'Chobham - Guards Camp', 1853

Watercolour by Colonel (later General Sir) The Honourable George Cadogan (1814-1880).

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.

From an album of paintings and sketches (with some paper ephemera) of Colonel (later General Sir) The Hon George Cadogan (1814-1880), 1st (or Grenadier) Regiment of Foot Guards; also known as 'Cadogan's Crimea', 1854-1856.