Other rank's short-tailed coatee, Private William Sewell, 13th (Light) Dragoons, 1855 (c)

The coatee, meaning a small coat, is a 19th century body garment closed in front and cut across the waist leaving only small skirts behind. This short-tailed coatee was worn by Private William Sewell (1830-1910) during the Crimean War (1854-1856). Other items in the collection belonging to Private Sewell are his forage cap and his spurs.

William Sewell enlisted in the Army in 1851 and was badly wounded at the Battle of Balaklava during the Charge of the Light Brigade on 25 October 1854. The injury to his head was so severe that for the remainder of his life a plate was fixed over the wound. He left the Army as a sergeant and became a coachman, dying in Liverpool.