Photograph of three soldiers of the Royal Sappers and Miners who served in the Crimean War. From left to right are Colour Sergeant Joseph John Stanton, Colour Sergeant Kester Knight and Private William Bruce. Knight, standing in the middle, is resting his right leg on a metal case and his right hand on his rifle. He is looking slightly right towards Bruce and has a rucksack on his back. Bruce is facing left and is resting his left arm on a wooden table beside him to the right. He is holding a spade in his right hand. All three are wearing military uniform.
Throughout the war Queen Victoria had taken an active interest in the welfare of the troops and on their return from the Crimea she met a number of the veterans at Buckingham Palace, Chatham Military Hospital and Aldershot Garrison. Following these meetings she commissioned a series of photographs of the veterans from the photographers Joseph Cundall and Robert Howlett.
