George Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan

George Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan, by Francis Grant

The Earl of Lucan drawn by Carlo Pellegrini

George Charles Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan , GCB (born April 16, 1800 in London , † November 10, 1888 ibid) was a British field marshal and participant in the Crimean War .

Life

George Bingham was born in London in 1800 as the first son of Richard Bingham, 2nd Earl of Lucan . He attended Westminster School . In 1816 he joined the 6th Regiment of Foot in the British Army . Since officer patents in the British Army were sold at that time , he achieved the rank of lieutenant in 1820 and that of a major in the 17th Lancers in 1825 . From 1826 to 1837 he was the commander of this regiment. During this time the regiment became known for its hard drill , but also for the nobility of its officers. With his own money, Bingham re-equipped the regiment. It therefore became known as Bingham's Dandies .

From 1826 to 1830 he was a member of the lower house , now on half pay . In 1829 Bingham married Lady Anne Brudenell, daughter of Robert Brudenell, 6th Earl of Cardigan . He became the brother-in-law of James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan . Both were to become famous for their mutual contempt for one another and their consequences in the Battle of Balaklava . The Bingham couple had six children. On June 30, 1839, on the death of his father, George Bingham inherited his title Earl of Lucan , in 1845 he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of County Mayo , in the west of Ireland . As a typical Brit and a soldier, he was hated by the residents.

At the beginning of the Crimean War, Lord Lucan, meanwhile Major General , took command of the British Cavalry Division . In this his brother-in-law, Lord Cardigan, led the light brigade. The poor communication between the two commanders, owed to their mutual antipathy, led to the famous attack of the Light Brigade on October 25, 1854 at the Battle of Balaklava . Half of the brigade was destroyed.

After the end of the war, Bingham successfully defended his role in the battle and blamed the British Commander-in-Chief Lord Raglan for the disaster. In 1854 he was inducted into the Order of Bath as Knight Grand Cross and in 1855 he was made Colonel of Honor of the 8th Hussars that had participated in the Light Brigade attack.

Bingham did not return to active service, but was promoted further. On June 21, 1887 he was appointed field marshal. Bingham died in London on November 10, 1888.

In the film The Light Brigade Assault , his role was played by Harry Andrews .

literature

• German Werth : The Crimean War. The world power Russia was born. Ullstein, Frankfurt am Main et al. 1992, ISBN 3-548-34949-8 ( Ullstein. No. 34949 contemporary history ).
• John Mollo, Boris Mollo: Into the Valley of Death. The British Cavalry Division at Balaclava, 1854. Windrow & Greene, London 1991, ISBN 1-872004-75-X .
• Alexander William Kinglake : The Invasion of the Crimea. London 1863-87 (Print On Demand Paperback: Naval & Military Press Ltd, Uckfield, ISBN 978-1-84342-497-0 ).

predecessor	Office	successor
Richard Bingham	Earl of Lucan 1839-1888	Charles Bingham