A large Russian assault on the allied supply base to the southeast at Balaclava is rebuffed on October 25, 1854.

The Battle of Balaclava is remembered in the UK for the actions of two British units.

At the start of the battle, a large body of Russian cavalry charges the 93rd Highlanders, who are posted north of the village of Kadikoi.

Commanding them is Sir Colin Campbell.

Rather than 'form square', the traditional method of repelling cavalry, Campbell takes the risky decision to have his Highlanders form a single line, two men deep.

Campbell had seen the effectiveness of the new Minie rifles, with which his troops were armed, at the Battle of Alma a month before, and he is confident his men can beat back the Russians.

His tactics succeed.

From up on the ridge to the west, Times correspondent William Howard Russell sees the Highlanders as a "thin red streak topped with steel", a phrase which will soon become the "Thin Red Line".