Sergeant, Grenadier Company 1816


At this point the regiment was known as the 1st or Grenadier Guards. There are many portraits of officers of this period but portraits of other ranks are unusual. This must have been painted soon after Waterloo and he has the medal on display. This was awarded early in 1816. The bastion loops on his coat are of gold lace and are spaced singly. He has gold lace chevrons on his right sleeve only. The grenadier's wings also have the bastion loops, on blue cloth and a gold fringe. His sergeant's sash is very wide and worn high on the waist. His sword belt is worn over the right shoulder. He does not have a belt over the other shoulder for the ammunition/grenade pouch as was worn by grenadier sergeants in 1792. By this time the grenadier sergeants carried a pike instead of a musket. The sergeant here is in full dress and he wears the bearskin. The title of Grenadiers was conferred on the 1st Guards in July 1815 so the whole regiment would be wearing this head-dress. Unfortunately, the brass plate at the front is unclear. It looks as if he has chin-scales hooked up over the plate and below the plaited gold festoon. The festoon ends in gold tassles on the right side and he has a white plume on the left.


Uniforms | Regimental Details


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by Stephen Luscombe