Royal Artillery


Drum-Major, 1844


Up to c1850 the Royal Artillery musicians wore reverse colours ie red coats and blue facings. The drum-major in the 1840s dressed in this very flamboyant way. His coatee has a dark blue plastron with gold lace running across the chest. His elaborate sash has drum sticks attached and a tassle on the end. The trousers were light blue at first and changed to bark blue later. The rest of the band had the bearskin but with a smaller red plume. Their coatees did not have the plastron, just two rows of brass buttons.



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by Stephen Luscombe