Sir
Philip was the first man to be mentioned in despatches, and Sir John
French does not hesitate to confirm this dashing officer's tribute to
his men. "Our cavalry," says the official message, "do as they like with
the enemy."
There is no more brilliant page in the history of the war than that
which has been furnished to the historian by the deeds of the British
cavalry. They carried everything before them. In a single encounter the
reputation of the much-vaunted Uhlans was torn to shreds.
The charge of the 9th Lancers at Toulin was a fine exploit. It was
Balaclava over again, with a gallant Four Hundred charging a battery of
eleven German guns. But there was no blunder this time; it was a
sacrifice to save the 5th Infantry Division and some guns, and the
heroic Lancers dashed to their task with a resounding British cheer. "We
rode absolutely into death," says a corporal of the regiment writing
home, "and the colonel told us that onlookers never expected a single
Lancer to come back. About 400 charged and 72 rallied afterwards, but
during the week 200 more turned up wounded and otherwise. You see, the
infantry of ours were in a fix and no guns but four could be got round,
so the General ordered two squadrons of the 9th to charge, as a
sacrifice, to save the position.
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