ABSTRACT
The ordinary soldier was fortunate to find a woman of character to join him in the tough life of the Victorian army. One such woman was Margaret Kerwin who married 1737 Private John Kerwin of the 19th Foot in 1852, aged 31. She considered herself privileged to travel to the Crimea in 1854 to act as a washerwoman for the men of No. 5 Battalion Company and managed to withstand all the dangers of war during the two-year campaign.
