IT was made to protect a Russian officer in the Crimean War, but instead protected an Englishman from the bitter cold of that campaign.

Almost 150 years later, the thick serge Russian greatcoat is being repaired for the first time - with the help of a Victorian war photographer.

The coat was picked up by Captain George Clay, of the Green Howards, from the battlefield of the Alma, on September 20, 1854.

It is being repaired at the regimental museum in Richmond, North Yorkshire, which has a photograph of it being worn by Clay, in the Crimea.

The picture was taken by famous war photographer Roger Fenton. His pictures, some of the first ever taken during a war, showed the terrible winter conditions of the troops in the Crimea.

Along with articles in The Times by William Howard Russell, they helped undermine confidence in the British government, which was forced to resign in 1855.

The coat was given to the museum in 1965 and has been on display since 1973. This is the first time any work has been done on it.

Textile experts Caroline Rendell and Dinah Jones are undertaking the careful cleaning and repair, and the Fenton photograph is helping them see how it originally looked and was worn.