 'War with Russia to the knife,' the 'Times' says, 'is the cry of the whole country.' Shut up in Shannon Bridge, we are obliged to take everything for the 'Times' and 'Illustrated London News' says for Gospel. But whether war is so very much the cry of the nation you are much better able to say than I. It is evident they will have to increase the force now going, to double its numbers.' Clear this boy officer had a truer notion of the coming trouble than had many older heads nearer to the centre of government. . . A few months later Lea Birch was destined to add his few spadefuls of dust to the daily growing mounds that covered the slopes of the wintry ridges before Sevastopol. There is no detailed record of his death among the papers from which this life is written, but allusions to him are frequent.
On the 8th of October, died of cholera, in the trenches at Sebastapol, in his 19th year, Lieut. Lea Birch, of the 55th Regiment (Westmorland); much beloved by all his brother officers. He was the grandson of the late Scholes Birch, Esq., of Stony Dale, near Cartmel. At the age of 16 he was appointed an Ensign in the 55th, from the Royal Military College, at Sandhurst, without purchase, and in one year he obtained his Lieutenancy without purchase. Soon after he joined the depot at Templemore, and was appointed Acting-Adjutant by Colonel Daubeney, C.B. He was engaged at the Battle of Alma; the 55th being in the 2nd Division, commanded by Lieut.-General Sir De Lacy Evans, and which suffered a loss of 115 killed and wounded including eight officers. (Kendal Mercury, 04 Nov 1854, page 8)
In the Life of Sir George Pomeroy-Colley by Sir William Francis Butler, there was this about Lea Birch:
There was another pleasure which the young officer was enjoying at this time in a measure the fulness of which he was only able to realise when it was lost to him--real friendship. At Sandhurst he had formed a very close intimacy with a boy of his own age named Lea Birch; they were chums, classmates, friends; they wrote long letters to each other, had most tastes in common, and were both extremely fond of scenery and sketching. The depot of the 55th, the regiment to which Birch belonged, was stationed in Ireland in 1854; and the two friends came together again on the Shannon in the early half of that year. How exactly their minds were attuned to each other the following little picture of the ruins of Clonmacnoise will show. Birch is writing in February from Shannon Bridge to his friend, then on leave in Dublin: "There are miles of bog on every side of us and no trees. Five miles up the river is Clonmacnoise, with its seven churches, two round towers, castle, &c., the most curious and interesting mass of ruin I ever saw. Cure and I walked out to it one day, and saw it certainly in its most imposing aspect. There was blowing a hurricane, a snowstorm had just passed. It was one of those wild cloudy and sunshiny days which of all others suits its exposed situation, most certainly I think one of the grandest scenes imaginable." And then comes a sentence to which subsequent has given interest: 'War with Russia to the knife,' the 'Times' says, 'is the cry of the whole country.' Shut up in Shannon Bridge, we are obliged to take everything for the 'Times' and 'Illustrated London News' says for Gospel. But whether war is so very much the cry of the nation you are much better able to say than I. It is evident they will have to increase the force now going, to double its numbers.' Clear this boy officer had a truer notion of the coming trouble than had many older heads nearer to the centre of government. . . A few months later Lea Birch was destined to add his few spadefuls of dust to the daily growing mounds that covered the slopes of the wintry ridges before Sevastopol. There is no detailed record of his death among the papers from which this life is written, but allusions to him are frequent.
