26th Regiment of Foot


Private's Coat c1850


The red coat, or coatee, was worn by the infantry almost unchanged for 35 years since the short tailed jacket was phased out in favour of the tight-fitting garment seen here. The collar and cuffs are yellow and the lace is plain white, placed in pairs across the chest and on the red cuff slash. The buttons were still pewter with 26 inside a wreath design. The shoulder straps are yellow edged in white and have a white tuft on the point of the shoulder which indicates a battalion company. The turn-backs on the tails are white and have a simple button to join the ends. There is a good conduct chevron on the right sleeve to denote two or three years of satisfactory service. This was introduced in 1836; but changed over to the left fore-arm in 1881.


Uniforms | Regimental Details


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by Stephen Luscombe