Alma Road

Plymouth has three Victorian thoroughfares bearing the name Alma - Alma Road, Alma Street and Alma Cottages, the former running west from Plymouth towards Milehouse, the others both in Cattedown. All three owe their names to the first battle of the Crimean War, fought on 20 September 1854 between the French and British, under Marshal St Arnaud and Lord Raglan (as commemorated in the name of the erstwhile Devonport Barracks) and the Russians. Together the French and British forces number around 26,000 as opposed to the 40,000 strong band of Russians under Prince Menshikov. Nevertheless the British infantry managed to push across the River Alma and storm the Russian position - the Russians lost 4,700 prisoners.

On learning the news Queen Victoria, who took a keen interest in the Crimean campaign - she spent much of her spare time knitting socks and mittens for the troops and writing letters of condolence to the families of the dead - subsequently christened one of her horses "Alma" and around the country the name was perpetuated in variety of other ways.