[CRIMEAN WAR] BUCKLEY CECIL W. (1830-1872) British Royal Navy Captain, Victoria Cross winner for his

[CRIMEAN WAR] BUCKLEY CECIL W. (1830-1872) British Royal Navy Captain, Victoria Cross winner for his

‘Wrecks of four Russian War Steamers…. burnt and blown up

at the approach of the Sea of Azov’

 

 

[CRIMEAN WAR] BUCKLEY CECIL W. (1830-1872) British Royal Navy Captain, Victoria Cross winner for his actions on board HMS Miranda in the Crimea on 29th May 1855. Buckley was the first winner of the Victoria Cross to be actually gazetted. A fine, rare original pen and ink drawing by Buckley, executed on a slim oblong 4to sheet of pale blue paper and signed by Buckley with his initials ('C.W.B.'), the image depicting the coast line of Berdiansk, with a few solitary buildings visible in the background, and four destroyed Russian vessels sinking into the Sea of Azov in the foreground, captioned by Buckley at the foot of the drawing, 'Wrecks of four Russian War Steamers at Berdiansk, burnt and blown up at the approach of the Sea of Azov Squadron under Capt. E. M. Lyons of H.M.S. Miranda'. Some light creasing and folds and one small area of paper loss to the upper left corner, not affecting the drawing or text, about VG

An evocative drawing by Buckley contemporary to the actions which saw him rewarded with a Victoria Cross.

Berdiansk, a port city in the south-east of Ukraine, and on the northern coast of the Sea of Azov, was the scene of a naval campaign fought between the Royal Navy and the French Navy against the Russian Navy from 25^th May to 22^nd November 1855. British and French warships struck at every vestige of Russian power along the coast, and with the exceptions of Rostov-on-Don and Azov, no town, depot, building or fortification was immune from attack and Russian naval power ceased to exist almost overnight.