Broadside ballad entitled 'The Battle of Alma'

Commentary

Verse 1 begins: 'You loyal Britons [pr]ay draw near, / Unto the news I've brought you here / With joy each British heart does cheer / For the victory gained at Alma'. A patriotic royal coat of arms has been included at the top of the page in the middle of the title.

The Battle of Alma, fought on the 20th September 1854, the first of the Crimean War, was an outstanding Franco-British victory. General St Arnaud for the French and Lord Raglan for the English defeated General Menchikov's Russian troops, who lost about 6,000 men that day. This victory created an opening which allowed the French and British forces to advance to Sebastopol and their next engagement.

This style of text, with its implicit political propaganda, would not only have made for compelling entertainment, but would also perhaps have stimulated political thought, reasoning and debate.

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