DEATH OF LIEUT. LEA BIRCH AT SEBASTAPOL
On the 8th of October, died of cholera, in the trenches at Sebastapol, in his 19th year, Lieut. Lea Birch, of the 55th Regiment (Westmorland); much beloved by all his brother officers. He was the grandson of the late Scholes Birch, Esq., of Stony Dale, near Cartmel. At the age of 16 he was appointed an Ensign in the 55th, from the Royal Military College, at Sandhurst, without purchase, and in one year he obtained his Lieutenancy without purchase. Soon after he joined the depot at Templemore, and was appointed Acting-Adjutant by Colonel Daubeney, C.B. He was engaged at the Battle of Alma; the 55th being in the 2nd Division, commanded by Lieut.-General Sir De Lacy Evans, and which suffered a loss of 115 killed and wounded including eight officers. (Kendal Mercury, 04 Nov 1854, page 8)
In the Life of Sir George Pomeroy-Colley by Sir William Francis Butler, there was this about Lea Birch:
There was another pleasure which the young officer was enjoying at this time in a measure the fulness of which he was only able to realise when it was lost to him--real friendship. At Sandhurst he had formed a very close intimacy with a boy of his own age named Lea Birch; they were chums, classmates, friends; they wrote long letters to each other, had most tastes in common, and were both extremely fond of scenery and sketching. The depot of the 55th, the regiment to which Birch belonged, was stationed in Ireland in 1854; and the two friends came together again on the Shannon in the early half of that year. How exactly their minds were attuned to each other the following little picture of the ruins of Clonmacnoise will show. Birch is writing in February from Shannon Bridge to his friend, then on leave in Dublin: "There are miles of bog on every side of us and no trees. Five miles up the river is Clonmacnoise, with its seven churches, two round towers, castle, &c., the most curious and interesting mass of ruin I ever saw. Cure and I walked out to it one day, and saw it certainly in its most imposing aspect. There was blowing a hurricane, a snowstorm had just passed. It was one of those wild cloudy and sunshiny days which of all others suits its exposed situation, most certainly I think one of the grandest scenes imaginable." And then comes a sentence to which subsequent has given interest: 'War with Russia to the knife,' the 'Times' says, 'is the cry of the whole country.' Shut up in Shannon Bridge, we are obliged to take everything for the 'Times' and 'Illustrated London News' says for Gospel. But whether war is so very much the cry of the nation you are much better able to say than I. It is evident they will have to increase the force now going, to double its numbers.' Clear this boy officer had a truer notion of the coming trouble than had many older heads nearer to the centre of government. . . A few months later Lea Birch was destined to add his few spadefuls of dust to the daily growing mounds that covered the slopes of the wintry ridges before Sevastopol. There is no detailed record of his death among the papers from which this life is written, but allusions to him are frequent.
On the 8th of October, died of cholera, in the trenches at Sebastapol, in his 19th year, Lieut. Lea Birch, of the 55th Regiment (Westmorland); much beloved by all his brother officers. He was the grandson of the late Scholes Birch, Esq., of Stony Dale, near Cartmel. At the age of 16 he was appointed an Ensign in the 55th, from the Royal Military College, at Sandhurst, without purchase, and in one year he obtained his Lieutenancy without purchase. Soon after he joined the depot at Templemore, and was appointed Acting-Adjutant by Colonel Daubeney, C.B. He was engaged at the Battle of Alma; the 55th being in the 2nd Division, commanded by Lieut.-General Sir De Lacy Evans, and which suffered a loss of 115 killed and wounded including eight officers. (Kendal Mercury, 04 Nov 1854, page 8)
In the Life of Sir George Pomeroy-Colley by Sir William Francis Butler, there was this about Lea Birch:
There was another pleasure which the young officer was enjoying at this time in a measure the fulness of which he was only able to realise when it was lost to him--real friendship. At Sandhurst he had formed a very close intimacy with a boy of his own age named Lea Birch; they were chums, classmates, friends; they wrote long letters to each other, had most tastes in common, and were both extremely fond of scenery and sketching. The depot of the 55th, the regiment to which Birch belonged, was stationed in Ireland in 1854; and the two friends came together again on the Shannon in the early half of that year. How exactly their minds were attuned to each other the following little picture of the ruins of Clonmacnoise will show. Birch is writing in February from Shannon Bridge to his friend, then on leave in Dublin: "There are miles of bog on every side of us and no trees. Five miles up the river is Clonmacnoise, with its seven churches, two round towers, castle, &c., the most curious and interesting mass of ruin I ever saw. Cure and I walked out to it one day, and saw it certainly in its most imposing aspect. There was blowing a hurricane, a snowstorm had just passed. It was one of those wild cloudy and sunshiny days which of all others suits its exposed situation, most certainly I think one of the grandest scenes imaginable." And then comes a sentence to which subsequent has given interest: 'War with Russia to the knife,' the 'Times' says, 'is the cry of the whole country.' Shut up in Shannon Bridge, we are obliged to take everything for the 'Times' and 'Illustrated London News' says for Gospel. But whether war is so very much the cry of the nation you are much better able to say than I. It is evident they will have to increase the force now going, to double its numbers.' Clear this boy officer had a truer notion of the coming trouble than had many older heads nearer to the centre of government. . . A few months later Lea Birch was destined to add his few spadefuls of dust to the daily growing mounds that covered the slopes of the wintry ridges before Sevastopol. There is no detailed record of his death among the papers from which this life is written, but allusions to him are frequent.
Inscription
In Memory of
[Cross IHS]
Lieut. Lea Birch
Died 8th October 1854
Captain H.T. Butler
Killed at the Battle of Inkerman
5th November 1854
and
Assistance Surgeon J.J. Norris
Died 22nd Novr 1854
All of the 55th Regt of Foot.
This Stone is Erected
By the Officers of the 55th Regt
As a Tribute of Respect to the
Memory, and of Sincere Grief
For Their Loss
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