Cruikshank , George , 1792-1878 , graphic artist

48th Middlesex Rifle Volunteers was a Temperance Corps, composed of men who had pledged not to drink any alcohol. The 48th Middlesex were originally the 24th Surrey Rifle Volunteers, but were refounded as a Middlesex battalion in 1862.

George Cruikshank was a graphic artist well known for his political and social caricatures and his collaboration with Charles Dickens on Sketches by Boz. From around 1847 Cruikshank was a supporter of the temperance movement, producing propaganda for this cause, speaking at meetings and sitting on the boards of organisations such as the London Temperance League. In 1859 the threat of a French invasion let to the formation of volunteer corps. Cruikshank supported these corps in a pamphlet published in 1860 entitled A Pop-Gun. He joined the 48th Middlesex corps and rose to become their lieutenant-colonel and commanding officer. However the corps encountered many problems, primarily from lack of money, discipline and motivation; and Cruikshank resigned in September 1868.

For more information on Cruikshank see Robert L. Patten, 'Cruikshank, George (1792-1878)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004.