'Chobham', 1853

Watercolour, artist unknown, 1853 (c).

Inscribed, 'Scots Greys in the Road, 8th Hussars crossing the brow of the hill in the foreground'. The 2nd (Royal North British) Dragoons and the 8th (The King's Royal Irish) Light Dragoons (Hussars) on exercise.

From 14 June to 25 August 1853, 10,000 men, 1,500 horses and 24 guns mustered on Chobham Common in Surrey for drill, field operations and parades, under the command of Lieutenant-General (later Field Marshal) John Colborne, First Baron Seaton (1778-1863). Known as the 'Great Camp', Chobham was the scene of the first large-scale manoeuvres in Britain since the Napoleonic Wars. The object of the encampment was to improve the efficiency and discipline of the British Army, which had not seen active service in Europe in nearly forty years. These preparations proved invaluable in the Crimean War of 1854-1856.