| Description | This ballad concerns the court martials of Lieutenants Perry and Greer - "Excessive 'ragging', to the point of bullying, of one officer by his colleagues was unfortunately not unknown in the Victorian army and Perry, goaded repeatedly by Greer, eventually attacked his tormentor with a silver candlestick. His Court Martial followed, but from the first day, to the irritation of the court, there was intense public interest in the case, and The Times gave a full report of proceedings, and printed several very critical leading articles. The case became a cause celebre. A defence fund was set up for Perry, for the public view was that he was not the villain of the piece, and Greer was also then court-martialled. The Queen did not confirm the proceedings, and despite public outrage at the perceived injustice, Perry was then court-martialled on another charge. Finally both officers were required to...leave the regiment." Information from "The Murder of a Regiment," edited by Major Colin Robins (Withycut House, 1994). The Courts Martial took place in 1854. First line reads: Oh! have you heard the news of late. |
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