Royal Horse Guards

Corporal of Horse's Uniform, 1905

There were and still are, four grades of tunic for other ranks in the Household Cavalry. The lowest is that worn by troopers and lance corporals, which is identifiable by the shoulder straps in the facing colour edged with gold lace. The next grade up, which we see here, is for Corporals of Horse and Lance Corporals of Horse, identifiable by the gold shoulder cords and aiguilette and the absence of gold lace along the top of the cuff. Then there is the tunic worn by 2nd Class Staff, worn by Squadron Quartermaster Corporals. It is the same as the last one except for the addition of the lace on the top edge of the cuff. With guantlets on there is no way of telling the difference.
The highest grade of tunic is for 1st Class Staff worn by Warrant Officers ie. the Regimental Corporal Major and the Squadron Corporal Majors. The shoulder cords are more tightly plaited and the aiguilette has coils over the pointed ends. The gold lace is wider and there are six rhomboid shapes in gold lace on the back skirts of the tunic. The household cavalry alone decorates troopers tunics with gold lace. The lace on the collar does not go all the way round, it squares off behind the buttons. The cuff lace is in the shape of a chevron with a regimental button in the middle (see detail). The cuirass here is worn by all other ranks of the household cavalry. It is basically nickel silver edged with brass and ornamented with brass studs.

Regimental Details | Uniforms