Officers and NCOs in the Crimea



This group of officers and senior NCOs of the 8th was taken by Fenton while they were encamped near Sevastopol in 1855. On the left of the photo is Regimental Sergeant-Major Harding wearing a warm coat over his uniform and a peakless forage cap. Seated next to him is Quartermaster Lane in a sheepskin coat, officer's peaked forage cap and knee-length boots.

The man in civilian clothes and French kepi is Paymaster Duberly. Leaning towards him is, according to Murray's regimental history, Sergeant-Major Harrison in a light coloured coat. He is wearing an officer's peaked forage cap which makes me wonder if he has been correctly identified. The mounted officer is Captain Lord Killeen wearing a coat with fur collar and cuffs.

The group on the other side has two NCOs standing behind on higher ground. These are Sergeant-Major Clarke and Sergeant O'Meara who feature in another photo. They are in stable dress and forage caps, carrying canes under their arms. The officer in dress jacket and forage cap reading a paper is named as Lieutenant Phillips. He is in another photo as Captain Phillips. He has a cane and is wearing undress trousers which have a yellow cloth stripe instead of gold.

Standing next to Phillips is Doctor Anderson. The seated figures in the middle of this group are, from the left, Sergeant-Major Williams in a pelisse which has three rows of buttons compared with Lieut Phillips's five. In front of him is Cornet William Mussenden who rose to the position of Commanding Officer in 1874.

Half hidden, next to Mussenden is Lieutenant C W Heneage who won the VC in the Indian Mutiny. Standing next to him is Captain Tomkinson.


Regimental details | Crimean War


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by Stephen Luscombe