The Crimean War (1853-1856) is one of those wars that it is hard to find a reason for. Britain, France, Sardinia and Turkey landed a force in Crimea, fought hard for several years and then left. At the end nothing much had changed. The suffering (500,000 casualties!) and heroism were real as usual but the purpose rather elusive. Something about how London and Paris didn’t want St Petersburg to grab more of the decaying Ottoman Empire than they could grab themselves is usually offered in explanation.

But at last, thanks to the intrepid researches of Mick Gzowski, a writer for the Canadian newspaper The National Post, we know what the war was for. In a piece on Canadian military honours the author speaks of the Victoria Cross (unaware, it appears, of its early Canadian connection).

Let’s start with the Victoria Cross. The original medal was struck by Queen Victoria in 1856 to award valour in the Crimean War. Echoing present conflicts, that was a war where the allies tried to evict Russian occupiers out of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. (My emphasis)

So now, Dear Readers, you know what the Crimean War was about – a failed attempt to liberate Ukraine.

More evidence for the hypothesis that Westerners are the most propagandised population ever.