AT THE CRIMEA

New Zealand Illustrated Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 6, 1 March 1900, Page 34

AT THE CRIMEA

After the " Leopard " returned to England from the Baltic, she was sent out from Queenstown with troops for the Crimea, where the war was then proceeding. The British troops were landed at Balaclava, on the famous peninsula ; and now it was that the hero of our tale did his share against thr grey-coated Russians. "The 'Leopard,'" says Hill, " was sent round to Suja-Kalch, in company with the' Highflyer,' ' Swallow," and a .French man-of-war, and we bombarded ihe place; but the Russians beat us off. One man was killed aboard our ship. Then i was at the taking of Kerteh. We took the 42nd Regiment there from Sebastopol, and helped to bombard it. We had a good deal of work at the .siege of Sebastopol. We had to take onr turn at running into the harbour, steaming round it, and tiring our broadsides at the forts — our four upper-deck guns, and six on the main-deck — and then clearing out again. Occasionally we would be landed outside Sebastopol for working parties. All the four fleets .were there — English, French, Turkish, and Sardinian. At Kimburn we landed some of the 57th Regiment, and after bombarding the forts we took the place and a lot of prisoners." The boom of big guns, the hiss of shot aud shell and rattle of musketry, were the most familiar of sounds to Seaman Hill by the time the fall of Sebastopol was accomplished, in 1856. Then the ' Leopard ' returned to England, and Hill received the Baltic medal, and the Crimea medal and Sebastopol bar.