Private 3028 85th Regiment of Foot
George Reffell was born in Elstead near Goldalming Surrey in 1833.
He enlisted in the 85th Regiment of Foot on 13 December 1852 at Portsmouth. Initially he was stationed at home but soon went to Turkey. During his service in the Crimea during 1854, he was wounded in his left foot. He was transferred to the 19th Regiment of Foot in 1857. After he left the Crimea, he served in Malta and the East Indies.
He was discharged on 18 November 1862 at Chatham with a military service of 9 years and 316 days. The discharge was due to being medically unfit due to secondary syphilis contracted during service in India. His conduct was said to be very good, with two good conduct badges. He received the Crimea medal and claps from Alma and the Turkish medal.
The 85th Regiment of Foot was raised in Buckinghamshire by Lieutenant-Colonel George Nugent as a response to the threat posed by the French Revolution, on 18 November 1793. The older 19th Regiment of Foot was formed during 1688 from independent companies raised in Somerset by Colonel Francis Luttrell.