On 25 October 1854 the five regiments of the Light Brigade charged a Russian artillery line at Balaclava, in uniforms designed for parade in Hyde Park, not war in the Crimea.
Quick answer. The Charge of the Light Brigade on 25 October 1854 involved the 4th, 8th, 11th and 13th Light Dragoons and the 17th Lancers. The 11th Hussars wore crimson overalls (Cherrypickers), fur busby and dolman. The 17th Lancers wore the dark blue lancer uniform with a square topped czapka. All wore blue coats with yellow or buff facings, high boots and sabres. Hundreds died in minutes of their uniforms being seen on a battlefield.
The five regiments of the Light Brigade
The Light Brigade was commanded by Major General the Earl of Cardigan. It comprised five cavalry regiments: the 4th (Queen's Own) Light Dragoons; the 8th (The King's Royal Irish) Hussars; the 11th (Prince Albert's Own) Hussars; the 13th Light Dragoons; and the 17th Lancers. All had been in the Crimea since September 1854, part of the British force besieging Sevastopol.
Each regiment had its own uniform pattern, derived from Napoleonic cavalry. The hussars wore dolman and pelisse. The light dragoons wore plain dark blue tunics. The lancers wore the dark blue lancer coatee with the square topped czapka. For a wider view of cavalry types, our light vs heavy cavalry piece covers the family.
The 11th Hussars: Cherrypicker crimson
The 11th Hussars had worn their famous crimson overalls since 1840 by order of their Colonel in Chief, Prince Albert. The dolman was dark blue with crimson collar, cuff and busby bag, trimmed with gold braid for officers and yellow worsted for troopers. The pelisse was crimson, trimmed with black fur. The busby, a tall fur cap, had a white plume and crimson bag.
Lord Cardigan commanded the 11th before taking the Light Brigade. He had designed the dress himself, with the crimson overalls making the regiment visible at a mile. Our full piece on the 11th Hussars and the Cherrypicker name covers the origin of the regimental colour.
The 17th Lancers: Death or Glory
The 17th Lancers wore the dark blue lancer coatee with white plastron (facing) over the chest, white piping, gilt buttons, white cross belt with the regimental badge. The famous regimental badge, a skull and crossbones over a scroll reading Or Glory, was adopted after the regiment's founder, Colonel John Hale, was killed in 1778.
The headdress was the lancer czapka, a square topped cap with a cloth cover in the regimental colour (white for the 17th), a brass plate on the front, and a plume. The weapon was the 9 foot lance with a red and white pennon. For the lancer context, see our Napoleonic cavalry comparison.
Light dragoons: 4th and 13th
The 4th and 13th Light Dragoons wore the same cut: a dark blue single breasted tunic, nine gilt buttons, yellow facings for the 4th and buff for the 13th on collar and cuff. White piping, overalls dark blue with a yellow or buff seam stripe. The headdress was the shako, replaced in 1856 by the French pattern Albert shako.
The sword was the 1821 pattern cavalry sabre with a three bar iron hilt, 90 cm long. The light dragoon was armed to charge, not to skirmish: the carbine was secondary. For the fuller light dragoon history, see our light dragoons piece.
What survived the charge
The Light Brigade entered the North Valley at Balaclava at around 11:10 am on 25 October 1854. They charged roughly 1,900 metres into the Russian guns at the end. Of the 670 who started the charge, 118 were killed, 127 were wounded, and 60 were taken prisoner. Only 195 men returned mounted. The regimental uniforms carried the dead and wounded; the surviving pieces are now museum exhibits.
The 17th Lancers' flag, pierced by Russian canister, survives at Hertford Museum. Several officer uniforms from the 11th Hussars survive at the Household Cavalry Museum. The 4th Light Dragoons' orderly book survives at the National Army Museum. For a longer survey of the war's dress, our Crimean War uniforms piece covers all three services.
Why they wore it
By 1854 the Victorian army had settled into parade ground discipline. Uniform was heraldic: it identified the regiment, the officer, the man. In the Crimea, that heraldry became fatal. The crimson of the 11th drew Russian artillery fire. The lancer plastron reflected sunlight. The gold braid blazed at 400 yards.
After the Crimea, the British army started a slow move toward neutral colours in the field. Khaki arrived in India in 1864, in Egypt in 1882, universally in 1902. The Light Brigade uniforms of 1854 were the last generation of parade dress worn in major European war. For the long transition, see our 19th century cavalry uniforms piece.
Common questions
Who charged in the Light Brigade?
The 4th and 13th Light Dragoons, the 8th and 11th Hussars, and the 17th Lancers. About 670 men. Commanded by the Earl of Cardigan.
Why were the 11th Hussars called Cherrypickers?
From their crimson overalls, worn from 1840 on Prince Albert's order. It is said that the regiment was caught by French cavalry eating cherries in a Spanish orchard in 1811 and the name stuck.
What did the lancers wear?
A dark blue coatee with white plastron over the chest, gilt buttons, white piping, white cross belt, and the square topped czapka with white cloth cover for the 17th.
How many survived the charge?
About 195 men returned mounted of the 670 who started. 118 killed, 127 wounded, 60 captured. The brigade had effectively ceased to exist.
What is a czapka?
The square topped cap of a lancer regiment, from the Polish word for cap. Carried a cloth cover in regimental colour, a brass plate and a plume.