Rifle Brigade, 1st Battalion, National Army Museum 1996–05–4.

John Pine, and his brother Thomas, were both soldiers who served in the Rifle Brigade during the Crimean War, John in the 1st Battalion, and Thomas in the 2^nd. Thomas was killed on 20 September 1854 at the Battle of Alma, as John’s grief-stricken letter to their father explains. The importance of family shines through these letters, as well as the confusion and poor communication systems that plagued the army during this war. John Pine also died in this war, and his family had to launch an enquiry with Horse Guards to discover the circumstances of his death. More than a year passed before an official response was made.