Lord Fitzroy James Heenry Somerset, first Baron Raglan, was born in 1788, the youngest son of the fifth Duke of Beauford and Elizabeth, daughter of Admiral Boscowen. he served with the future Duke of Wellington in the Peninsular Wars from 1808 and married his neice in 1815. He lost his right arm at the Battle of Waterloo. M.P. for Truro 1812-20 and 1826-9, he was made a Privy Councillor and a Baron in 1852. In the Spring of 1854, at the age of 65, he was chosen to lead the British troops in the Crimea War, allied with the French against the Russians, in the seige of Sebastapol. He took some of the blame for the debacle at Balaclava, 25 October 1854, but distinguished himself by his personal bravery at the Battle of Inkerman, 5 November. He was promoted to Field Marshall the same day, but poor supplies and the winter weather weakened the seige and led to growing criticism of the conduct of thw war. On 29 January 1865 the government fell and was replaced by a new administration under Palmerston. On 8 May, at the instigation of the French, there was a disasterous general assault of Sebastapol, and on 28 May Raglan died of dysentery and as 'the victim of England's unreadiness for war' (Sir Evelyn Wood)