Sergeant, 28th Middlesex (London Irish) Volunteer Rifle Corps, 1860.jpg

Fear of a militaristic French Empire, again headed by a Napoleon, caused the Englishman to band together into voluntary defence units. THese men came from a wide assortment of backgrounds. Understandably the cities provided the largest number of units, and London the largest for an individual location. Amongst these were 'national' units of Scots and Irish. The 28th was the London Irish, a unit still in existence albeit known by another title.

The original uniform is described as 'Sardinian grey', which appears to be a grey-green colour. It has black braiding and darker green facings. Of note are the large chevrons, on black backing and each sleeve, worn by this senior NCO. He also carries the cross belt with whistle and chain used to denote a senior soldier in the Volunteers.

Another indicator of rank is the shorter version of the 1853 rifle. This was generally only carried by SNCOs. With it he carries a yataghan sword-bayonet.