19 Jul 2023
One of the Six Hundred
Seth Bond, who lived from 1822-1902, is buried in the churchyard of St James’ Church, Southam, near Leamington Spa.
By profession he was a soldier, but apart from that, there appears to have been nothing special about him. That is, until you take a closer look at the memorial stones surrounding his grave.
Alongside the normal headstone, you will see an additional white stone bearing the remarkable words: One of the Six Hundred. Many people will recall that these words were immortalised in a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson – The Charge of the Light Brigade – which commemorated a charge by the British Army at the Battle of Balaclava in October 1854. Bond was a Sergeant-Major in the 11th Hussars. Not only did he take part in that tragic and costly battle, but he survived it.
His part in that famous conflict gives him a status far beyond that of an ordinary soldier. He was a very special soldier – one of the Six Hundred. Without him, Tennyson’s unique poem would have been a man short.
You may not see yourself as particularly significant, even if you have achieved fame on a military battlefield, in education or in your career. Great achievement in those areas is not unusual. Thousands of people gain such attainments in their professional or academic lives.
Let me assure you, however, that you are special to God. In Psalm 40: v 17, we read the words: Yet the LORD thinks upon me. God is aware of and cares about every individual.
Each one of us is made in the image of God, and is designed to fulfil all God’s good purposes.
The problem is that we have not fulfilled the destiny for which God designed us in his love for us. All of us have wilfully fallen into sin, and neglected to walk in his ways. The only way back is to repent, and believe in the only Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. This will bring us back to peace with God and conformity with His purposes. Nothing else will.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. [John 3:16]
Cover picture by Sharon aka Legsie11 from Find a Grave