Private, Marching Order 1831

The new bearskins had only been issued in this year for the whole regiment of the Coldstream Guards and Scots Guards. The chin-chain for this new headwear was made up of brass links whilst the bearskins of the Grenadier Guards at this time had a plain slim black leather chin-strap. The officers had a fine enameled rose and crown badge at the front and an enameled garter star badge at the back. I have not seen any evidence of privates having a badge at the back but they almost certainly did, and they definitely had a brass rose and crown badge at the front.
Drahonet's painting clearly shows the equipment carried by this soldier. The blanket is neatly packed away in a waterproof cover and strapped to the top of the Trotter knapsack which has a garter star badge painted on. The knapsack is made of canvas painted with black gloss and reinforced at the corners with leather. The D-shaped mess tins are awkwardly strapped in a painted canvas cover just below the greatcoat and rather spoil the whole effect. The bayonet is kept in a black leather scabbard on the left hip and the cartridge pouch which is seen here in profile, on the right hip. There is a chain dangling from his belts at the front which has brush and picker for servicing his musket. The trousers are the dark coloured Oxford mixture type worn in the winter months. They have no red stripe or piping down the outer seam at this stage.

Uniforms | Regimental Details