A leaf on a turbulent river: Ensign Simner and the British German Legion, 1855-9

摘要

In Part 1, the reasons for the British Government's decision, in December 1854, to raise a foreign legion to provide seasoned troops for the Crimea were outlined, and the process of recruitment and training discussed. The granting of a commission to Ensign Benjamin Simner in the 5th Light Infantry, British German Legion, was recorded. Four of the nine infantry regiments embarked for the Crimea in late 1855, but got no further than Scutari, where they spent several months. When peace was declared the German Legion returned to barracks in Britain pending a decision as to their future. They did not take kindly to the tedium of barrack life, and there were incidents involving men of the Legion and soldiers from British regiments. Some legionaries went home, some settled in Britain, some emigrated to the Americas, and others awaited the terms that the Government might offer.