Lot Essay
Private William Webb was born in Chatham and attested for the Rifle Brigade at Westminster in December 1854, aged 18 years. Landing in the Crimea with the 1st Battalion in the following year, he is verified as having participated in the operations before Sebastopol. Alas, Webb otherwise experienced a rather inglorious career, his conduct being assessed as 'Very Bad' on his Discharge Papers, no doubt as a direct result of two Court-Martial appearances and a tally of 28 entries in the Regimental Defaulter's Book.